Linda urged Roxanne to have her lunch after being swamped with work the entire morning. Since she was dealing with a huge shipment of medicinal herbs, Roxanne thought of having a quick bite nearby before resuming her work.
A series of honks sounded just as she left the premises. However, she did not bother about the noises made and kept walking ahead, which resulted in the car honking at her repeatedly.
It took Roxanne a while to realize the honks were directed at her. She turned around and saw a car parked not too far from the entrance to the research institute. The window was half-opened, revealing Jack’s face.
“Ms. Jarvis.” Jack grinned at her the moment she looked in his direction. Frowning, Roxanne had no intention of approaching him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Damaris. It’s a busy day at work. Please excuse me.”
With that, she turned and headed toward the restaurant. Suddenly, the honks rang out again as Jack maneuvered the vehicle to trail her from the back.
“Ms. Jarvis, let’s preserve our relationship even if there’s no business deal between us. Aren’t we friends? Can’t you spare me a few minutes?”
Jack’s voice and car honks rang out at the same time, making heads turn as people walked out from the research institute.
Roxanne dreaded the unnecessary attention. Hence, she stopped and said, “What is it that you want to tell me, Mr. Damaris? You can say it now.”
A cold glint flashed across Jack’s eyes when she conceded. He opened the car door and said, “Come on in. Let’s chat inside.”
Roxanne stood rooted to the spot and kept her guard up. Jack smirked and said, “Are you worried that I might do something to you in broad daylight, Ms. Jarvis? Come on, we’re both people of status. Furthermore, I still have to be mindful of the Damaris family’s reputation.”
With that, he opened the car door wider to let her examine the interior. He added, “I just can’t stand the heat outside. It’s much more comfortable to talk in the car. After all, I can’t finish what I want to say in a few words.”
Roxanne seized the opportunity and checked his car thoroughly. She did not take the passenger seat. Instead, she entered through the back door and sat by herself. The air conditioner was switched on, so she had to close both the car door and window.
“You can speak now,” she requested indifferently. Hiding the coldness in his eyes, Jack glanced at the aroma lamp underneath the passenger seat and put on a regretful expression.
“Ms. Jarvis, you acted really fast. I thought of looking for you in a couple of days, and perhaps we could still collaborate in one way or another. Little did I expect you would have signed a contract with Farwell Group and Queen Group already.”
A layer of resentment and displeasure laced his tone. Knitting her brows, Roxanne stared at the pair of eyes looking back at her through the rearview mirror. “You might want to ask around and find out what hefty losses the research institute has suffered due to this incident, Mr. Damaris.”
The factory had to shut down the production of medicines due to lack of supplies. Due to that reason, it demanded an exorbitant compensation from the research institute for delaying its production.
Lately, Lucian suggested producing the medicines in one of Farwell Group’s factories for free, but Roxanne rejected his offer. She felt that she had received tremendous help and support from Lucian. Therefore, she did not want to rely on him further.
An imperceptible trace of frustration flashed past Jack’s eyes. “There’s no need to be like that, Ms. Jarvis. It was only a matter of time before the research institute suffered losses. Honestly, up till now, I still don’t agree with the price you set for the medicine.”
Ironically, she no longer felt anything toward his belittling remarks. “Your acceptance or rejection has nothing to do with me, Mr. Damaris. This is because I’m not collaborating with Damaris Group. Should you want to insist on your pricing, please go ahead and launch a new medicine yourself.”
