Chapter 320 There Are Plenty of Scapegoats
Not far away from them stood a familiar figure in a white golf shirt. However, the moment that person turned to face them, Courtney heaved a sigh of relief—it was James.
Before Adam could introduce them to each other, James walked up to them and looked at Courtney. “Long time no see, wife-to-be of my cousin.”
Courtney frowned. “Why are you here?” she asked with unconcealed disgust in her tone.
With one end of the golf club placed on the ground, James propped himself on it and leaned into her. “Courtney, you seem unhappy to see me. Adam, didn’t you tell her about it?”
Upon hearing that, Courtney turned to Adam in puzzlement.
“I thought that you knew, President Hunter. President Duncan is the main reason we are collaborating with Citron Apparel this time. To be completely frank, this would not happen if it wasn’t for President Duncan, since Citron Apparel is nowhere near the level of companies that we usually collaborate with.”
Courtney was stunned. “You pulled this off?”
“Is that surprising?” James adjusted his glasses, a shadow of a smile playing by his lips as he gazed at Courtney. “Since we will soon become family, it’s only natural that I give you a hand. You can take this as a token of apology for the previous incident, Courtney.”
As if I’d believe what he says! She didn’t buy his seemingly truthful words at all. Upon thinking that they hadn’t signed the contract, she sneered. “You put it in such a nice way, as if I’d owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Now that the contract has yet to be signed, you won’t pull the same trick by using the contract to ask me to do something for you, will you?”
“Well, I do have one condition, but I believe it won’t make you suffer any loss.”
He picked up the golf club and appraised it. “However, the weather today is nice and I wish to find someone to play golf with. The condition is simple—if you make fewer shots than me, the contract will be signed immediately.”
She looked at him in suspicion with her brows knitted. “For real?”
“Of course, I’m a man of my words.”
“Okay.” Courtney cast a glance at Natasha and took the golf club from her. “You promised you will guarantee the contract will be signed as long as I take fewer strokes than you. I don’t wish to see you finding me another collaborative partner after you embarrassed yourself in the match.”
“Of course I won’t.” James wiped the golf club in his hand and a cryptic smile appeared by his lips.
Courtney had been practicing golf since she was little because her grandfather loved the sport. When she was little and her grandfather had been healthy, he used to bring her to the golf course and their coaches were professional golfers.
The course that they were going to play was a 18-hole course, whereby the total par score was 72. Courtney’s best record was 61 strokes, while the best record in the Guinness World Records was 55 strokes. Back when she barely started learning to play golf when she had been younger, the coach that taught her had always praised her as a genius in golfing.
Their match began at 2.30 PM. They played until the sky became dim and the outdoor temperature gradually became cooler. Currently, Courtney had taken 61 strokes and she was left with the last hole, while James’ score was 63 strokes. Their scores suggested that both of their skills were on par with that of a professional golfer.
As the straight-line distance of the ball from the hole was not far, she estimated that she could end the match with 62 strokes if nothing went wrong.
Just then, James approached her. “Courtney, you are certainly well-versed in golfing. I reckon that you have learned it professionally.”
“You asked too much. All you have to remember is that if I manage to get the ball in the hole with this stroke, the contract has to be signed.”
“Of course.” James chuckled, then continued in a low voice, “You seem energetic today; looks like Leon didn’t treat you well last night.”
The moment she heard that, Courtney instantly paled and she turned to James in shock.
However, he took a step back to stay a fairly safe distance from her. “Carry on, Courtney; I won’t interfere with your playing. I’m afraid that you may blame me for affecting your performance if I stand too close to you.”
Courtney’s hand that was holding the golf club trembled.
She had never expected that Leon was actually related to James. What did Leon mean when he said that he was sorry? Did he really not do anything last night?
The golf club in her hand slipped a little and the white golf ball rolled toward the hole but stopped right before it.
Natasha heaved a heavy sigh as she stood off at one side. “It was so close!”
After she said that, she suddenly realized that she had said something she shouldn’t have, so she quickly covered her mouth. When she raised her head, she was stunned to see Courtney’s blanched face.
“President Hunter, why is your face so pale?” James casually asked. “You must be tired, Courtney. The golf match is just a joke and we can always revisit the contract. Why don’t we head over to the club to take a rest?” He sounded friendly and polite, but coupled with what he had said earlier, it was no different from making an invisible threat.
It was only at this moment did Courtney realize the true purpose of today’s meeting—James had colluded with Adam to lure her here using the excuse of signing the contract, whereby their true intention was to talk about the incident last night.
They headed into a private lounge within the golf club while Adam and Natasha waited outside.
“I wonder if you will be able to continue to stay in Melrose City if these photos were published?”
James produced a stack of photos and gently placed them on the coffee table in front of him before smoothly spreading the photos out. Each and every photo revealed before her was incredibly sensual. Although the bathrobe concealed the important parts, she looked even more arousing that way.
At that moment, it felt as if something exploded in Courtney’s head. In a panic, she grabbed all the photos and crumpled them and tore them into pieces. “What do you want, James?” she questioned, her voice trembling.
“You may tear as many as you want.” James leaned back on the couch leisurely as he added, “I’m being serious. You are free to tear them since I have made many copies. Leon must have treated you well last night. Don’t you think that you should thank me?”
Courtney’s head was buzzing when she heard that, and she couldn’t imagine what would happen if the photos got out.
It was true that Leon had told her that nothing had happened, but he had taken the photos and sent them to James. If these photos were to be exposed to the media, who would believe that nothing had happened?
“This is against the law!” She tried to calm herself down, but the flustered look on her face betrayed her real emotions. “If you dare to expose this to the media, I’ll make sure to take you to court.”
Upon hearing that, James chuckled. “There are plenty of scapegoats. Courtney, don’t be naïve. Do you really think that I’ll personally expose the photos when I can easily get anyone to share the photos to the public?”
His words caused her limbs to freeze and her head to stop functioning. She then clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms. At that point, only pain could make her head clear and allow her to regain a moment’s reason.
“The reason you did all these is for the Hunter Group, but don’t you forget that the company is not under me now. I can’t transfer it to you.”
“I only need you to sell the shares you own to me.” James looked at her, his lips curved into a sinister smile.
“Don’t you know that your stepmother’s brothers aren’t exactly righteous people? They are willing to sell anything at the right price. I’ll be the largest shareholder of the Hunter Group by then. Merger and acquisition is inevitable.”
Looking pale, Courtney tightened her fists while James’ cold voice continued to echo in the room. “I’ll give you some time to think about it, but I can assure you that if the answer is not what I want, the photos will be all over the Internet when you step out of the door and the first person who will receive them will be Old Master Duncan.”
