Chapter 647 “We don’t know whether or not Mr. Larson is in the hospital. Please don’t let the rumors affect our cooperation,” Vivian hurriedly explained. “You’ve done business with the Larson Group before, so I’m sure you already know what the company is capable of. Don’t worry.” Noticing that the atmosphere was getting a little awkward, Liam decided to act as a peacemaker by smiling and saying, “Miss Cooper, you’re new here. I know it’s inappropriate of us to make things hard for you, but I hope you understand my and Mr. Cruz’s worries. Our companies aren’t big companies like the Larson Group. We can’t afford the losses. How about this? We can sign this contract, but we request a video call to communicate directly with Mr. Larson.” Gifford crossed his arms and nodded. “Yes. If we can confirm that Brandon isn’t in the hospital, we can sign the contract.” “I’m afraid it’s an inconvenient time for Mr. Larson to do that right now. How about we delay the signing of the contract? It’s almost lunch time anyway. Would you like me to treat you to lunch first?” Vivian asked. Her voice was shaky as she glanced at the time on her watch. Gifford sneered. He then stood up and picked up the documents. “We just wanted to see Brandon, but you won’t let us. I bet he’s so sick that he can’t even get out of bed. You know what? I won’t sign this contract with your company. There’s no point in waiting around here anymore.” Vivian’s eyes widened. “Mr. Cruz, Mr. Lewis, please listen to me!” Even though she said that, she didn’t do anything more to try and persuade them to stay. She was the one who spread the rumors about Brandon, after all. All she knew was that Brandon was in the hospital and she could do whatever she wanted to right now. The termination of the cooperation would undoubtedly confirm Brandon’s illness. If that were to happen, more companies that partnered with the Larson group would also terminate their contracts, and the company would be in shambles. That was what Vivian wanted to happen. The assistant anxiously pulled on Vivian’s sleeve. “Is Mr. Larson really sick? He should be here by now if nothing really happened.” At that time, some employees were gathering outside the meeting room. They were eavesdropping on their conversation. “I think the project is really going to be canceled,” one of the employees said. Another employee nodded. “The rumors are true, then. Mr. Larson might be seriously ill.” Gifford and Liam’s faces darkened. They picked up the documents and stood up. Just when they were about to leave, they heard a booming, stentorian voice, saying, “Where are you two going? We haven’t signed the contract yet!” “Isn’t that Mr. Larson’s voice?” Gifford and Liam looked back at the same time. The employees that were standing at the door of the meeting room also looked at where the voice came from. The man coming their way was wearing shiny leather shoes and a black suit jacket on top of a dress shirt. His aura was indescribably domineering as he narrowed his eyes and looked around. It was Brandon. “Mr. Larson! You’re back!” Everyone’s eyes lit up the moment they saw him. They looked at him as if he was their savior. Upon hearing the commotion outside, Vivian ran out in a panic. Her face turned pale when she saw Brandon standing outside the door. Gifford and Liam went over to him while they held the contract in their hands. Noticing that Brandon looked quite healthy and radiant, they asked, “Mr. Larson, you’re here!” Brandon glanced at Sean behind him with the suitcase in tow and said to the two men in front of him, “Sorry, the flight got delayed.” Liam put on a flattering smile and explained, “There was a slight misunderstanding just now. We heard a rumor that you were in hospital, so we didn’t sign the contract.” Brandon raised his eyebrows at Liam and asked, “What rumor?” Gifford hesitated at first but eventually told Brandon what he had heard. “Here’s the thing. A few days ago, a photo of you in the hospital circulated on the Internet. Rumor had it you had a serious brain tumor and that you were looking for a neurologist. What was more, your parents-in-law were said to be helping you find the best doctors in the world.” “That’s fake news,” Brandon denied expressionlessly. “But I understand your concerns. If you wish to terminate the cooperation, I won’t stop you.” Gifford immediately regretted doubting Brandon. Numerous companies were eager to cooperate with the Larson Group. How could he let a groundless rumor cost the hard-won cooperation? Suddenly, something occurred on Gifford. He pointed his finger at Vivian and concluded, “You knew that Mr. Larson was on a business trip. And yet, you didn’t tell us the truth. You wanted to sabotage this cooperation, didn’t you?” Everyone’s gazes fell on Vivian. “That makes sense. When Mr. Lewis and Mr. Cruz threatened to leave, Vivian didn’t stop them. Could it be that she…” an employee conjectured. “What did you expect? She’s a member of the Turner family and the one in charge of the Turner Group. How could she truly side with the Larson Group?” another queried. “Could it be that Vivian went to this company for a reason?” The employees all stared at Vivian with apparent disgust. Most of them doubted her capabilities. After all, she was already in a high position at such a young age. No wonder she was not liked by everyone. She was enviable. Meanwhile, Vivian was at a loss for words and could only stand there in embarrassment. What they had said was partly true. She indeed did not stop them from leaving. The thing was, the people she had arranged at the gate of the hospital did not inform her that Brandon had been discharged. She would not have acted like this otherwise. While everyone was waiting for Vivian’s explanation, Brandon broke the deafening silence. “Well, don’t just stand there. All of you, get back to work.” He scanned the crowd and made up a story on the spot. “Vivian here had no idea I’d come back today as I didn’t even tell the staff about my business trip. As for the rumors, I believe that they’re nothing but nonsense made up by the media. Don’t believe any of it.” After hearing what Brandon said, Liam and Gifford did not blame Vivian anymore. The rest of the employees then returned to their workstations. “Mr. Larson, shall we go to the meeting room to discuss the contract in detail?” Liam, with a big smile on his face, rubbed his hands together, opened the door of the meeting room, and entered with Brandon. Vivian, on the other hand, was shut out of the door and could not hear a word they were saying from inside the room. About ten minutes later, Liam and Gifford walked out with big smiles on their faces. From the looks of it, the signing had gone smoothly. Vivian interlocked her fingers in anxiety. Once the two men had left and Brandon was about to return to the meeting room, she grabbed his sleeve. “Mr. Larson, it’s my fault. I’m sorry…” Vivian lowered her gaze and swallowed hard. She could not even bring herself to meet his eyes. Brandon turned to look at Vivian with an intense gaze, pulled back his sleeve, and assured her, “It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t make it clear to you in the beginning. Just continue what you’ve been doing.” “Really, Mr. Larson?” Vivian gasped in surprise. But, at the same time, she was a little scared and skeptical. “Listen. I don’t blame you, and you don’t have to worry about this again. Besides, a lot of things happened in the past few days. Since everyone has done their best, I want you to book a restaurant and organize a party tonight as a reward for all of your hard work.” The topic changed so fast that Vivian had no other choice but to set the past aside. She smiled brightly and asked, “Which restaurant should we go to tonight? Do you have any recommendation, Mr. Larson?” “Hmm. Remember when you had a party in Newden Hotel last time? Their service was good, wasn’t it?” Brandon replied without much thought. Speaking of the hotel, the scene of the waitress falling down the stairs flashed across Vivian’s mind. At the thought of this, her smile froze and her body stiffened. “Mr. Larson, I don’t think it’s appropriate to visit to this hotel. This is the place where you and Mrs. Larson quarreled the last time…” Vivian said in a hushed voice. “Oh, it’s fine. We don’t even mind, so why should you?” Brandon smiled and narrowed his eyes as he said slyly. Vivian was startled by Brandon’s passive-aggressive look. She pursed her lips and decided it would be best for her to stay silent. However, Brandon was not done intimidating Vivian. He put on a serious expression and asked, “Is there anything about the hotel that’s worrying you?” Vivian racked her brain to find an excuse and an idea suddenly flashed through her mind. She regained her composure and replied hurriedly, “Many of us in the company thought the food here a little too spicy. So I thought it would be better to choose another location where the food is more agreeable for our staff. I happen to know a good Japanese restaurant nearby. Perhaps we could go there?” “It’s mainly because my wife likes the environment of this restaurant very much. If the staff feel that the food is too spicy or something, I can hire another chef to be in charge of tonight’s dishes. Just go ask around what they like to eat.” Brandon countered her indifferently. “Oh !…Mrs. Larson likes this restaurant…” Vivian muttered with a forceful smile. In the evening, the Larson Group had booked the entire Newden Hotel. Natalie and Brandon entered the dining hall hand in hand. When Natalie saw Vivian across the room, she walked over and sat at the same table. Natalie started chatting with Vivian and the other female colleagues. One of them complimented Natalie, “Mrs. Larson, this place is amazing. The environment is great, and the dishes are fresh and appetizing.” “I thought you all didn’t like the food here. I heard many of you thought the food here was too spicy,” Natalie said innocently, but her eyes were saying otherwise. Vivian forced a smile and replied hurriedly, “Mr. Larson said he would hire another chef to prepare today’s dinner. The dishes we had previously were not really suitable to the taste buds of the people in Barnes.” “I’ve been here several times before. The food is delicious, but it’s a little expensive,” a short-haired colleague said as she looked at Vivian curiously. “Vivian is rich and has exquisite tastes. She is different from us ordinary people,” another female colleague said sarcastically. Vivian clenched her fists silently but controlled her temper and smiled politely at the colleague. “Okay, the food is here. Let’s just dig in,” Natalie quipped as she tried to diffuse the tension at the table. While they were eating, a colleague started to gossip.