Chapter 276

William had already dropped Harper off at kindergarten.

Standing at the school gate, he waved at Harper, "Go on, have a great day at school."

"Bye, Dad Cavendish." Harper greeted him but didn't leave immediately. She thought for a moment and ran back.

"Are you picking me up after school today?"

"Do you want me to, sweetie?" William squatted down and gently pinched Harper's cheek.

Harper nodded.

She had a natural affection for William, and he had always been exceptionally kind to her.

Kids are simple; they trust those who treat them well.

William extended his pinky finger for a promise, "Alright, it's a deal. I'll definitely come to pick you up tonight."

"Okay, I'm off to school now!" Harper ran into the school cheerfully.

William returned to his car and sent a message to Christina: [Dropped Harper off at school. Don't worry, and make sure to eat breakfast, or your stomach will hurt.]

After seeing the message, Christina set her phone aside.

For a moment, she felt conflicted. Raising a child alone always had its challenges, but having two parents would make things much easier.

Harper really did need her father.

But every time she thought about this, memories of her past life would surface, reminding her of William's coldness, and her rationality would return.

After eating a few sandwiches, Christina put down her fork. She had a busy day ahead, with a contract to sign with Atlas.

They had arranged to meet at a club, and Christina, dressed in professional attire, arrived early.

She waited in the lobby for two hours but never saw Atlas.

During this time, she sent messages to Atlas. Initially, he replied with excuses about being stuck in traffic, but eventually, he stopped responding altogether.

It was clear he was playing games with her.

But since she was already there, leaving without accomplishing anything felt like giving up.

Christina waited a bit longer, and finally, Parker arrived.

He walked up to her, looking her up and down, "Since you're here, come upstairs with me."

Suppressing her frustration, Christina followed him to a private room.

Once inside, Parker sat on the couch, "What are you standing there for? Don't you know to get me a glass of water?"

"Parker, don't you think you're being a bit too much?" Christina couldn't hold back any longer.

Yesterday, he had forced her to drink excessively, and now he wanted her to serve him water. What would he demand next?

Parker casually tapped his right hand on the table, "What's the matter? Can't handle it? You're the daughter of a mistress, and I'm just giving you a hard time. Are you already falling apart?"

"I don't want to argue with you. When is Atlas coming?"

"See this contract? The party listed as 'A' has been changed to me." Parker pulled the contract from his bag and tossed it in front of Christina.

He was clearly reveling in his moment of triumph, "If you want this deal, you'll have to negotiate with me, Christina. Don't tell me you're planning to give up."

Christina recalled Atlas's change in attitude during yesterday's dinner. It all made sense now.

Atlas didn't care about the project anymore because he had already decided to hand it over. Whether it was profitable or not didn't matter to him, so he didn't need to put in any effort.

Christina was determined to secure this project, but she didn't want to lower herself too much.

Parker's presence today indicated the situation.

"If you had a better partner, you wouldn't be here today. You've seen my proposal; cooperation is mutually beneficial."

Parker's expression darkened.

He hated Christina's confident demeanor, "You can sign the contract, but there's a clause that says you must provide a satisfactory plan after the collaboration, or the party listed as 'A' can refuse payment."

This clause was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Christina couldn't change the rules of the game; she could only choose whether to comply.

After handing the project to Parker, Atlas had more free time and often went fishing with friends.

Most of them were in the same industry, with business connections and good personal relationships.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to the project Atlas had handed over.

"Atlas, you were swamped with that project recently. How come you're so relaxed now, even going fishing?" The speaker was Bodhi, the partner who had previously given Christina a hard time.

Since then, Bodhi had been on edge, fearing William might retaliate for his wife's sake.

He agreed to go fishing with Atlas to unwind.

Atlas smiled smugly, "I handed the project over to Parker, the Cavendish family's young master. Not only did I earn his favor, but I also get half the profits for free. It's a win-win."

He adjusted his fishing rod, seeing a fish bite, and hurriedly reeled it in.

The next moment, the fish slipped off the hook.

Bodhi watched Atlas, his brows furrowing. He felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Atlas, we're all businessmen. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Parker wouldn't give you such a big benefit without a reason."

"He has a grudge against my partner and wants to use this opportunity to mess with her." Atlas could guess that much.

But what did it matter to him?

He only cared about the tangible benefits he received.

Bodhi was silent for a moment, "Who's your partner?"

"Bodhi, what's with you today? We're here to relax, don't be so tense." Atlas patted his shoulder, "My partner is Christina. Do you know her?"

The project was already handed over, and even if Bodhi had a connection, Atlas couldn't go back and offend Parker.

Now, not only Bodhi but the others also looked at him, shaking their heads.

Atlas was puzzled by their reactions.

The next moment, Bodhi patted his shoulder, "Do you know who Christina is? She's William's wife. If you want to get close to the Cavendish family, you should be pleasing her. Look at what you've done."

"Mrs. Cavendish?" Atlas's eyes widened.

For a moment, he thought Bodhi was joking, "Don't scare me. This isn't a joke. I've never heard of William having a wife."

Bodhi sighed, "Well, now you know. And you've just handed over a project that could have been your ticket in with the Cavendish family. Good luck dealing with that fallout."