A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 68 Insider Information

"Mr. Wang has just called. He said that none of our products has entered the shortlist. The three companies that will be promoted are HL Group, Mu Group, and Fosun Entertainment Group. It's not surprising that HL Group and Mu Group have won. After all, they both belong to the top ten best companies in the world. I am sincerely convinced that we have lost to them. But Fosun Entertainment Group?" Colby turned around and glared at the senior executives who couldn't utter a peep. He then continued, "It's just an entertainment company that handles models, actors, and actresses. But it has not only succeeded in transformation but also defeated us. Our HM Group is also one of the companies in the Fortune Global 500. Shouldn't our products reflect our company's reputation?"

The moment he finished his words, the senior executives couldn't help discussing with each other in whispers. One of them said, "I've heard of Fosun Entertainment Group before. I didn't know that they have also ventured into the financial industry."

Another department manager added, "They won the bid in the government's land development project last time. I was actually surprised, but I didn't really think about it too much. I never expected that they could..." He secretly took a glance at Colby first before he continued in a whisper, "I never expected that they could defeat HM Group in this bid. It's understandable that Mr. Zheng is upset right now."

When he noticed that the senior executives were only whispering to each other, and no one had even given him a satisfactory solution, Colby became more furious. He pounded the table with his fist. The loud thud made everyone turn to him. He was about to say something when his phone rang.

He took out the phone from his pocket to check who the caller was. Upon seeing the name on the screen, a trace of impatience flashed through his eyes. At first, he didn't intend to answer it. But on second thought, perhaps it had something to do with Mr. Wang's project, so he answered it. "Hello?"

All the senior executives' eyes were on Colby. None of them knew what the person on the other end of the line was saying, but they could clearly see that the frown on Colby's face gradually vanished. He then said, "Ms. Song, are you saying that you have some insider information about Ezyhealth? Okay. I'm in the company, but I'm leaving on a business trip this afternoon. Can you come over right now?" After hanging up, Colby adjourned the meeting and hurried back to his office.

Before leaving the conference room, all the senior executives exchanged wondering glances. One of them asked, "Who is Ms. Song? How can she have the insider information?"

"I have no clue either. But I've heard that when Mr. Zheng went to T Country last time, he took a woman named Ms. Song with him. I'm not sure if the woman who called him just now was the same Ms. Song." "Really?"

Inside his office, Colby sat and patiently waited for Maria to arrive.

Half an hour later, he finally received a call from the receptionist that a woman named Maria Song wanted to see him. He calmly told his special assistant, "Go downstairs and welcome Maria. I'll wait for her here."

"Yes, Mr. Zheng." The assistant then trotted over to the elevator.

Usually, Colby would only ask him to go downstairs and welcome a guest if the guest was a VIP or an honorable one. But today was an exemption. He was told by Colby to go downstairs and personally welcome Maria, who was an ordinary woman with no strong backing at all. It seemed that she really had something important that could significantly impact HM Group.

A few minutes later, Maria gracefully walked into Colby's office in her white high heels. Today, she looked totally different. Instead of her usual backless long dress, she was now wearing a pair of black and white striped suit. Her long hair that was usually hung loose on her shoulders was now coiled neatly into a bun.

She didn't look hot and enchanting today. The Maria that stood in front of Colby right now was a neat and capable businesswoman.

Her sexy red lips moved as she opened her mouth. "Good day, Mr. Zheng. I apologize for the sudden visit."

Colby motioned for Maria to sit down, took the cup of tea from his secretary, and put it in front of her. He then kindly said, "Maria, try this green tea. This is made from the tea leaves that I personally picked." Maria sat down, picked up the cup, and smelled the tea. "This smells good. Xinyang Maojian tea, isn't it? This is one of the top quality green teas.

"It seems that you know a lot about tea. Do you like this one?"

Maria smiled and went straight to the point. "I know something about the bidding for Ezyhealth.

With an expressionless face, Colby poured some hot water into her cup and said, "Let's make things clear here. You are Mr. Xi's ex-wife. Why don't you go to him and give him the insider information?" "Why should I do that? Like what you've said, I'm his ex-wife. I have nothing to do with him anymore. After all, he is soon to be engaged to Alina Tang. What's more, it was you who took me to T Country. So whatever information I have right now, he doesn't deserve to have it." Maria answered Colby's question frankly with a calm and honest look on her face. It was hard not to believe her.

For a moment, Colby was stunned. But when he came back to his senses, he burst into laughter. "Maria Song, you are really something. You're such an interesting woman." Maria grinned and said, "I'm just replaceing a way out for myself, Mr. Zheng. Do you know why I left HM Group all of a sudden?"

Colby didn't know what to say. He was too busy every day to pay attention to any employee's resignation. For him, it was such an insignificant thing compared to his other responsibilities in the company. Knowing that he had no idea, Maria explained, "James Xi has banned me in the business circle of the entire H City. I had to leave HM Group. But since I want to stay in this place, I have no choice but to replace a backer in the fastest and simplest way." Maria paused for a moment. She slightly raised her eyebrows, looked at Colby, and tentatively asked, "Are you willing to be my backer?"

As a smart businessman, Colby was not easy to fool. So he only believed one-third of Maria's words. But then, he readily agreed, "Of course!" The truth was, he warned himself inwardly not to offend James for a woman. It was not worth it.

Maria rested her elbows on her lap and cupped her chin in her hands. She stared at Colby with admiring eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Zheng," she said. But in fact, she also didn't believe in his words. All of a sudden, sadness flashed across her eyes. She acted like she seemed to have thought of something and said, "Mr. Zheng, I know that you are a married man. But don't worry. I won't expect anything else from you. I jus hope that you can save me when I'm in trouble. That's all I want to ask from you."

"Don't worry. You can come to me anytime you need help." In Colby's eyes, Maria was just any other woman. She wouldn't cause so much trouble at all. He assumed that she would only need financial help at most.

"Well, thank you again, Mr. Zheng." Maria smiled at him gratefully. She then took out a document from her briefcase and pressed it on the table. "Mr. Zheng, take a look at this document and tell me if I'm worthy of the favor I'm asking from you. This is the insider information that I've got. But I hope that this will only be between the two of us. Please, don't tell anyone about this."

Something came to Colby's mind. After he came back from T Country, Mr. Wang called him to especially thank him for introducing such a stunning woman like Maria. Mr. Wang also said that he enjoyed Maria's company so much and he was satisfied with her. If possible, Mr. Wang wanted to keep Maria in T Country all the time. Colby had an assumption that Mr. Wang and Maria had sex after the dinner party. He strongly believed that Maria had traded her body for the insider information of Ezyhealth. He believed it was such a wise decision that he took Maria with him to T Country.

Proud of himself, Colby nodded in agreement. "Of course, Maria. This matter is just between us. You trust me so much. I won't betray you."

Maria choked with sobs. "I really appreciate that, Mr. Zheng. From now on, I have no one else to rely on but you." Maria then pushed the document in front of Colby.

Instead of picking it up, Colby just glanced at it. He wanted to show Maria that he was not in a hurry to read it for her to believe that he really trusted her. He held Maria's hand and said meaningfully, "Maria, if this document is really helpful to HM Group, I want to do you another favor. You can move into my three-story villa in the south of the city."

Looking down at his big rough hands that enveloped hers, Maria suppressed the rolling sickness in her stomach. She held his hands back tightly and said with a graceful smile, "Thank you so much, Mr. Zheng."

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Maria left HM Group right after she handed the document to Colby. Colby didn't stop her from leaving. He had planned to establish a closer relationship with her in some way, but it was not the right time yet.

When she was back in the car, Maria pulled out some wet tissues and wiped her hand that was touched by Colby. The expression on her face was scarily cold. She didn't stop until she had nearly used up the whole pack of wet tissues.