The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 975 Negotiation

"Shut up!" Heron flared, mad that he couldn't change Helin's mind. Looking at his daughter, he couldn't help but sneer. He said sternly, "So, do you still believe that man is a good guy? I am your father. Do you think I will hurt you?"

Helin remained silent, which only could mean that her answer was a "yes".

Heron frowned and then gave her a sardonic smile. "Good. I will let you see the true colors of the man you fancy so much," he continued.

He grabbed her wrist and urged, "Go with me. Don't you want to know what kind of person he is? I will let you know whether Roger deserves you doing so much for him."

With a look of alarm at her father, Helin gave a yelp of surprise. "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice full of shock.

"Don't you want to marry Roger?" Heron snorted and sneered again, "I will take you to him. You'll know his true feelings for you."

He led Helin into his office and opened the door to the lounge. Gruffly, he told her, "stay here. Roger will be here soon."

Heron was so used to taking little naps there in the lounge that he couldn't have imagiend that it would serve multiple purposes, including being where he would show his daughter what kind of man Roger was. Helin stared at him. "What are you doing?" she asked him impatiently.

Heron just scoffed, "You will know."

Then he left, slamming the door shut behind him. Once he was gone, Helin threw herself on the bed and closed her eyes. Her head was still dizzy and buzzing from having drunk too much the night before, and it only worsened after a short rest.

A few minutes later, she heard some noises outside the room. When she recognized Roger's voice, she hurried to the door and pressed her ear up against it.

Thankfully her father's office had no soundproof mechanics, so she could easily eavesdrop on his and Roger's conversation.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. He?" Roger asked.

"Have a seat," Heron said. "Would you like coffee or tea?"

"No thanks," Roger replied in an unemotional voice as he sat across from his boss. "Let's cut to the chase. No one is watching us. No need to act," he continued. "Mr. Han, you are an outspoken person." Heron snorted.

Roger didn't respond or retort.

What happened last night had been reported in the newspaper. It was widely known that Helin was obsessed with Roger. 'He got the upper hand now. No doubt he is not afraid of me, ' Heron thought. After a bit, Roger spoke. "Mr. He, you have read today's newspaper, I'm guessing? I didn't expect those reporters to make up stories like that. How is Helin? I hope she didn't take it too hard." Heron responded snidely, "You must have done a lot for the report to be written, I suppose. It gives such a detailed description."

Roger didn't even try to defend himself. He only shrugged.

"Let's get straight to the point, Mr. He. I don't want to waste time here," Roger urged. The whole reason he had come to Heron's office was to negotiate with him. He was glad when the opportunity to do so showed itself.

Heron took a deep breath and said, "I asked you here because I want to talk to you about you and Helin. What's done is done. Now I'd like to know the feelings you harbor for my daughter."

When Roger didn't reply, he continued, "To begin with, I opposed you dating Helin because I thought you were not good enough for her. She is excellent and I thought she should replace a good match. But after what happened last night... I found that she really likes you. So I decided to stop meddling myself in between you two. I just want to know whether you have the same feelings for her. If you also like her, I will not stop you. I hope you two can get married as soon as possible. What do you think?"

When Helin heard Heron's compromise, her eyes brightened with hope. She was convinced that Roger had feelings for her. She thought she and him ended up like this due to her father's meddling. Now expectant and nervous with anticipation, she pressed herself against the door waiting to hear Roger's answer.

Roger responded with a sardonic laugh, "Are you kidding me, Mr. He?"

When she heard this, Helin got a bitter taste in her mouth and her heart felt heavy.

The worst case scenario that she had imagined before was coming true. The man she loved dearly continued, his voice carrying a tone of careless indifference. "You know, all I ever did was to be able to negotiate with you. Why would I like Helin?"

Roger gave a scornful laugh and then added, "Let me make it clear to you. If she wasn't your daughter, I wouldn't have bothered speaking to her. Got it?"

His words sent Helin into a panic; she could not understand why he was saying those hurtful things. Why was he turning into a completely different person? 'Or... he had been playing me from the beginning,' she thought.

She wanted to rush out of the lounge into the other room. She wanted to ask Roger if he meant what he was saying. But ultimately, she controlled her emotions and collected herself. She was dying to know

more.

Heron glanced at the door his daughter was behind, afraid that she would act rashly and barge out. She didn't. Heaving an inward sigh of relief, he looked back at Roger. "Do you really have no feelings for Helin? She loves you so much. Don't you feel guilty towards her?"

"She is too naive," Roger snapped back. "Mr. He, you are an excellent businessman. But unfortunately you are not a good father. You should have taught her not to trust others so easily. If she continues to be like this, she will get herself into bigger trouble."

Heron fixed Roger with a scornful look and sneered, "So you don't like Helin at all, right?"

"That is right," Roger affirmed Heron without hesitation "I knew she was enamored by me, so I pretended to like her. I did all of this so that I can negotiate with you. Looks like all my efforts are not in vain. I know you dote on your daughter very much. You would make certain compromise for her sake, wouldn't you?"