Roxanne could not help but be taken aback by his words and felt that the form of address was a little inappropriate. Since my return to the country, Jonathan has helped me a lot, but we aren’t that close…
“Jonathan grew up with me, so there’s no need to be so courteous with him.” Lucian sat down beside her and held her hand as though it was the most natural thing to do. In front of Jonathan, Roxanne was still a little embarrassed to grasp his hand. She struggled against him but he wouldn’t let go, so she could only let him be.
Jonathan sighed inwardly when he saw how intimate his friend and Roxanne were. All the hard work and plans I devised weren’t in vain. They got together in the end. Also… judging by the satisfied look on Lucian’s face, I’m sure they can’t keep their hands off each other. No wonder he seemed to be in a good mood when he came down to welcome me just now.
At the thought that his painstaking efforts were not in vain, Jonathan felt that it did not matter that he had to wait for so long earlier.
“So… Jonathan, why are you here? Have you found other medicinal herb suppliers that we can work with?” After a brief moment of hesitation, Roxanne decided to change the way she addressed Jonathan.
The smile on Jonathan’s face grew wider as he nodded and replied, “Most of the medicinal herbs suppliers have readily agreed to collaborate with the research institute, all thanks to the hard work you have poured into establishing a good reputation for it.”
Hearing that, Roxanne turned to look at Lucian before looking back at Jonathan. As she had only been with the research institute for a short period of time, she knew that the suppliers had agreed to work with them partly because it was Jonathan who had asked them and partly because he had mentioned Farwell Group’s name.
Lucian was holding Roxanne’s hand and had his other hand on her back the entire time as if he was worried that Jonathan did not know that the woman belonged to him. Roxanne tried her best to ignore Lucian’s hand while confirming the details with Jonathan..
“How did you find those suppliers?” The woman had spent the past few days calling every single medicinal herb supplier she knew but was unable to find any suitable ones.
With an unfathomable smile on his face, Jonathan replied, “Queen Group is considered a leader of medicinal herbs in the country. Naturally, our network is wider than yours. I mostly approached direct suppliers from the countries of origin of the herbs. For those herbs that I wasn’t able to find direct suppliers, I contacted the distributors instead.”
Roxanne nodded in understanding. “But”-Jonathan shot a glance at Lucian-” you get what you pay for. Although the herbs are guaranteed to be of superior quality, they cost a lot more as well.” Jonathan had only gone ahead to talk to those suppliers based on Lucian’s assurance that cost was not an issue.
He knew that Lucian would step in if Roxanne could not afford those herbs. As Roxanne was still basking in excitement after hearing the good news, she did not notice Jonathan looking at Lucian.
“Money isn’t an issue. I was going to buy the medicinal herbs from Damaris Group at three times the original price but was rejected by them. I don’t think it can get more expensive than that, right?”
“You were going to purchase the herbs from Damaris Group at three times the original price?” Jonathan widened his eyes in shock. Does the research institute have that much money?
Roxanne smiled in embarrassment. “I only made that offer because I was confident that we would make good returns on the medicine in the future. I thought it wouldn’t be an issue incurring more upfront costs.”
Jonathan let out a dry laugh and nodded. “You’re right, Roxanne. The new suppliers will definitely charge you less than what you were ready to pay for.” Roxanne breathed a sigh of relief and replied, “I can accept anything lower than that.”
She proceeded to confirm a few details about some of the more important herbs with Jonathan, who explained to her patiently.
Roxanne felt completely reassured after her conversation with Jonathan. “I have no more questions. Could you check with them when is the earliest we can sign the contract? We can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Jonathan looked toward Lucian nervously, directing the question at him. Roxanne furrowed her brows in confusion when she noticed the interaction between the two men.
A moment later, Lucian said in a deep voice, “Those suppliers requested to sign with Queen Group. They will supply the medicinal herbs to Queen Group, who will then supply the herbs to the research institute. Also, they requested that Farwell Group be the guarantor.”
With that, the two men looked at Roxanne cautiously. Ultimately, the herbs were for the research institute, and they were not sure what she would think about the involvement of the Queen and Farwell families.
Noticing their expressions, Roxanne replied with amusement, “I don’t have any issue with that. We wouldn’t be able to secure the suppliers without the help from both of you anyway.”
Any solution was a good solution as long as it could help the research institute. Hearing that, both men heaved a sigh of relief.
“Let’s hold a press conference in the afternoon, then!” Jonathan said. Roxanne was stunned. “What’s the press conference for?”
Jonathan replied helplessly, “An opportunity to collaborate with Farwell Group doesn’t come by every day. Obviously, those medicinal herb suppliers would want everyone to know about it. However, they won’t be attending the press conference. It will only be the three of us.”
Lucian lowered his gaze to look at the woman and said, “If you don’t like that, we can do it in a different way. Farwell Group can issue an official statement directly.”
After all, the point was to let the public know about their collaboration with Farwell Group. After giving it some thought, Roxanne decided to compromise. “What time in the afternoon? I need to get ready.”
Jonathan replied, “It will start at two in the afternoon tentatively. However, if the timing. doesn’t suit the two of you, I can let the media know that we are postponing it.” “No need. We will be there on time. Thanks for making the arrangements,” Roxanne said.
Jonathan flashed a casual smile. “All I did was make a few calls. The new medicine that you have developed is going to save millions of lives. There aren’t many good doctors around these days, and you are definitely one of them!”
“Thanks.” Roxanne smiled at his praise. With a straight face, Jonathan said, “I mean it. It’s not flattery, and I’m not saying it just because it’s you!”
Roxanne’s eyes were filled with gratitude, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became serious. The next moment, Jonathan chuckled and stood up. “All right, I shall make a move first. See you guys later and don’t be late.”
After saying that, he pointed at Roxanne’s neck and reminded her gingerly, “Uh… Remember to wear a high-collar outfit…”
He did not want the focus of the press conference to be the couple’s relationship. If that happened, the suppliers would probably feel offended. Roxanne followed Jonathan’s gaze.
Even though she wasn’t able to see anything from her angle, she quickly realized what the man was referring to. A blush of embarrassment spread across her cheeks as she glared at Lucian.
Lucian turned toward Jonathan with a darkened expression and said, “Aren’t you leaving? Why are you talking so much? If you have anything to say, say it at the press conference later!”
Jonathan smiled sheepishly and left after saying goodbye to them. Soon, Lucian and Roxanne were the only ones left in the room. Roxanne glared at Lucian in annoyance before she stood up and walked toward the mirror to check out the hickey on her neck.
As if he had done it on purpose, the hickey was planted on the spot between her neck and shoulder, a position where her collar could barely cover and just a slight movement from her would expose it.
Roxanne recalled the look in Jonathan’s eyes when she was walking down the stairs earlier, and it suddenly occurred to her that he must have already seen it then!
At that realization, the woman instantly blushed. Just then, she saw Lucian’s reflection in the mirror. She did not notice him walking over. With her face flushed red, Roxanne was about to scold Lucian when the man spoke first.
Smiling affectionately at Roxanne, he said, “Never have I imagined that we will get to collaborate one day. I look forward to working with you, Dr. Jarvis.”
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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