Demanding Compensation

"You can leave us, Newton," Evan ordered his secretary, and the lanky man in the black suit left the room.

Now Allie and Evan were alone in the meeting room. Allie's face was stoic, and there wasn't any hint of fear in her eyes as she met Evan's gaze.

He took the seat opposite hers. He was staring at her with bold eyes, not bothering if she would get offended by his apparent scrutiny.

Allie knew why he was used to acting that way. The man lived a life of superiority where he didn't have to explain his actions to anyone.

That's exactly the reason why he was branded as a tyrant in the business industry. He was a ruthless and unrestrained businessman.

Allie spoke first, her voice diplomatic. "I'm sure you have been informed that Professor Kelly would be late. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Mori."

"I don't mind at all, Miss Gray."

Allie's eyes narrowed. How he called her sounded so familiar. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed the amusement in the man's eyes as if she were a clown.

She had expected this.

But what she didn't understand was how Evan knew who she was when she went to the church. Even Redlip's clients wouldn't know personal information about the agents.

Did he spy on his bride and discover Redlip? Perhaps he paid someone inside Redlip to obtain insider information? That wasn't impossible.

"That's so kind of you, Mr. Mori. By the way, I am the lead developer of Code Vision," said Allie.

Code Vision was the name of Professor Kelly's company.

"Yes, I know," he replied, almost smugly as if he were implying something else.

"I heard you were Professor Kelly's student back in college and most of Code Vision's projects were your ideas. You are pretty good for your age, I must say."

"I only learned from Professor Kelly. I am sure my achievements are nothing compared to yours, Mr. Mori."

His brows twitched, his lips curling up. "And eloquent too."

Allie didn't say more, gauging Evan's reaction. But she couldn't read what was on his mind. His face didn't give anything away.

"How much were you paid to ruin my wedding, Miss Gray?" he asked casually.

Allie planned to pretend like she was a different person, but before coming here, she knew there was a big possibility that Evan had investigated her thoroughly which was why he knew she was Allison Gray. He knew her involvement with Code Vision so he requested her appearance in the meeting when it wasn't necessary.

Allie subtly glanced around to see if there were cameras, she also pressed her bracelet under the desk to know if Evan was recording. He wasn't.

"As I've told you before, I won't sue you Miss Gray, nor am I planning to expose you to the public," he said as if he knew what she was thinking.

"And what must I do to gain such a favor from you, Mr. Mori?"

Allie wasn't dumb. There was a catch here.

"Smart," he smirked. "I like that."

"I didn't mean to impress you," she said coldly. She wasn't here to catch praises from him.

"Sure, you didn't."

"So what is this all about, Mr. Mori? How did you know?" Allie didn't hold back. She was certain now that Evan wanted something from her, so he wouldn't make a fuss about the ruined wedding.

"I'm not responsible for telling you how I knew. Nothing escapes my eye." He leaned back, his left forearm resting on the table with the Rolex on his wrist visible.

"But the acquisition of Code Vision lies in your hands now," he added, which confused Allie.

"What do you mean?"

"I told you earlier in the church, Miss Gray," he leaned closer to the table, his voice low. "I won't let you get away with what you did. So what I am saying is, I'm demanding compensation."

Allie's eyes turned to slits. The last thing she wanted right now was for Code Vision to get affected.

Professor Kelly had been looking forward to the acquisition. Once Code Vision became a subsidiary of Lotus Tech, they would get enough resources to fund their projects.

"What kind of compensation do you want? I'm sure it's not money. You have plenty of that."

"Of course not."

Allie got a bad feeling about this.

"You took my bride from me, so you have to get me another one."

She was stunned. What the hell?

"Are you kidding me, Mr. Mori? How could I get you a new bride?"

His brow shot up. "You get paid to ruin people's lives, and you couldn't come up with a solution to that?"

"Excuse me? I never ruined people's lives. Your bride didn't want to marry you, she was coerced into your marriage. I only helped the poor girl. Of course, a risky service must be compensated."

"You ruined a business partnership, Miss Gray. You sound so naïve." He stared at her with the cruel eyes of a tyrant. "Lots of people would have benefited from it."

"And you sound like life should only revolve around money and business."

"Aren't you doing such a lowly side job because you're in need of money?" Evan smirked. "You see, money is power, love."

Allie wanted to leave. She didn't like the way he talked to her. But she couldn't risk getting Professor Kelly into trouble.

"Leave Professor Kelly out of this. If you want to get even, get even with me. Don't use Code Vision. I'm not its owner, I'm just an employee."

"But I know it was you who made Code Vision possible, and you are very close with Professor Kelly. You wouldn't want to put her efforts in vain, would you? Think about your team and employees."

Allie gritted her teeth.

"What exactly do you want from me, Mr. Mori?"

"I told you, I want a bride. You took my bride, you bring me another one."

She snickered. "You want me to become a matchmaker?"

"No, sweetheart," he stood from his seat and leaned forward. Both his hands were flat on the desk as he crouched and peered down at Allie's piercing eyes.

Evan stared at her green eyes darkly. They were so alive like a lovely summer forest, yet at the same time they were unnervingly cold and fearless. He didn't like her defiance.

"You will take her place. You will be my bride."