He Wanted an Heir, So I Gave Him Ashes Chapter 33

He Wanted an Heir, So I Gave Him Ashes Chapter 33

He went to the guest room where Ellie had stayed and brought back a few of the business books she had left behind.

Only by pressing the pages to his face and breathing in the faint scent of her perfume could he find a moment of peace in the maddeningly empty mansion.

As he was drifting into an uneasy sleep, a piercing ring from his phone yanked him back to reality.

It was the Group’s CFO.

Three in the morning.

Rhett’s heart sank. This couldn’t be good news.

“Mr. Walker,” the voice on the other end was exhausted and terrified, “we found it… we found the buyer who’s taking over our assets.”

“Who is it?” Rhett’s voice was hoarse.

The CFO took a deep breath. “It’s… Cole Hayes.”

Rhett’s breathing stopped.

Cole Hayes.

His biggest rival in Texas. A hungry wolf who had been circling Walker Ranch for years.

The CFO continued, his voice laced with hesitant speculation. “I suspect… I suspect it was Mrs. Walker. She packaged everything and sold it to Hayes.”

Rhett had known, deep down, that all of this was Ellie’s doing.

But he never expected her to hand everything the Walker family owned to Cole Hayes.

That wasn’t just a business settlement.

That was her telling him that she would rather give the empire they had built together to an enemy than leave him a single scrap.

It was pure, undisguised hatred.

The realization shattered the last of his pride.

But a wild thought seized him.

If Ellie was in contact with Cole Hayes, Cole might know where she was.

He hung up on the CFO and, with trembling fingers, found the name in his contacts he had never imagined he would call.

For years, they had been adversaries at every business event, every industry banquet. This was the first time he was lowering his head.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. Cole Hayes’s voice was lazy, as if he’d just been woken from a pleasant dream.

“Walker? Calling me at this hour. Has your empire finally burned to the ground? Are you calling to congratulate me?”

Rhett’s fingers tightened around the phone until his knuckles were white. He forced down the metallic taste in his throat.

“Tell me where Ellie is.”

A soft laugh came from the other end, full of mockery.

Rhett closed his eyes, ground his pride into dust, and said, word by word, “Whatever your terms, we can negotiate.”

Cole seemed to savor the moment. He was silent for a long time, as if tasting Rhett’s humiliation.

“Since you’re being so sincere,” he finally said, pleased, “of course I can tell you.”

“She’s in California. Right now, she’s a special guest at our Vance-AgriTech summit.”