He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 60: Aethel in Crisis

Aethel Group.

Aiden Sinclair, despite his injuries, held a two-hour meeting.

"We can now confirm one thing: our company’s business plans for the last three months have all been leaked," Aiden Sinclair announced.

The words had barely left his mouth when arguments erupted in the conference room.

"See? I was right. There’s a mole in the company. It must be the head of the sales department. I saw him having dinner with people from Julian Sinclair’s company a few days ago."

"Don’t make baseless accusations! That was an old classmate of mine; it was just a normal class reunion. If you ask me, the problem is in your planning department. Your deputy manager’s wife’s nephew works for Julian Sinclair’s company."

"That’s complete nonsense. We’ve been with Mr. Sinclair since the company was founded. We would never betray him."

"Who here hasn’t stuck with the company through thick and thin? The company has given us everything. Who would be stupid enough to betray it?"

As the arguments in the conference room grew heated, Aiden Sinclair stood up.

The room fell silent. Everyone quieted down instantly, their eyes fixed on Aiden Sinclair. Though young, his presence was extraordinary. Since founding the company, he had navigated countless difficulties and crises, turning peril into safety with his far-sighted decisions.

"The data leak has nothing to do with any of you. It was my own oversight. The company has suffered a great loss, and I bear undeniable responsibility. I have decided to suspend my own salary for two years and will put up five percent of Aethel’s shares as a bonus pool."

"From now on, any employee who brings in a new client will, on top of the company’s existing reward system, receive an additional twenty-point commission. This commission will be paid out from my personal bonus pool."

By taking responsibility for the leak, Aiden Sinclair eliminated the internal suspicion. He then decisively offered a generous financial incentive to motivate employees to actively pursue new clients.

After all, self-interest is always the greatest motivator for work.

Five percent of Aethel’s shares was a sum worth hundreds of millions. If they did well, landing just one client this year could be enough to retire on.

The meeting ended quickly. Everyone’s previous panic was swept away, and they returned to their posts with their fighting spirit renewed.

Aiden Sinclair returned to his office, where Jay Keane couldn’t help but praise him. "Mr. Sinclair, you were incredible in that meeting. You quelled all the suspicion in the company with just a few words. Now, everyone is pulling together to get that bonus. It feels like we’re back in our first year of business..."

Jay Keane continued his stream of flattery, but when he looked up, he saw Aiden Sinclair leaning back in his chair, his face an unnatural shade of pale.

Aiden Sinclair unbuttoned his suit jacket. The white shirt underneath was stained red with blood around his waist.

"Mr. Sinclair, I’m taking you to the hospital right now."

"No need. I can’t leave the company right now. I need you to do something for me." Aiden Sinclair instructed, "Have someone find Nina Walsh. Make sure she’s safe."

...

After leaving the small hospital, Milo Preston sat in his car, troubled for a long time.

Although Aiden Sinclair was his good friend, Milo believed that as a man, if a woman was carrying your child, even an ex you couldn’t offer a formal title to, you absolutely had to provide proper compensation.

After thinking it over and over, Milo Preston decided he should tell Aiden Sinclair.

So, Milo Preston drove to Aethel. Just as he walked in, he saw Jay Keane rushing by, busy on a phone call.

Milo Preston stopped him. "Jay Keane, is your Mr. Sinclair in?"

Jay Keane was swamped. Mr. Sinclair had ordered him to find Nina Walsh’s whereabouts today, and he had a massive headache just thinking about how to search for one person in a city as big as Crestfall. As a result, he wasn’t paying much attention to Milo Preston.

"Young Master Preston, the company is swamped today. Mr. Sinclair is very busy and can’t hang out with you."

Milo Preston pursed his lips. "I’m not here to hang out. I have something important to tell him. Is he in his office or not?"

Just as Jay Keane was about to lead him over, his phone suddenly buzzed. He glanced at it, cried out, "This is bad!" and ran into the CEO’s office.

"Mr. Sinclair, it’s bad!"

Aiden Sinclair was in the middle of changing his bandages. Jay Keane handed him his phone.

"Ms. Jacobs attempted suicide by slitting her wrists because the engagement was called off, and now it’s a trending topic. The hospital entrance and the area outside our company are swarming with reporters."

"Just now, Julian Sinclair’s people took the opportunity to leak that they’d poached Aethel’s contracts. Public opinion has turned against us, the company’s stock has hit its limit down, and we’ve lost three billion in an hour."

One wave had barely subsided before another rose. Aiden Sinclair quickly finished dressing his wound and once again called a meeting to deal with the new problems.

Milo Preston watched everyone at Aethel rushing about. Aiden Sinclair was working himself to the bone despite his injuries, and there was simply no chance to talk to him about Nina Walsh. In the end, he had to give up.

’Another day,’ he thought. ’I’ll tell him after he gets through this busy period.’

...

At midnight, the Aethel Building was still brightly lit. Aethel Group was facing the greatest crisis since its founding.

Aiden Sinclair had just finished an overseas call. He put down the phone and couldn’t help but cough twice.

The coughing immediately pulled at the wound on his abdomen, sending a piercing pain through him.

"Mr. Sinclair, you should get some rest."

Jay Keane was incredibly worried. Mr. Sinclair had been in meetings or working nonstop ever since he was injured, without a moment’s rest. Even a body made of iron couldn’t hold up, let alone someone in his condition.

"No, it’s almost over. I’m waiting for a call from Klaus."

Aiden Sinclair insisted on waiting a few more minutes. The phone rang, and he answered it, speaking fluent French.

A few minutes later, Aiden Sinclair hung up.

"How did it go, Mr. Sinclair?" Jay Keane asked anxiously.

"COUGH, COUGH—" Aiden Sinclair coughed, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Klaus has agreed to renew our contract ahead of schedule and will be giving us exclusive rights to all his Veridian business. Tell every department they can go home!"

"That’s fantastic!"

Jay Keane took out his phone and sent the good news to the company-wide group chat. Soon, cheers erupted from downstairs.

The group chat was filled with a uniform message: [Our boss is awesome!]

Aiden Sinclair sent a message: [Everyone, let’s just work hard for one more day tomorrow. I’ve booked a restaurant for tomorrow night so we can all relax.]

Aiden Sinclair’s single message immediately sparked another round of cheers.

Aiden Sinclair put down his phone. "COUGH, COUGH—"

Jay Keane looked closer and saw an unnatural flush on his face. "Mr. Sinclair, are you running a fever? The wound must not have been treated properly, and now it’s infected."

He quickly found a forehead thermometer and took Aiden Sinclair’s temperature. It was 39.2 degrees.

"That’s so high! Mr. Sinclair, I’m taking you to the hospital."

Aiden Sinclair also realized that after a full day of pain, the sensation had gone numb, replaced by a deep fatigue and a throbbing in his head.

Jay Keane drove while Aiden Sinclair sat in the back. Remembering something, he asked, "Is there anything else important I haven’t dealt with?"

"No, everything at the company has been handled. You can be admitted to the hospital without any worries."

After saying that, Jay Keane remembered Milo Preston. "Oh, Young Master Preston came looking for you this afternoon. He said he had something important to tell you, but he left when he saw how busy you were."