Chapter 405: The Ambush

Jeremiah said in a deep voice, “This is the first I’ve heard of it. It’s simply unbelievable. I absolutely love garlic. If I were to collaborate with Mr. Sutherland, wouldn’t it mean that we would either have only garlic dishes or non-garlic dishes on the table? No matter what, it would be rude to one party! Right, from the perspective of traditional medicine, this is also referred to as mutual inhibition! Since Mr. Sutherland feels apprehensive about my favorite food, it’s clear that we’re not destined to collaborate. Let’s call it a day for now; we can discuss our collaboration another time.”

The implication was clear – the collaboration they had agreed upon earlier was about to fall through.

The thought of fifty billion slipping away before he could even touch it left Casimir feeling devastated.

“No way. I absolutely can’t let the opportunity slip away!”

In a rush, Casimir waved his hands and said, “Mr. Foucault, please wait. Actually, it isn’t that serious. Just because I was allergic to garlic as a child doesn’t mean I still am. I can eat it now.”

After saying that, he used his fork to pick up the garlic ravioli to eat.

Even though it was so revolting he could throw up anytime, he did his best to bear with it.

His face was flushed from the agony, but he forced himself to hold on, determined not to let that fifty billion slip away. After all, he didn’t want a trivial matter to ruin his grand plan.

As the future leader of Sutherland Group, I can overcome any obstacles!

Ten minutes later, he had polished off the plate of garlic ravioli. Clutching his stomach, he fought back the urge to vomit.

Forcing a smile, he said, “Mr. Foucault, I’ve finished eating. It tasted quite good!”

“Hehe, that’s more like it. We share the same quirky taste; both of us love eating garlic. Here, have some more. Don’t be shy.” As he spoke, Jeremiah reached for Casimir’s plate and gave him a few more servings of garlic ravioli.

He added, “Mr. Sutherland, did you know? I’ve set aside a plot of land in my backyard and hired a gardener to grow garlic. It’s all organic and uses no pesticides. I’ll invite you over to my place one of these days, and I’ll have my chef prepare some dishes with garlic for you.”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Casimir pretended to be grateful, saying, “That’s wonderful. I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t thank you enough.”

Jeremiah waved his hand. “Don’t be a stranger. Fate has brought us together, so I’m willing to invest in many of your projects. After all, I have plenty of money but not many people I can trust. Come on, eat up quickly, or the garlic ravioli will go cold.”

Reluctantly, Casimir glanced at the food before closing his eyes. Looking like he was on death row, he took a bite.

However, even the strongest willpower couldn’t overcome physical limitations. Allergies were a natural response of the body. Soon, his face was covered with a dense rash, a sight that would give anyone goosebumps. His handsome face suddenly swelled up, causing one to mistake it for a basketball coming to life. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether he was a man or an animal.

Jeremiah recoiled in shock. “Mr. Sutherland, what happened to your face! Oh my God, you look terrifying! I have Trypophobia. How am I supposed to face you like that? What if I feel nauseous?”

Touching his painful and itchy face, Casimir recognized this as an allergic reaction.

He quickly clarified, “Mr. Foucault, don’t be scared. I’ve just had an allergic reaction…”

However, due to the severe allergy symptoms, coupled with his mouth swelling multiple times its size, his speech had become indistinct and muffled.

Jeremiah appeared even more horrified. “What are you saying, Mr. Sutherland? You don’t possibly have some contagious disease, do you? Raylee, let’s keep our distance. We wouldn’t want to catch it.”

Having said that, he pulled Raylee a few meters away.

Raylee also showed great concern. “Mr. Sutherland, are you alright? Do you need me to call an ambulance for you?”

At that moment, Casimir was unable to respond. After uttering an apology, he hastily left the private room. He had eaten too much garlic earlier, and his allergic reaction was quite severe. While he was still lucid, he knew he had to flee as quickly as possible to avoid further embarrassment.

However, no sooner had he stepped out of the restaurant than he was surrounded by a swarm of reporters. Hordes of microphones were thrust into his face.

“Mr. Sutherland, I heard you are gravely ill. Judging by your appearance, it seems quite serious. In your current condition, do you think you can still hold onto your position as CEO of Sutherland Group?”

“Mr. Sutherland, do you think Sutherland Group would fall into disarray without you? Faced with the severe situation of plummeting stock prices, what’s your plan to turn the tide?”

“Mr. Sutherland, are you going to cancel the upcoming engagement party with the heiress of the Goodridge Group? Do you think she might reject you because your days are numbered?”

Faced with incessant questioning by the reporters, Casimir was simply unable to respond. He didn’t know why there were reporters waiting there.

Is it merely a coincidence, or was it orchestrated by someone? Could it be that someone had deliberately set me up? Is it Raylee, or perhaps Mr. Foucault, or maybe a competitor?

He was already too drained to think.