Chapter 225 His own accord
Cole walked into a private room and sat down in a chair to wait. There were less than five minutes until the agreed-upon time.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Alana to show up with her boyfriend.
If her boyfriend showed up, he would immediately pull out a bank card, slam it down in front of the man, and force him to leave Alana of his own accord.
If the man was willing to take the money and leave, it would prove that his feelings for Alana were nothing but a sham.
Alana might just see that man’s true colors and break up with him immediately. And he would be there to seize the opportunity!
The plan was absolutely flawless.
Now everything is in place, all that was missing was the right moment!
At that moment, the clock struck eight.
It was exactly the agreed-upon time.
Suddenly, there was a click.
The door to the private room was quietly pushed open.
Black leather shoes stepped onto the cold floor, walking in at a leisurely pace.
The footsteps were neither hurried nor agitated.
Cole’s brow twitched slightly. He instinctively looked up, and his pupils contracted sharply.
The man walked over at a leisurely pace and slowly sat down in the seat opposite Cole.
He leaned back lazily in his chair, crossed his legs, and adopted a relaxed posture, yet every movement exuded a cold, domineering aura.
He turned to the man across from him, the corner of his mouth curling up casually, exuding confidence and composure.
Cole’s gaze fixed intently on the man who had suddenly appeared, his eyes betraying his astonishment. “You...”
How could it be him?
The man he’d met at the hospital...
“You’re...”
Stephan saw the astonishment in his eyes and slowly curved his lips. “You guessed right. I am Alana’s boyfriend. I’m the one here to meet you tonight.”
So it really was this man!
No wonder they ran into each other at the hospital by such a coincidence.
No wonder the look this man gave him back then was so piercing...even hostile. He had been puzzled at the time.
But now, everything made sense!
Cole’s chest heaved violently as rage surged through him. He couldn’t help but stand up. “Why are you here alone? Where’s Alana? Where is she?”
Compared to Cole’s agitation, Stephan appeared much calmer. His tone was calm and measured.
“She doesn’t know I’m meeting with you. If she were to show up and see us at loggerheads, things might not end well.”
Cole stared at Stephan, his eyes behind his glasses narrowing slightly for a moment.
As sharp as he was, he naturally realized that the person who had messaged him last night wasn’t Alana, but the man standing before him.
This explained why his contact information had suddenly been blocked.
Cole gradually regained his composure, but the intense hostility in his gaze toward Stephan was impossible to hide.
He struggled to control his emotions, slowly regaining his composure, then sat back down and continued to scrutinize the man before him.
The man had a stern, chiseled face, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes. His gaze was as deep and impenetrable as a thick, dark pool, unfathomable and elusive.
He was dressed in a black suit, impeccably tailored and of the finest quality.
Now he sat lazily in his chair, legs crossed, exuding an air of calm and composed poise from head to toe.
Cole furrowed his brow slightly.
This was a far cry from the image he had imagined of a timid, cowardly man who dared not show his face to the world.
The man before him exuded an innate air of nobility, and a sense of superiority flowed naturally from his every movement.
And the faint aura of authority emanating from him, the kind of pressure that comes with being in a position of power, all served to tell him that this man was no ordinary person!
Moreover, the more he looked at him, the more familiar the man seemed, as if he had seen him somewhere else before...
Cole watched Stephan with growing wariness. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cole Parker. And you?”
Stephan’s dark eyes rested on Cole, taking in every one of his reactions.
His thin lips curled up casually. “Stephan Hudson.”
Stephan Hudson.
Cole’s head spun.
The look of confusion and bewilderment in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by
clarity.
“So it’s you!”
No wonder he’d felt a sense of familiarity when he first met this man at the hospital.
It turned out that the man standing before him was a legendary figure in the elite circle, a business tycoon with immense power and influence, the head of the Hudson Group, a big shot at the very top of the pyramid.
Cold had only ever seen him on TV, had heard of him from other people and businessmen but never seen him in person.
He never imagined he’d have the chance to speak with him face-to-face today.
Even more unexpected was the fact that Alana’s boyfriend was actually Stephan Hudson!
Why did it have to be Stephan Hudson?!
Why him of all people?!
Cole clenched his fists silently, feeling both furious and powerless.
He couldn’t understand how Alana had come into contact with Stephan in the first place, let alone how they’d become a couple.
But he knew one thing for certain: Alana and Stephan were completely
mismatched!
The gap in their social status was vast; Stephan would never marry her, and his family would never accept Alana!
Maybe it was just a fling...
He couldn’t let Alana become a plaything in the hands of the powerful!
Cole and Stephan locked eyes, their gazes thick with hostility, sparks flying. Just as the tension reached a boiling point, a waiter walked in, interrupting the silent, simmering tension.
“May I take your order, gentlemen?” Cole suppressed the emotions surging in his eyes and spoke calmly, “First, a cup
of coffee with sugar and milk, please.”
After a brief pause, he looked at Stephan and remarked pointedly, “This is the way Lana likes her coffee. I’m just like her. I wonder what kind of coffee you prefer, Mr. Hudson.”
Upon hearing this, Stephan’s brow furrowed slightly.
This damn male homewrecker knew quite a lot.
A cold smile curled his lips. “Whatever my girlfriend likes, I like. I’ll have a cup of coffee with sugar but no milk, please.”
Upon hearing this, Cole’s eyes darkened instantly.
An invisible aura of hostility and defiance radiated from both men.
The waiter sensed the oppressive aura emanating from the two men and immediately felt the pressure.
He quickly jotted down the order and hurried away.
Cole pressed his thin lips together, composed himself for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Stephan and asked, “Mr. Hudson, how long have you know Lana dear?”
Lana dear again?!
What a suggestive way to address her.
It was clear she didn’t take him, her official boyfriend, seriously at all!
Stephan’s eyes held a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“It hasn’t been that long, but it was love at first sight for us, and our feelings have deepened over time.”
Cole’s thin lips twitched. “I’ve known her longer than you have. I’ve known her since junior high, all the way up to today. When it comes to love at first sight, or love that grows over time, I’m more qualified than you.”
Stephan’s lips curled into a half-smile. “And then? Did you two end up together?”
Struck at his weak spot, Cole’s eyes instantly grew colder.
“Stephan, do you really know her? Do you know what the real Alana is like?”
“I’ve known her for years. I know everything about her, inside and out. But you...what do you really know about her? Do you know what happened to her in the past? What she’s been through?”
Stephan stared at Cole, his eyes deep and intense, and remained silent for a moment.
Cole noticed his expression growing increasingly cold, and the corner of his mouth curled up imperceptibly.
“You don’t know, do you? But I know everything about her. The bond between us is not something you can compare to just knowing her for a few months!”