Chapter 230: Pitiful Creature
"Bianca, what brings you to the company? I've been so busy lately, haven't had time to see you!"
Ronnie was now basically the head of the project team. He enjoyed this feeling of everyone looking up to him, as if he was the master of his own destiny.
However, his only regret was that he hadn't been in touch with Bianca for a long time.
He'd been so busy with the project that he hadn't even noticed what was happening online.
Now, seeing the person he'd been thinking about day and night right in front of him, Ronnie immediately went up to her.
Besides, he knew his current position in the project team had everything to do with Bianca.
Everyone mistakenly thought he was her boyfriend.
So when he saw Bianca, he immediately went up to her and even affectionately took her hand.
Bianca didn't like Ronnie - she just saw him as a tool.
But remembering Aiden's words, she still needed to keep him happy so he'd work for Aiden. So Bianca pushed down her dislike and let him hold her hand.
She even smiled at Ronnie, "Ronnie, sorry, I've had so many little things to deal with these days, plus I've been busy with schoolwork and my competition, so I've been neglecting you. Even though I haven't come to see you, I've been hearing from Aiden about how you're doing. I heard you joined the project and things are going really well?"
She built him up with her words.
Being praised like this by the girl he liked naturally made Ronnie happy.
He smiled with even more confidence, "I knew you cared about me, Bianca. It's also thanks to Mr. Johnson's great leadership that the project is making progress. Did you come here today specifically to see me?"
Under Ronnie's expectant gaze, Bianca naturally couldn't just deny it outright.
So she replied with careful wording, "On one hand, I wanted to see how you're adjusting at Aiden's company. Now that I see you're doing great, I feel relieved. I also need to talk to Aiden about something, so I won't disturb your work.
Keep up the good work. I hope to see your success soon. Then I'll be confident enough to brag to everyone: Look, this is the new AI system that Ronnie was the main force in developing."
When she said this, she was like a fan admiring a big shot, which greatly satisfied Ronnie's ego.
He secretly vowed that no matter what it took, he would finish the research as soon as possible. Then Bianca would have eyes only for him.
"Bianca, just for what you said, I have to give it my all. When the time comes, I'll have something to tell you in person."
Ronnie thought that would be the perfect time to confess his feelings.
Then he could have both career success and the girl.
Luckily Bianca didn't know what Ronnie was really thinking, or she'd be disgusted. With Ronnie's family background and looks, he couldn't compare to James, let alone privileged guys like Knox and Daniel.
He was never even on her radar as a potential target!
"I believe in you, Ronnie!" Bianca smiled encouragingly.
Ronnie felt like he was falling for her even more. He took the opportunity to say, "Then you go talk to Mr. Johnson first. Later if you're free, I'd like to take you to dinner..."
"No need. What I mean is, this matter might take a while, so I probably won't be free today. Ronnie, you won't be mad at me, will you?"
Bianca almost blurted out her refusal.
But as soon as she said it, she realized her reaction was too quick. Worried he'd see through her, she quickly added another sentence and even showed an anxious, careful expression.
Ronnie was indeed a bit uncomfortable with her rejection, but seeing that expression on her face, he immediately softened.
"It's fine. When you're done with your stuff, I'll invite you then."
"Okay, see you later Ronnie. I'll be waiting for your celebration dinner!"
Bianca waved goodbye to Ronnie and turned to go to Aiden's office.
What she said actually meant the next date would have to wait until he had actual results to show.
Ronnie was still caught up in the fact that she'd agreed to have dinner next time, not thinking that far ahead.
Someone patted him on the shoulder, "Ronnie, who were you just talking to? Who's that girl? She's so pretty, and wearing designer clothes too. She must be from some wealthy family. Aren't you with Mr. Johnson's sister..."
The person who dared to talk like this was naturally close to Ronnie.
He was one of the first in the group to switch sides to Ronnie.
Ronnie smiled proudly, "She is Mr. Johnson's sister. Pretty, right! I think so too. She's the most wonderful and adorable."
His eyes even showed an infatuated expression.
"Hahaha, she came here specifically to see you, right? You're about to become her boyfriend soon."
The other person winked at Ronnie suggestively.
Ronnie smiled without saying anything, accepting this interpretation.
Soon, word that he was about to become Bianca's boyfriend would spread to more people, and his influence in the research group would grow even stronger.
Yesterday, he got into a fight with people in the group, and both sides were scolded, but it was obvious that Aiden was more on his side.
Now with this rumor going around, probably no one would dare to go against him anymore.
——
For Bianca, all this was just a minor episode.
She had already arrived at Aiden's office.
At the moment, Aiden looked upset, as if an employee had made a mistake. He was yelling at an assistant holding documents.
"Aiden, what's got you so angry? If an employee made a mistake, just have them fix it. Don't make yourself sick with anger."
Bianca said as she entered the office.
Seeing Bianca appear, Aiden's expression softened a bit. He glanced at the assistant and waved him out.
The assistant had been scolded until he was sweating. Bianca's appearance was like his salvation, and she even spoke up for him.
Before leaving, the assistant looked at Bianca gratefully, then hurried out, closing the office door behind him.
Bianca loved that grateful, savior-like look. Small favors could make people grateful, and who knows, they might be useful later. Why wouldn't she do it!
"Aiden, what made you so angry?"
"The software we developed got caught up in a plagiarism case. We're contacting lawyers here, getting ready for a lawsuit! Why did you come to my company in person? Tell me, what's up?"
The plagiarism he mentioned was actually his tech company plagiarizing someone else's software, and somehow they found out and came after them.
His people didn't handle it well, and it ended up in court.
That was the real reason Aiden was so angry.
He knew that his company's breakthrough software was plagiarized.
Many people's first business deal doesn't come through completely clean means.
He was no exception.
It's just that he made money from that plagiarized software, then had the money and team to develop more software, and then turned around to crack down on plagiarists.
They say people don't visit without a reason. If it wasn't something important, Bianca would usually just call.
So Aiden turned his attention to Bianca.
Bianca actually didn't particularly care about his company's affairs. Since he didn't want to go into detail, she didn't plan to listen closely either.
Instead, she got straight to the point, "Aiden, I've confirmed that Emily is back in the country, and Hayden is at her villa. While no one knows yet, let's do it according to my suggestion, okay?"