Chapter 235 After Being Gone for Three Years, I’m Rising Again
Looking at Tobias’ perverted smile, Britney felt utterly revolted and cursed him inwardly, but she kept a warm smile on her face, appearing highly respectful. “Mr. Crane, from what I know about Courtney, you can’t approach her too directly. You have to…”
After listening to Britney’s suggestion, Tobias nodded thoughtfully. “That’s not a bad idea. If this works out, I’ll get you whatever you want, Britney. Just say the word.”
Britney laughed. “Isn’t that what you’ve always been doing?”
As she watched Tobias leave, she emptied her champagne glass in one gulp, a sinister gleam shining in her eyes. She had been feeling a little dejected lately, so it was entertaining to finally have something to do.
Just as she was setting down her champagne glass, a familiar voice spoke from behind her. “Miss Price, it’s been a while.”
Britney’s back stiffened. As soon as she turned around and saw the man in the suit behind her, her expression changed. “What are you doing here?”
“Should I not be here?” As usual, the man’s gentle expression was mixed with a hint of malice. “It seems that your schedule has been so full lately that you’re not even aware of Melrose City’s current affairs, Miss Price. The tides have turned, didn’t you hear?”
Britney’s face hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“My new name card. Keep in touch?”
A golden card was handed to Britney; the gilded words on it were particularly eye-catching. She couldn’t help but read the words aloud. “CEO of Sunhill Enterprise, James Duncan… You…”
“I may not be talented, but after being gone for three years, I’m rising again.”
James’ eyes twinkled coldly. “I must say; you seem quite desperate now, Miss Price. Even an unworthy playboy like Tobias has caught your eye?”
Britney paled visibly upon hearing this. “He’s just a pastime.”
“Are you free to talk somewhere else?” The corners of James’ lips curled up into a smile, but there was a certain sharpness hidden beneath his tenderness that made it hard for Britney to refuse his offer.
Her fists were clenched, but she managed to force out a smile. “Of course. It’s been a long time, after all.”
Meanwhile, under the moonlit sky, a silver MPV came to a stop in front of the hotel entrance. Josh got out of the car and opened the door.
“President Duncan, you don’t usually attend small business parties like these, so why did you decide to come this time?”
“Isn’t James here?” Alexander tidied his cuffs; his expression was frosty. “He has already gotten the position of his dreams, and yet he’s here attending this small-scale cocktail party. Why do you think that is?”
Josh was puzzled. “Why?”
“The scale of the company’s development is too large. The more distantly related the subsidiary, the easier it is to be overlooked and not be controlled by the headquarters. Why do you think James got the position of CEO so easily this time?”
“Isn’t it because he has Old Master Duncan’s support?”
“Grandpa gave him the position, but he has to have the capabilities to perform.”
With Alexander giving his mind a little nudge, Josh finally understood his meaning. His eyes widened as if he had just been enlightened. “Are you saying that James has always been in contact with the company’s subsidiaries?”
No response came from Alexander as the two of them arrived at the banquet hall.
Although it was just a cocktail party for Shanghai and Melrose City’s clothing companies, it wasn’t just a simple gathering, as the attendees consisted of a variety of people.
As soon as they entered, they bumped into several acquaintances.
While Alexander exchanged pleasantries with the other guests, his eyes signaled for Josh to look for James.
“President Duncan, I didn’t expect you to attend our small reception. It’s truly a great honor.” The head of the organizing team came over to greet him with a fake smile plastered on his face.
Everyone in the industry knew that Alexander was no longer the president of Sunhill Enterprise. If it wasn’t because he received the invitation one month before he left the company, he might not be able to attend the party now.
With a cold expression, he sipped his wine and was done with the greetings. He began to wander aimlessly around the banquet hall, and he barely took two steps before he caught sight of a familiar figure. The figure dressed in burgundy stood out like a delicate rose at the reception, and she was currently chatting with someone at the lounge not far from where he was.
Alexander’s eyes darkened.
After giving it some thought, he figured that it wasn’t hard to imagine why she was present.
Courtney, however, was completely unaware that a few people had their eyes on her. With great enthusiasm, she introduced Dominic to Citron Apparel’s team of designers and talked about their performance since they launched.
With Leila facilitating the interaction, their conversation went smoothly. Although Citron Apparel wasn’t very well-known in the industry, they were still a decades-old enterprise, so their roots ran deep. They may have once been a subsidiary of the Hunter Group, but now, they had nothing to do with them whatsoever.
Leila was clever, and she knew how to play to Citron Apparel’s strengths. Judging from the look on Dominic’s face, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that they had secured the deal.
“President Willis, if you have time, do come and check out Citron Apparel. You can consider it an on-site inspection to see if what I said is true.”
Courtney’s generosity brought a smile to Dominic’s face. “President Hunter, you don’t seem like someone who’s just starting out in business. My daughter has been training with me for several years, but she’s still a little timid. You’re much better at talking and doing things than my daughter is.”
You flatter me, President Willis,” Courtney said with a modest smile. “We’ll end it here, then. I’m sure you have many other businesses to attend to tonight, so we won’t bother you any longer.”
After exchanging a few polite remarks, Dominic left.
Courtney breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Leila.”
“You’re welcome.” Glancing at the time, Leila said, “I still have some matters to handle. After this, you can arrange for someone to communicate with President Willis. Come find me if you have any questions.”
“All right.”
Standing up to see Leila off, Courtney took a glass of juice from a waiter’s tray. After taking a sip, she looked up, and her eyes met with a familiar gaze.
She couldn’t believe that she actually ran into Alexander here.
From somewhere not far away, someone was walking toward her with a glass of wine in hand. Alexander’s gaze was fixed on her, showing no intention of looking away. Yet, she couldn’t see any emotion in those eyes; he was just watching her.
Courtney felt her legs disobeying her commands as she couldn’t help but take a step forward.
“President Hunter of Citron Apparel?” A figure came to stand in front of her, blocking her way and obstructing her view.
Courtney was taken by surprise. When she recovered, she saw that a young man wearing a royal blue suit was blocking her; the gaudy color of his suit was so piercing that it made her feel restless.
For a moment, she couldn’t recall who he was. “You are?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Tobias Crane, vice president of Amethyst Group.” Tobias took a shiny golden card out from his business card holder and handed it to her. “I noticed you as soon as you walked in just now. You seem to be well acquainted with President Willis of Sakura Group. Do you two know each other?”
Courtney did not wish to deal with this young man who was clearly a good-for-nothing. She gave a brief nod. “I don’t know him well; we just met. Please excuse me; I have something to do over there.”
Tobias smiled. “Don’t worry. You may not be familiar with President Willis, but my father is close with him. If you’re looking for a collaboration, I can help you pull some strings. I’m sure Mr. Willis would do me this favor.”
