By admin Broken Ch 17
Chapter 17 I’m always ready.
It was obvious that Hugo Hodges was doing this on purpose.
His intentions were very clear.
Scarlett Adler didn’t want to show any reluctance in front of him; instead, she wanted to rise to the challenge.
“No problem. Mr. Hodges, I’m more than grateful for such a big project. I’ll work hard in the future,” Scarlett
said with a slight smile. “Oh, right, but my presence might make some people uncomfortable and cause
trouble for Mr. Hodges. I apologize in advance for that.”
If Scarlett was feisty, straightforward, and uninteresting a few years ago, she was now like a cunning cat,
unfathomable, elusive, unpredictable, and captivating.
“Scarlett, how much sincerity is in your smile?” Hugo asked, staring at her face. It was the same face, yet it
felt so different.
“Sincerity?” Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “That depends on who it’s for. If it’s for Mr. Hodges… none at all.” She
spoke the most hurtful words with the sweetest smile.
Hugo was still provoked by her. He suddenly grabbed her chin. “If that’s the case, why did you insist on
marrying me in the first place?”
“Mr. Hodges, you yourself said it was in the past. Back then, I was young and naive, thinking that meeting a
man meant forever, so I gave my heart and soul. Now I understand there are millions of men in this world,
and if one doesn’t work out, you just have to switch.”
She was clearly trying to provoke him.
As she spoke, she even retorted, “Mr. Hodges, are you trying to reminisce about the past with me? Or is it that
seeing me not living a miserable life after leaving you, but actually doing quite well, makes you
uncomfortable?”
Scarlett Adler chose her words specifically to provoke.
Hugo Hodges stared straight at her. “Yes, I am very uncomfortable, Scarlett Adler. You owe me, and I want
you to pay it back little by little!”
“Owe?” Scarlett Adler raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile spreading across her lips. “Then how do you
want me to pay it back?”
Yes, how should she pay it back?
Hugo Hodges didn’t know, hadn’t thought it through.
But he just felt upset. Why could she make a decision with just one sentence, leaving him without any
choice?
At this moment, Scarlett Adler suddenly reached out and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Hugo
Hodges, could it be…you regret it?” she asked teasingly.
Looking at her hand on his shoulder, Hugo Hodges narrowed his eyes. “Regret?”
“The old me was boring, lacked class, and had no taste, making you feel ashamed. Now you think I’ve
changed, so you regret it, don’t you?” Scarlett Adler asked, her eyes both seductive and filled with a hint of
sarcasm.
It seemed as if she was mocking him.
This woman had indeed become impulsive enough, but Hugo Hodges was not an ordinary man. He had seen
countless women and wouldn’t lose his composure with just a glance.
He grabbed the hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly, and looked at her with a warning gaze. “You
overestimate yourself.”
“Don’t I?” Scarlett Adler retorted, raising an eyebrow with a hint of pity.
Her expression and the scene felt familiar to him.
“Scarlett Adler, don’t try these little tricks with me. They won’t work. Do you think I’ll let you go because of
this?” Hugo Hodges easily saw through her.
< Chapter 17 I’m always ready.
Menu
Since she had been seen through, Scarlett Adler stopped pretending and withdrew her hand. “I’m relieved to
hear that, Mr. Hodges. I was hoping for an amicable split, but if you insist that I owe you, then do as you
please. Whatever you do, I’ll play along,” she said.
This woman could change her attitude faster than flipping a page in a book.
One moment she was full of affection, and the next she could withdraw it instantly. Her acting skills were
truly superb.
Hugo Hodges looked at her with a cold smile. “That would be for the best.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.” She walked past him, and just as she was about to leave, she turned
back to look at him. “Mr. Hodges, if you’re really too rich and have too much time on your hands, why not just
buy our company? That way, we won’t have to collaborate, and I can work directly for you!” With a provocative
smile, she walked away in her high heels.
Hugo watched her, his expression unreadable.
As soon as Hugo Hodges returned to the office, Tiana Young barged into his office, losing her usual
composure.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this decision? Why did you agree to a long-term partnership with Rising Sun,
Hugo? Do you even know what you’re doing?” Tiana asked, looking at Hugo. This was the first time in many
years that she had lost her composure in front of him.
Hugo glanced at her, clearly displeased with her behavior, but he didn’t say anything directly. Instead, he
pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Am I no longer allowed to make decisions about anything?” After a moment, Hugo looked up at her and asked calmly.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was captivating enough.
Tiana Young knew she had overstepped her boundaries and tried to calm herself down. “That’s not what I
meant… I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me beforehand?”
“Then why did you reject Rising Sun’s project without consulting me?” Hugo Hodges asked. “I told you to put it
on hold back then.”
Tiana Young had done things like this before, but Hugo Hodges had never reacted this way.
“Rising Sun’s project wasn’t the best. I thought when you said to put it on hold, you meant to reject it,” Tiana
Young said.
“Even if it wasn’t the best, it was still the best among all the projects,” Hugo Hodges replied. “Tiana, you
understand what I mean. You’re doing this on purpose.” He gently called her out.
Tiana Young was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I did it on purpose. Rising Sun isn’t our only option.
I did it for the company’s sake!”
“Is it really just for the company?” Hugo Hodges asked, his dark eyes seeming to see through everything.
Tiana Young finally sighed, “Yes, I admit I have my own selfish reasons, but Hugo, I’m doing this for your own
good too.”
“Tiana, business is business, and I am me. Don’t interfere too much in my personal life; it’s not part of your
job.” This was the first time Hugo Hodges had ever spoken to Tiana Young like this.
She was stunned.
It was also the first time in all these years that Hugo Hodges had ever talked to her this way.
In the past, even if he knew, he would turn a blind eye, but now he was clearly telling her not to interfere in his
life.
“What…what do you mean?” Tiana Young asked, looking at him.
“Just do your job!” he said, averting his gaze and focusing on the documents in front of him.
Tiana Young felt extremely wronged, but she had to maintain a calm facade. Her fists clenched tightly at her
020
< Chapter 17 Im always ready.
= Menu
sides, and after a long while, she said, “Okay.” After speaking, she turned and walked out without waiting for
Hugo Hodges to say anything.
Once she was gone, Hugo Hodges finally looked up in the direction of the door.
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze and continued to focus his energy on his work.