That person-in-charge was clearly blowing him off.
By refusing to offer us supplies, they must likewise be acting in accordance with Farwell Group’s wishes.
Even without hearing what was conveyed over the other end of the phone, it was apparent to Roxanne that Colby had barely said anything. He certainly had not the time to bring up the issue concerning the supplies before his counterpart hung up on him.
Colby’s expression was even more awful after he put down the phone, the sight left Roxanne disheartened as well.
“How did it go? Is Queen Group also going to withdraw from working with us?” Roxanne asked, frowning.
With a grim expression, Colby nodded in acknowledgement.
Usually gentlemanly and well-mannered, it was the first time he had ever worn such a grim expression on his face.
Though Roxanne had no idea what he was told, she thought that it might have been the poor attitude of the person in charge that got Colby so incensed.
“It’s not worth getting that worked up over this matter. That being said, this is on me, so let me go figure out how to fix this myself,” she smiled nonchalantly and offered some words of consolation.
Colby, conversely, felt the whole ordeal to be unfair on Roxanne, as well as on the research institute. “How could a big company like Queen Group not honor its promises?”
Roxanne was slightly taken aback.
“Back then, there was not a single doctor who could do anything about Old Mr. Queen’s condition, and it was only through your intervention that he was able to recover. Acquisitions at half price was what the Queen family had promised. So how can they just back out of it on a whim like that!” The more Colby thought about it, the more infuriated he became. “I wouldn’t have recommended for you to attend to him had I known that they are such ingrates!”
Such petulant utterances from Colby felt so completely out of character for him that Roxanne found them to be rather hilarious.
“I must go and reason with them!” Slamming both hands on the table, Couch stood up from the couch. Then, he strode forth toward the door.
In his esteem, he considered himself to be quite familiar with the members of the Queen family when the Queen Group sought him out to treat Alfred. So he was determined to speak up on Roxanne’s behalf, no matter what.
Stunned by his unexpected impulsiveness, Roxanne needed to take a moment. When she came back around, she promptly got up to hold him back. “Let’s not act too rashly. Since it’s the Farwell Group that’s instigating this, getting confrontational with them probably isn’t going to help. Just settle yourself down first.”
With that, she held Colby by the shoulders and reeled him back in from the door.
Pushed back down onto his seat, a sullen-looking Colby could not help but ask, “Though I understand that it’s a private matter, could I ask what exactly is your relationship with Lucian Farwell? Why would such a big company like theirs want to make things hard for a small research institute like ours?”
Even though he had been acquainted with Roxanne for quite a while, he realized that he still knew next to nothing about her, even now.
The realization that they had barely talked about anything else beyond work made Colby feel increasingly disheartened.
Roxanne, however, had no idea on what he had in mind. Regardless, she was not keen on sharing her entanglement with Farwell Group.
The office subsequently fell into an abrupt silence.
Steadily calming himself, a frowning Colby became aware that he had reacted a little too strongly, and also, he might have been too intrusive with his line of questioning.
“Forget it. I was being too emotional. You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not comfortable sharing.” Colby rescinded his gaze and massaged his own forehead in slight exasperation.
Roxanne pursed her lips apologetically. “I’m sorry but I can’t discuss this because it is too personal. But rest assured that I will resolve the problems that the research institute is currently facing.”
Colby nodded in acknowledgement.
“Things at Queen Group aren’t as simple as you think they are. During the time while I was treating Old Mr. Queen, I was on relatively friendly terms with Mr. Queen, and Old Mr. Queen had also been rather nice to me. So, let me handle things with Queen Group. I’ll be making a trip there in person shortly.”
Roxanne gave that some thought, then said, “Stay at the research institute. Please help to address the staff’s concerns if they ask about the medicinal ingredients.”
Colby assented.
After they chatted a little longer, Roxanne called Jonathan on the phone.
It did not take long for him to answer her call. “Dr. Jarvis, is something the matter?”
They had not contacted each other after Alfred’s birthday banquet, so Jonathan was a little puzzled that she had suddenly called him.
Roxanne played it cool and asked, “Is Old Mr. Queen at home? I was thinking of visiting to check on his condition and recovery progress.”
Jonathan agreed immediately. “That’s so thoughtful of you. He’s at home, so come on over.”
After confirming that Alfred was home, Roxanne hung up, picked up her medical kit, and headed for the Queen residence.
When she arrived at the gates to the Queen residence, the butler was already waiting there.
The butler greeted her respectfully when he saw her. “Ms. Jarvis, Mr. Queen asked me to meet you here. He’s waiting for you in the living room.”
She nodded and followed the butler toward the mansion.
While walking, she pondered how to broach the subject with Jonathan later.
Based on Queen Group’s relationship with Farwell Group, I don’t believe the former would get threatened by the latter. However, the manager in charge of the medicinal herbs treated us like that… Unless Sonya spoke to Jonathan about it personally, and he agreed. If that’s the case, I’m afraid whatever I say today will make any difference. Anyway, that’s just my guess. I’ll have to see what’s Jonathan’s attitude like later.
She continued mulling over the matter and only slowly recollected herself upon approaching the mansion’s front doors. By the time the doors opened, her expression was as calm and composed as usual.
Jonathan was sitting on the couch and doing some work. Knowing that Roxanne was coming to check on Alfred, he had deliberately rushed back from the office.
When he saw her walk in, he set aside the folder in his hands and rose to his feet to greet her. “Dr. Jarvis, it’s been a while.”
Roxanne merely smiled calmly. “Where’s Old Mr. Queen?”
After motioning for the butler to serve the tea, Jonathan led her toward the back garden. “Grandpa knows you’re coming and is already waiting outside.”
Although Alfred’s body had recovered, he was very weak due to his age and the fact that he had been lying on the hospital bed for a long time. He spent most of his time resting and had designated slots for rehabilitation every day.
It happened to be time for Alfred’s rehabilitation. However, after learning that Roxanne was coming over, he asked the caregiver to leave him first. He sat alone in the back garden, enjoying the warm sunlight while awaiting her arrival.
As soon as Roxanne stepped through the doors, she spotted Alfred lounging in the sunlight. There was a cane next to his chair, and he looked contented.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.