Chapter 953
He listened to the shrill ringing, and his heart instinctively tightened. Why would Lucas be calling at this hour? Desmond reached out, ready to pick up the phone. But his hand hovered over it for a long time, hesitating, torn between whether he should answer or not. For some reason, he felt uneasy – something didn’t sit right with him. It was as if he had overlooked something important.
His hand remained suspended in the air as his mind raced, trying to figure out what he might have missed. The next moment, the phone stopped ringing. Desmond’s heart clenched, and one thought ran through his mind – he was done. He hadn’t picked up in time. Lucas was definitely going to come for him now.
Sure enough, just as Desmond was wondering what to do, someone knocked on his office door. He nearly jumped out of his chair in fright. Before he could even react, a voice came from outside.
“Mr. Watson, are you in there?”
Desmond took several deep breaths to calm himself before responding, “I’m here. What is it?”
The person outside didn’t come in, only called out through the door. “Mr. Watson, Mr. Carter wants to see you – make it quick.” He even kindly added that last bit because it was clear to him too that Lucas was not in a good mood. When he picked up the phone, Lucas‘ voice had been notably low and cold.
Hearing that, Desmond’s nerves spiked. He was done for. Missing that one call had now led to this. Lucas was in such a hurry, he’d sent someone to fetch him personally. Clearly, he’d made a serious mistake this time. Desmond quickly flung open the office door and saw the messenger still standing outside.
Desmond couldn’t help but ask, “So, when Mr. Carter asked you to pass the message, what was his mood like?”
The man looked at Desmond’s pale, defeated expression, and after a moment of hesitation under that hopeful gaze, he shook his head. “Not good. You’d better tread carefully.”
Hearing that, Desmond staggered a little, his heart sinking further into despair. He figured this trip wasn’t going to end well for him. He took several deep breaths before finally walking toward Lucas‘ office with the slow steps of someone heading to his doom.
The messenger watched him from behind, a hint of sympathy flashing in his eyes. “Man, that took guts… actually daring to cross Mr. Carter. Well, good luck to him.” He shook his head, muttered to himself, and turned back to his own desk. He’d better mind his own business. Now that Lucas was back, everyone’s workload would likely increase. So, he’d best tighten up and stay disciplined.
Meanwhile, Desmond had been preparing himself mentally for quite a while but still didn’t have the courage to knock. Then Lucas‘ voice came from inside, unreadable in tone.
“What, you waiting for an invitation?”
Startled, Desmond flinched and pushed the door open without hesitation. As soon as he stepped in, a shiver ran through him. He didn’t even dare meet Lucas‘ gaze. He stood nervously in front of the desk and spoke in a low voice, “Mr. Carter, is there something you needed me for…”
Lucas said nothing, continuing to flip through the documents in his hands. The room fell completely silent; the only sound was the soft rustle of pages turning.