?Chapter 37:


    Who would have thought that tt, a dominant force in business, would be reduced to pleading for mercy from a woman who appeared so fragile?


    Sadie, her eyes slowly fluttering open, fixed a weak yet resolute gaze on tt. Her voice, though soft, was infused with an unwavering resolve. “Mr. Crawford, when I continuously declined your request, neither you nor Miss Wade showed me any leniency. You branded me a workaholic, so devoted to thepany that I’d overlook personal boundaries. You dismissed my refusal to drink, insisting that without mypliance, you wouldn’t work with Wall Group.”


    “Mr. Crawford, were those your words?” Sadie pressed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, which visibly darkened tt’s expression.


    His lips quivered as he struggled with the weight of her words. After a painful pause, he managed a reply, his voice barely above a whisper. “Miss Hudson, I messed up—please, give me this one chance to make it right.”


    K, who had never imagined she’d witness Sadie—the typically reserved woman—confronting someone, felt a sudden urge to defend tt. She almost rose to speak on his behalf, but Noah’s frosty stare rooted her to the spot.


    “Mr. Crawford, since you hold such contempt for Wall Group, I believe it’s best we sever our ties now.” Noah’s tone was as cold as the arctic, leaving no room for tt to argue.


    Overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, tt copsed to the floor, his face the picture of despair. Despite all efforts, hispany had never risen beyond mediocrity. A massive conglomerate like Wall Group, built on generations of sess, could bankrupt hispany without even breaking a sweat. In ast-ditch effort to salvage the situation, tt grabbed a bottle of wine and dered, “Mr. Wall, I’ll drink!” He then took a desperate gulp, hoping against hope to mend the irreparable rift.


    The fiery liquid scorched its way down his throat, causing his eyes to water, yet tt persisted, knowing this momentary agony was trivialpared to the devastation of bankruptcy.


    One bottle, two bottles, three bottles…


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    No one dared to make a sound, their eyes fixed on tt as he drowned himself in liquor, each bottle tipping back like the final act of a doomed man.


    tt’s torment dragged on, bottle after bottle, until the fifth sealed his fate. His body failed, his world spun, and in the next second, he copsed—nothing but dead weight on the cold floor.


    Noah, his face twisted in a grimace of revulsion, turned to Samuel with icy detachment. “I’ll leave the rest to you,” hemanded, his voice brooking no argument.


    “Absolutely, Mr. Wall,” Samuel responded with a deferential nod. Disregarding the shocked faces around him, Noah snatched up his coat and strode out, Sadie in tow.


    The chill of the night air greeted them, cutting through the stench of alcohol that clung to their clothes. It was a wee, cleansing breeze that seemed to clear Sadie’s senses slightly. She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the lingering haze of alcohol. She needed to get away, to find sce in the quiet of her own space.


    She walked straight to the roadside, intending to hail a taxi home. There was something unsettling about the way Sadie ignored him, leaving Noah with a vague but persistent difort he couldn’t put into words. He approached her and grasped her hand, his voice tinged with irritation. “After everything I did for you tonight, Sadie, do I not even get a word?”


    Sadie turned to face him, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and indifference. “Oh, thank you,” she murmured, her tone t.


    “That’s it?” Noah chuckled dryly, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “Just a ‘thank you’?”


    “What more do you expect?” Sadie retorted, her confusion evident. “What else should I say?”


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