Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 8

Agnes was hesitant to leave Jared's office. She knew that as soon as she stepped out, she'd be the talk of the town. So, she decided to hide out in the office for a bit.

Jared was already getting down to work. He was always swamped with work. The Tim Group was his dad, Tim Whitfield's brainchild, the 'business empire' that he built from scratch. After half a century of growth, The Tim Group had its hands in everything, in all kinds of industries. Tim Properties was the top dog in the field.

The man in front of her, engrossed in his work, was worth tens of millions of dollars.

Agnes grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her dad was the chairman of Starlight International Group, a bigwig in the media industry. Their business covered everything from talent agencies, newspapers to publishing houses.

But even so, there was a clear gap between the Pritchards and the Whitfields in terms of economic power. The Whitfield family, apart from their massive family business, also had a hefty political backing. Because of this, they had been the strongest among the Big Four for years.

Agnes had heard her father talk about Jared, saying he was a rare business prodigy. But what really piqued people's interest was Jared's background.

Tim was closing in on eighty, and Jared was only 27. Everyone knew that Tim had a child late, and it was common knowledge that Tim's first wife died shortly after giving birth to Jared's sister, Alyssa. Tim remained unmarried for many years, but suddenly had a son when he was fifty.

Everyone had their own theories about this. Some said he was Tim's illegitimate child, while others said he was an orphan that Tim adopted. But when Jared was only 17, Tim handed over the reins of the great Tim Group to him, and it had been a decade since.

Agnes couldn't understand how a 17-year-old boy could hold up such a 'business empire'. It was said that at the beginning, a few old shareholders were strongly against this, thinking that handing over the Tim Group to a child was a joke. But now, everyone in the company respected him, and the business performance of the Tim Group was top-notch, its status unshakeable.

Jared was seen as a miracle in the industry.

"Agnes, you're making me blush, staring at me like that."