Right Person, Wrong Time

Colton returned to his room and found Beryl sitting there. He nonchalantly took a seat beside him and coldly remarked, "Don't you have your own room?"

Without paying him much attention, Beryl lazily retorted, "You want to talk to me but then want me to leave? Isn't that a bit heartless?"

With those words, Beryl got up and poured himself a glass of red wine, as if he was the master of the house. He seemed familiar with the arrangement of Colton's room.

"It's just the three of us on this floor. It's fine for us to wander in and out of the rooms—it works well for us." Beryl's lips curled up slightly, and he placed the wine glass next to Colton before raising an eyebrow.

Colton looked at the sudden appearance of the wine glass before him. His expression dimmed slightly, and then he picked up the glass, downing its contents without hesitation.

"Take it easy! This is not a competition," Beryl advised when he noticed Colton's haste to drink.

"Speak up." Colton didn't pay any attention to Beryl's comment and went straight to the point. It wasn't a suitable time for idle chatter. The mere thought of Nicole collaborating with Kendrick irked him. He thought he no longer loved Nicole, so why was he feeling this way? It was beyond his comprehension.

"Oh? Alright, Kendrick and Nicole signed a contract. It's related to the research center. He's Nicole's investor, and he's helping with the development." Beryl looked for any change in Colton's expression but found none. He continued, "You could say that the foreign research center is closely tied to Kendrick. If something happens to Kendrick, Nicole's research center could be affected."

As Beryl's words trailed off, Colton poured himself more wine and downed it in one go. Whether it was due to what Beryl said or something else, he was incredibly vexed.

"Enough with the drinking; do you even realize how much you've consumed during this time?" Beryl frowned slightly, displeased with Colton's continuous drinking. However, Colton didn't stop his actions despite Beryl's comment.

"Don't worry about it. Proceed as planned." Colton's lips tightened into a line. His expression remained devoid of emotion as he placed the wine glass aside and spoke coldly.

Beryl was momentarily taken aback by his response, but he quickly composed himself and nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll do as you say." After just these words, he left, and Colton's room fell into silence once again.

Beryl knew that everything Colton was doing right now was a facade. If things really escalated to that point, Colton would surely backtrack. For this time, he needed to alter his approach—he had to make sure of the safety of Nicole's research center.

Colton's eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at the carpet, replaying Beryl's words in his mind. If he completely destroyed Kendrick, it would undoubtedly impact Nicole's overseas efforts. All her hard work could go down the drain.

Maybe she didn't need his pity after all. From having Zachary by her side before to having Kendrick now—either one of them was enough to help her.