Chapter 959 - 498: If That Day Ever Comes, You Must Let Me Leave on My Own (2)

"Promise me, please?" Avery Jane softly pleaded.

Joshua Hughes’ face turned even paler, a terrifying sight, with his obsidian eyes churning like stormy waves, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.

His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost squeezing it out of shape. He struggled to suppress the turbulent waves in his chest, pulled the car over to the side of the road, and wrapped his muscular arms around her. The faint scent of musk mixed with tobacco, uniquely his, enveloped her. His warm breath brushed against her face, and his thin lips gently touched her forehead as he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "Can you ask for something else?" Even if she wanted the moon in the sky, he would find a way to bring her a piece of it, except for this, it was impossible, just impossible...

Her body trembled slightly, trying to escape his presence, but he was so domineering that she had no place to hide, forced to cling to his embrace. It was as though his essence pervaded the entire world, from which she could neither escape nor flee.

Tears of bitterness almost fell: "Joshua Hughes, why won’t you dare to promise me? Have you truly deceived me, truly?" Avery muttered, fear inexplicably gripping her heart, afraid of truly recalling the past, wanting to leave but unable to do so. Love was, in fact, an invisible shackle, impossible to break free once bound.

Within Joshua’s profound eyes, the most intense pain had trampled through. Her words floated lightly like a feather gently rising, only he understood that in that instant, his world had almost been destroyed, and his heart hurt so much he was on the verge of fainting. His entire heart was torn to pieces by her words, resembling a question but not quite one. Holding her, a desolate smile curled his lips, as desolate as if it were the end of the world, filled with despair and sadness.

"I promise you, I promise you..." he whispered, hoping that day would never come, praying it wouldn’t. Joshua closed his eyes, feeling her warm, soft body in his arms.

If there came a day she remembered everything, living with him, she would likely be in unbearable pain, so much so that she might wish for death. All that pain, let him bear it alone. Yet just the promise caused hurt as if there were no tomorrow. He didn’t know if, come that day, he could survive. Surely, he would die of heartbreak...

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"Where is the eight percent of Hughes Clan’s shares?" Julian Carter asked, looking at the man in the office whose face was as cold as frost. He was in a very bad mood today, extremely bad.

Hughes Clan’s shares, apart from the thirty percent held evenly between the Hughes brothers, Joshua Hughes’ father had two percent, Grace Roe had five percent, other relatives about ten percent, and an elusive eight percent remained in the hands of a mystery person. It’s been an unsolved mystery for years, as no one ever came forward with proof to claim Hughes Clan’s generous dividends accumulated over the years.

"During my grandfather’s time, that eight percent had already been given away, likely decades ago. It’s known because before my grandfather passed, he wanted everyone in the Hughes Clan to have an explanation, so it was disclosed," Joshua Hughes said coldly, gazing at the distant sky. Was she as lost, troubled, and uneasy as he was, unable to focus on anything?

"You’re too ruthless. I guess those old geezers will support Luis Hughes, especially now that he has a legitimate heir," Julian Carter remarked, his face tense. Joshua Hughes rarely let his emotions show so clearly during work hours; something troubled him, though Julian was sure it wasn’t work-related.

Considering the situation, Grace Roe’s five percent was still undecided. In reality, Joshua Hughes held only two percent more than Luis Hughes. The old board members had already made plenty of money, so if they wanted to support Luis Hughes to vent some steam, it wasn’t impossible. The biggest key to winning this battle was that eight percent. Acquiring it meant a sure victory.

Joshua Hughes pulled back from his wandering thoughts and looked at Julian Carter: "I’ll give someone to you; investigate thoroughly." That elusive eight percent was something Joshua had been seeking. Having spent so much time by his grandfather’s side, he held more clues than Luis Hughes. Asking Grace Roe for that five percent was out of the question. She used that five percent to compensate for abandoning him all those years, but he wouldn’t give her that chance. If that incident hadn’t happened, it might have been possible, but she did the cruelest thing to him – she swapped his cornea. If Avery Jane found out, would she wish he were dead? Hence, he resolved never to forgive her, not in the slightest, it didn’t matter to whom she gave that five percent. He always wanted to honor his father, but now realized that grandeur surpassed what five percent could show. Even if she truly passed that five percent to Conny Hughes and his son, he would reclaim them. His father had gifted them to his wife, yet she was an unfaithful woman, unworthy of it.

With elegant fingers grasping a pen, strong and forceful strokes, he wrote a name: "Find an opportunity to contact her soon."

Julian Carter looked at the paper, his eyebrows knitted. A woman?