Chapter 2297
Chapter 2297 Shrinking Net Worth
Roland’s eyes were red as he spoke, and he did not finish his sentence. How could Clayton not know these things?
Roland walked over excitedly and watched as Clayton limped down the stairs with a cane. Roland was shocked.
He thought, ‘What happened to Mr. Sloan’s leg?’
Roland’s face stiffened.
Clayton looked indifferent and had no change in expression. A waitress who was in uniform and had a good figure quickly went over to Clayton when she saw this. “Sir…”
Clayton glanced at Kira indifferently and looked away.
The waitress withdrew her hand, looked at Clayton worriedly, and stepped aside. Roland blinked and suddenly realized something.
He remembered Nicole’s expression when she told him that Clayton was still alive. Suddenly, Roland pursed his lips.
There was a bit of silence in the air.
Clayton came down the stairs slowly and steadily. He looked at Roland blankly and walked to the area behind the divider.
“Follow me.”
Roland hurriedly followed Clayton.
He looked at Clayton’s tall and straight back and noticed that Clayton’s gait was no longer brisk Clayton looked like he was shrouded in sadness and decadence, and he seemed to have aged considerably. He should not look like this.
Suddenly, Roland felt his eyes getting a little sore.
Clayton sat by the window and happened to see the extremely unique and detailed landscape in the courtyard.
He was silent for a moment before he thought of Roland.
Roland was still standing there, at a loss.
Clayton raised his chin and pointed to the chair opposite him. “Have a seat.”
Roland silently walked over and sat down. He raised his eyes and could not help but say, “Mr. Sloan, when did you come back? We thought that you…”
Before he finished speaking, Clayton curled his lips. “Thought I was dead?”
Roland was silent.
“Well, not everyone. Your wife never believed that you were dead.”
Clayton’s face froze slightly.
Roland suddenly remembered the waitress with the good figure from earlier. There was something between her and Clayton that made it seem like she was not an ordinary employee. Roland immediately felt sorry and indignant for Nicole.
He felt that it was wrong for Clayton to do so.
Clayton should have returned to his original life just based on what Nicole did for him. Not to mention, he had a family and responsibilities. How could Clayton hook up with a waitress with a good figure and a mediocre face? It was an insult to Nicole!
Roland did not expect Clayton to be such a shallow person.
The more Roland thought about it, the angrier he became. He misunderstood the situation.
In a fit of anger, Roland said, “Back then when you were missing, Ms. Stanton couldn’t sleep for several days. If her family hadn’t taken her back, I don’t think she would be able to survive. After a while, she finally got better. I heard that she went to see a psychiatrist too. Mr. Sloan, you don’t understand how difficult it was for her to survive while taking care of her daughter. None of us dared to mention your name in front of her. I didn’t even dare to appear in front of her often. How could you suddenly show up without saying a thing? How could you not contact her when you were safe? Why did you make her worry for so long?”
The more Roland spoke, the paler Clayton’s face became. Finally, his face was paper white.
Roland suddenly stopped talking.
Clayton looked to be in pain.
Roland thought of Clayton’s leg and immediately fell silent. “I know you didn’t mean it…” Perhaps it was because of some force majeure that Clayton could not return to Nicole immediately.
Clayton was in pain.
After a long silence, Clayton’s face and lips were still pale.
Clayton did not explain what happened.
He pursed his lips and said in a hoarse and dry voice, “She told you I was here?”
Roland lowered his head and responded.
“I went to Stanton Corporation to report on the progress of your company today, and she said that I no longer need to report to her anymore. Then, she told me to look for you. I didn’t expect to really find you here…”
Clayton sighed helplessly and seemed to be at a loss for what to do, but Roland could not see his fragility.
Roland put the documents in front of him, paused, and said guiltily, “The business flash drive that you kept in the hotel abroad is gone. I looked for it but couldn’t find it. The safe is fine. I don’t know if I remembered it wrong…”
“I know. I took it.”
As soon as Clayton said this, Roland was shocked.
This meant that Clayton was already in France when they were there. He even took away the flash drive first.
In other words, Roland was not entirely wrong with the accusations earlier.
Roland took a deep breath and thought, ‘No wonder Ms. Stanton was angry… Anyone else will also be pissed off!’
He suppressed the emotions in his heart, coughed, and talked about business. “By the way, Mr. Sloan, part of your movable assets and real estate has been transferred to your wife’s name according to your will. Now that you’re alive, those properties will be restored under your name according to the law. We will need to go through the procedures again for those that were already transferred…”
Some of Clayton’s property could not be transferred for a long time. If it were not for that, Clayton would not have a penny left in his name.
Clayton’s net worth shrunk significantly.
Almost half of his net worth became Nicole’s. That was because he did not show up sooner. Clayton was unfazed. He said in a flat voice, “There’s no need to transfer them back. Just leave it.” He felt more at ease if his property were in her hands.
It was as if this would link them together.
Roland nodded and thought about another important question.
“Mr. Sloan, when will you return to the office? This restaurant is losing money, right?”
Roland did not see many customers around. It was a high-end restaurant, so the cost of ingredients must be expensive.
Such restaurants generally did not make much profit.
Clayton’s face was indifferent, and he did not seem to care.
“I won’t go back for the time being. You can deal with the company matters yourself. If you’re unsure, you can ask me.”
Roland was even more puzzled.
“If you don’t go back to the office, are you also not going home? I think that Madam isn’t in the right mental state. Is that waitress just now your…”
Roland was doubtful and embarrassed for meddling in Clayton’s affairs. He had been working with Nicole for a long time, so he thought that no woman could compete with Nicole in every aspect.
Roland could not help but advise Clayton. “Mr. Sloan, you should turn back while you can. Otherwise, you might regret it if your wife is taken by someone else.”
Clayton rolled his eyes at Roland and had a gloomy complexion.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Roland mentioned the waitress, so he must have noticed something wrong with Kira.
However, Clayton was not bothered to explain to Roland.
“Don’t spread such nonsense.” Clayton’s voice was cold.
“Okay…”
Roland looked at him.
Clayton glanced out the window. His eyes flickered slightly.
“You said that she was seeing a psychiatrist. Is it serious?”
