Chapter 87: A Turbulent Return

Easton tried to maintain his composure, determined not to be disturbed by her, but for some reason, today he couldn't manage it. The surrounding noise seemed to amplify, and he irritably raised his hand to rub his forehead, only to realize his phone was ringing. Someone was calling, a number he didn't recognize. After dismissing it several times, and the caller persistently ringing again, Easton considered blocking the number.

Then it struck him: his private number was known by very few, and the relentless persistence pointed to one person—Ellis. He swiped to answer. "Ellis?"

Using a colleague's phone to call, Ellis hadn't even begun speaking when Easton guessed it was her. Skipping formalities, she snapped, "Are you sick? Give me back my phone—now!"

She had stormed out so abruptly that she'd forgotten her phone, and clearly, Easton had no intention of returning it voluntarily. In today's world, who could live without their phone? Buying a new one wasn't just about the expense; it was the hassle of setting everything up again, not to mention replacing the SIM card.

Easton's face darkened at her shouting. "Is that how you speak to me when you're asking for a divorce?"

"I'm not talking about the divorce right now; I want my phone back. I don't need to be nice!" Ellis lost her patience. "Just give it back!"

"Come and get it yourself; I'm at the office."

With that, Easton hung up and looked out the window at the sunny day. Before picking up the call, he'd found himself hoping she would say, in a pleading tone, "I regret wanting a divorce." It was a ridiculous hope! She wasn't going to regret it today.

Meanwhile, Ellis, who was working at Tate Group, stormed out of the break room, her face flushed with anger. Easton stealing her phone was no different from theft. She didn't want to make a special trip to Hudson Group just to retrieve her phone and thought about asking someone to deliver it. But whom could she ask? Former colleagues at Hudson Group! Without her phone, she only remembered Maya's and Carly's numbers. No one else could be contacted, so, in frustration, she took the afternoon off and headed to Hudson Group.

Half an hour later, the security personnel at Hudson Group headquarters were surprised to see Ellis. Her departure from the company was well-known, and they had been instructed by Jackson that she was not to be admitted. Hesitating for a moment, one guard ventured, "Mrs. Hudson, um…"

Even if she was reluctant to come to Hudson Group, it was necessary. Ellis glanced at the guard blocking her way, her expression darkening slightly. "What is it?"

The guard stammered, and Ellis, growing impatient, snapped, "Spit it out, don't beat around the bush."

"Please wait, I'll contact Jackson."

Knowing Jackson's instructions was one thing, but offending Ellis was another. The guard quickly contacted Jackson. "Jackson, Mrs. Hudson is here."

Caught off guard while implementing the plans Easton had laid out in the documents, Jackson felt a momentary pang of guilt. "What does Mrs. Hudson want?"

(The remaining text is largely unintelligible and appears to be a fragment of a different chapter or a corrupted version of the original. It cannot be meaningfully incorporated into the corrected text.)