Chapter 583
Chapter 583:
His laughter filled the room, joined by several others.
The man frowned disapprovingly. “Why bother with such a troublemaker? It’s beneath you p>
“Yelena, what’s going on p>
Just then, Austin arrived, sensing the charged atmosphere as he saw Yelena by the door. A sense of foreboding gripped him.
Yelena noticed the shift in Austin’s mood and flashed him a confident smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this p>
Austin nodded, slightly reassured by her demeanor.
“There’s some shady business in your branch, trading money for promotions,” Yelena pointedly said to Austin, nodding toward the gathered group. The man with Steven, previously bold, now seemed to shrink, wishing he could disappear from the unfolding drama.
But Steven was still oblivious to the truth. He believed Yelena was continuing her charade and approached her, accusingly saying, “Yelena, I never thought you’d stoop so low as to hire someone to impersonate Mr. Barton. Do you think you can fool anyone into believing he’s the real thing? Apologize to us, leave the food, or you’ll regret this p>
Before Steven could finish, John intervened with a swift kick. Despite Steven’s bulk, he lacked resilience. John’s forceful kick sent him sprawling across the floor, where he tumbled several times before finally coming to a halt.
“Oh no, my back…” Steven let out a melodramatic moan, toppling onto the floor as though he’d just been struck by lightning.
Hildegarde rushed to his side, her voice rising a few octaves as she shouted, “How dare you lay a finger on my boyfriend! Do you even know who he is?” She thrust her finger into the air. “He’s a manager at the Barton Group p>
To be precise, Steven was a manager at one of Barton’s smaller branches. Hildegarde wasn’t exactly wrong—she just didn’t tell the whole truth.
Steven glared up from the floor, mustering his best wounded expression. “You’re in hot water, pal! Mr. Barton from Kheley is right here in town—I’ll bring him over any second, so don’t even think about running p>
gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․𝑐𝓞𝓂 brings great stories
John eyed Steven’s theatrical performance, valiantly holding back laughter. The irony was almost too perfect—the Mr. Barton Steven spoke of was standing right there, but Steven had no clue.
John turned to Austin with a grin. “Mr. Barton, it seems he thinks he knows you p>
Austin’s eyes narrowed icily. “I’ve never seen him before p>
Steven and Hildegarde froze as though someone had pulled the rug out from under them.
Suddenly, Steven’s eyes darted to a trembling figure huddled in the corner—a man from the headquarters who surely recognized the real Mr. Barton.
Reality crashed in, and Steven’s overacting vanished in an instant. He scrambled to his feet and collapsed before Austin, head bowed in desperation. “M-Mr. Barton, I’m so sorry! I was blind—I had no idea p>
Silence.
Panicking, Steven begged again and again, each bow more frantic than the last.
Hildegarde stood there, utterly stunned, her mind struggling to process everything that had just happened. Then she felt a tug at the hem of her blouse—Steven’s silent command for her to follow suit.
In a flurry of panic, Hildegarde dropped to her knees beside him.
Austin’s gaze darkened as he turned to John. “Get them out of here,” he said, his voice low and cold.
Steven began trembling so hard his teeth chattered. He scrambled forward on his hands and knees, blurting, “Mr. Barton, I’m so sorry! I know I messed up—please, please forgive me p>
Before he could worm his way any closer, John planted a firm kick against Steven’s side, sending him sprawling.