Chapter 52 An Unwelcome Visitor
Gardner Corporation was situated in the center of the city, with Century Square located next to it.
On the top floor of a restaurant in Century Square, Nicole and Colton were sitting next to each other. Colton had led Nicole into a private room, which boasted a nice view despite its small space; its large French window allowed one to see most of the downtown area at a glance. “What would you like to eat, Miss Anderson?” Colton politely handed the menu to Nicole.
Nicole glanced at the menu before ordering a salad for herself.
Colton smiled before ordering another main course and telling the waiter to prepare the dishes. When there were only the two of them left in the private room, he finally said, “Miss Anderson, how do you feel on your first day at Gardner Corporation?”
With a faint smile on her lips, Nicole replied casually out of courtesy, “Not bad.”
Knowing that she had only said so out of courtesy, Colton said frankly, “Miss Anderson, if you’re dissatisfied with anything, you may tell me directly.”
Nicole gave a light chuckle before looking up at the man. As her gaze fell upon him, she suddenly asked, “President Gardner, there’s one thing that I’ve been curious about. Do you mind if I ask?”
Smiling, Colton nodded and replied in a husky voice, “You’re wondering why Gardner Corporation decided to engage in the clothing industry?”
As expected, it saves time and energy to speak to a smart person. He knows what I want to ask without me having to voice my question. Nicole nodded.
Gardner Corporation started up as an internet technology company. It owned an entire building in the center of the city, but only a few floors of the building were dedicated to the clothing industry, for the company placed greater emphasis on internet technology. When it came to the internet technology industry, the company was ranked among the best in the world, which brought the man before Nicole a net worth of at least hundreds of billions.
He would’ve been able to make a fortune by relying on internet technology alone, so why did he have to dabble in the clothing industry which he had never taken part in? thought Nicole to herself. She nodded and said modestly, “It’s okay if you don’t wish to talk about it. I’m just asking out of curiosity.”
Colton leaned back slightly in his seat while exuding a graceful air. He explained, “My mother was a fashion designer during her lifetime, but she gave up her career for my father. I’ve always wanted to realize this dream of hers.”
Despite his brief explanation, Nicole was surprised; she didn’t expect this to be the reason. “Forgive me for asking such an impertinent question,” she said apologetically.
Colton gave a deep chuckle with a relaxed look in his eyes. “This isn’t a secret, anyway.”
The two then exchanged some polite remarks about their daily lives. After the waiter served the dishes, Colton seemed to think of something all of a sudden. Looking at Nicole, he said, “Miss Anderson, this is probably your first time working with us in the country. If you run into any problems, please tell me directly.” He paused for a moment before adding, “It doesn’t necessarily have to be work-related. Anything, really.”
Nicole thought the man had only said so out of kindness, so she thanked him without saying anything else.
Colton didn’t say anything else either.
The two then discussed the next season’s fashion trends at the dining table. It was apparent that Colton took this collaboration very seriously, for he knew every step very well.
The two went back after lunch, only to run into an unwelcome visitor at the company’s entrance. It was Joseph.
Nicole looked at the man standing at the company’s entrance. Joseph was good-looking and dressed like a person of some worth, so he attracted quite a lot of attention as he stood there.
Joseph had wanted to enter the company right away to look for Nicole, but he was stopped at the front desk because he didn’t make an appointment with her. Therefore, he began to fall back on his old trick of waiting for Nicole at the entrance. After all, it was fine as long as he managed to meet Nicole. To his surprise, however, not only did he get to meet Nicole this time, but he also met Colton!
