"Yes. She rattled off the pros and cons. I didn''t understand a word of it, but


    somehow, I managed to muddle through. The problem is, I am not the decision


    maker. What if she follows up and presses me?" Gand said.


    Juan muttered, "Herpany is doing well. Why would she need to work with


    you?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Did something go wrong with herpany?"


    "I''ve no idea."


    "Is the Buchan Group targeting them?"


    "I''m not sure."


    Frustrated, Juan rubbed his temples. "You had a meeting. Surely, you remember


    something."


    Gand recalled it. "Well, she said something about Theda trying to get their


    hands on the shares of the Nichols Group. Then she said Theda couldn''t get


    them. In the end, she proposed to work with me to dominate overseas and


    Seamar City markets. I told her I''d take it back to thepany for discussion, but


    she hit me with this thing about me being the sole decision-maker for overseas


    operations. I panicked and said we didn''t have any assets in Seamar City. Then


    she dropped the bomb that we''ve had a branch here for over a decade. I had to


    backpedal to avoid blowing my cover. It was a close call."


    Juan fell silent.


    "What''s wrong? Why aren''t you saying anything?"


    "Your family doesn''t have any assets in Seamar City. How can you be clueless


    about it?"


    "What? Then why would Debra say that? Did she get it wrong?"


    Juan let out a long, exasperated sigh. "She has doubted your identity. That whole


    conversation was a trap, and you walked right into it. You gave yourself away with


    that rookie-level mistake. You''re such a brilliant protégé."


    "What the hell? I treated her like a friend, and she set me up?" Gand''s voice


    rose in indignation.


    If Debra found out he was passing himself off as Fermin, it would be disastrous.


    Bert would definitely punish him.


    He paced frantically. "You''ve got to


    help me fix this. I did all this for you.


    Otherwise, my dad will kill me."


    Juan sulked, "You''re the one causing problems for me right now."


    With Gand''s exposure, his peaceful things were officially over.


    Fermin''s death was a closely


    guarded secret. If word got out, the


    Eaton family could face chaos from


    both within and outside.


    "There''s only one solution."


    "What solution?"


    "Confession."


    "C-Confession?"


    "Confess that you''re Fermin. But you must not breathe a word about his death."


    "How am I supposed to exin it?"


    "Tell them you were just fooling


    around. Spin it in a way that makes


    you harmless to Debra. She''ll still


    see you as a friend."


    Gand groaned, slumping into the chair. For the sake of the bigger picture, he


    said, "I see."


    The call ended.


    That evening, Gand knocked on the door to Debra and Marion''s room.


    The three of them stared at one another. The silencested a full ten minutes.