I sighed, “It’s hard to explain. Oh right, where did you go? You left in such a hurry.”
“I was tailing that hottie until I lost him, but now I’m back! By the way, did you enjoy the lunch I made?”
“It tastes great!” I paused for a bit before saying, “Do you know about Tessa’s work?”
She appeared befuddled by my question. There was a slight pause before she answered, “No, I don’t. Why are you suddenly asking about her? Do you need her to help you with something?”
“No,” I replied hurriedly. “Armond assigned a somewhat complicated project to me. I was thinking that Tessa might know some people involved in it; that’s why I asked about her.”
She tut-tutted before replying, “She used to be in the tea business. I believe she was selling premium tea. Some years back, it was quite trendy to gift overpriced teas, so she must have rubbed elbows with many rich people back then. I’m sure she’s at least acquainted with some of them, though I’m not sure she’s the most reliable person for you to approach.”
“We’re going up against public enterprises in this project. I need to ask around since I’m not familiar with the social landscape of A City. After all, it can’t hurt to know more about the competition!” The previous night, Tessa recognized Derek at first glance when he arrived with Anthony. She must know quite a lot of people in those circles.
Plus, going by the situation, it seemed pretty obvious that Derek was present to discuss collaboration opportunities with Anthony.
Nora spoke after a moment’s pause. “You might as well ask me or Tabitha instead of Tessa. My grandpa may be retired, but he’s still got some useful connections. He might be able to get some useful information for you. Tabitha’s husband is also in the premium tea business, and he might be able to find out some intel in his circle for you. He’s probably more reliable than Tessa too.”
I pondered her suggestion for a while before asking, “Are you still downstairs?”
“Yup. Come on, let’s go for high tea. I know I look like someone who’s got nothing better to do, but that doesn’t mean I’m totally useless!”
“Alright, give me a sec!” I packed my things and hurried downstairs.
She was playing a game on her phone when I reached the lobby. There were a bunch of shopping bags slung on her arm.
She shot me a radiant smile as I approached. “Yay, time for tea!”
The assortment of shopping bags on her arm seemed to be a myriad of luxury goods. I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Does your family own gold mines or something?”
She spends so much, but she doesn’t even work.
Laughing, she replied cryptically, “No gold mines here, but my grandpa has owned a legal coal mine since a couple of years ago. It’s not going to make me a fortune, but I won’t go starving.”
Some people are destined to struggle since birth, while others carry their silver spoon with them their whole lives.
I didn’t probe into her words and just followed her to the cafe for high tea.
As I buckled myself into her white Cadillac, I commented, “You have no idea how many women would kill for what you have right now.”
I caught her looking at me out of the corner of her eye. “A car, a house, and some savings without a job, plus being able to go out whenever I want and do whatever I want?” She ticked these off her fingers as she continued, “Maybe it is a perfect lifestyle?”
I replied, “Correction, it absolutely is the perfect lifestyle.”
She let out a brittle laugh. “Sienna, you know what I think? We’re always going to envy someone else’s life. Take me for instance. You have no idea how much I’d love to be in your shoes. You haven’t told us much about your old life, but I know it can’t be as simple as we imagined. After all, you personally know Armond, who’s a pretty big figure in K City. That alone already shows that you’re far from just a plain Jane. There’s also this perpetual air of elegance around you, with a dash of mystery that’s just absolutely alluring. Do you get what I’m saying?”
I chuckled at her words. She’s always lived a pretty straightforward life, so she’s naturally intrigued by mysterious things.
The car came to a stop before a cafe famous for its high teas. She turned to address me, “Let’s go!”
The cafe boasted an elegant ambiance, which was elevated by the soft, graceful music playing in the background.
After ordering some pastries, she asked, “Why did Armond give you a task meant for a project director?”
I shook my head and said, “I’m not too sure either!” I kept the bit about my relationship with Anthony to myself.
Frowning, she asked seriously, “Are you trying to find out more about the public enterprises because of this project?”
I nodded and explained, “I believe Armond wasn’t planning to bid on this project in the first place since Murphy Corporation has never been involved in technology-related projects. So I was quite surprised when he suddenly mentioned his intent to take on this project and put me in charge. I can’t say I agree with that decision. It’s going to be pretty hard to snag a deal with Featherstone Corporation.”
She paused, and I could sense the gears turning in her brain. “When is the tender?”
“Tonight!”
“What? He wants you to come up with a bid proposal in one afternoon?”
I suddenly felt exhausted as I nodded. “I can’t think of how to come up with a good proposal at such short notice. My brain’s fried.”
She stared at me and asked, “What can I help you with?”
I then proceeded to explain the details of the project to her. After some brief contemplation, she asked, “Where is the tender taking place?”
“Oasis Hotel!”
She nodded and said, “I know about that Derek you mentioned. I’ll put out some feelers and see if we can find ourselves an advantage for the bid.”
I agreed with her plan. Just as I turned my gaze away, I saw two familiar faces entering the cafe. I couldn’t help the frown that took over my face. Why are they here together?
Nora followed my gaze when she saw my frown. Stunned, she exclaimed, “Why is Tessa here? And why is she with that hottie? That’s the guy I was tailing this morning!”
I rubbed my temples. How does she make it sound so perverted?
I tried really hard to hold in my laughter. My eyes followed the two people as I said, “Maybe they have some things to discuss.”
My gaze landed on Joseph, who was walking behind the two. If he wanted to meet her alone, Anthony would definitely send Joseph away on other errands.
Nora cried out in disbelief, “How does Tessa pick up these guys? She’s so fat and flabby; how did she even get to know that hottie?”
We were sitting in a rather secluded section of the cafe, so Anthony and Tessa wouldn’t be able to notice us unless they were deliberately looking.
Nora’s penchant for gossip took over when she saw the two of them take their seats near a window.
She waved a waiter over. “Excuse me, we’d like to change tables. Is that fine?”
Naturally, he agreed.
Nora pointed to the table next to where Anthony and Tessa were sitting.
After the waiter agreed, I looked at Nora and said, “It’s probably not a good idea to eavesdrop on their conversation. Both of us know Tessa, and if we take a table so close to them, she’ll definitely notice us. And that hottie you mentioned? I know him. He’s Anthony Featherstone, the president of Featherstone Corporation. We’re bidding on his project tonight.”
This stunned her into silence. There was a pause before she asked, “The president of Featherstone Corporation?”
She glanced at them again before suddenly swiveling her gaze toward me as if remembering something. “When we were in Venria, you said you had some deep ties with the Featherstones. What’s your actual relationship with him?”
Pausing for effect, I said, “We’re married.”
Her jaw dropped to the floor. She asked with some incomprehension, “You’re the wife of the president; why would you become a secretary at Murphy Corporation? I guess now I understand why Armond assigned this project to you; he’s obviously trying to use your personal relationship to gain the upper hand! Why are you so worried about the tender then?”
She scoffed as she took another look at Anthony and Tessa. “So, was he the friend you mentioned last night? Did Tessa also meet him yesterday? But why are they meeting privately today?”
I shook my head, clueless about the meetup as well. I briefly explained my relationship with Anthony, “Nora, I’m not deliberately hiding things from you. It’s just kind of a tangled mess. Anthony and I have a complicated past, and our differences have only grown bigger because of it. That’s why I came to A City. I want to live a life that belonged only to me.”
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.
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