Chapter 258
That must be why, despite Richard's status, he'd personally attended this small bidding meeting—his goal was to use it to connect with Harlan and hopefully maintain a decent relationship. But she'd beaten him to it.
Harlan shook her hand, looking at her with approval. "Your ability to break free from being a housewife and choose to start your own business—that determination alone surpasses many of your peers. I believe you'll only get better."
Caroline looked up, surprised. How did he know she used to be a housewife?
But Harlan didn't elaborate, already having his secretary escort her out.
Full of puzzled questions, Caroline stepped outside. The sunlight was somewhat blinding. She raised a hand to shield her eyes.
Cars flowed past. Her ears filled with the rise and fall of car horns and the sound of crowds.
In this moment, reality finally sank in.
She clenched her hands into fists and pumped them forcefully at the air, unable to suppress the smile spreading across her face.
She'd won the bid!
She'd succeeded!
The female employee beside her was already beside herself with joy, phone in hand, sharing the good news with other company employees. She proceeded to praise Caroline to the skies in the group chat.
Employees in the work group received the good news and, after celebrating, started reporting on their own situations one by one.
Almost all good news—negotiations with various universities were going smoothly. Everyone was willing to give them a chance at a partnership.
Different from when they'd been blocked at every turn, Dawn Company still only had these few people, but everyone had enough projects on their hands to keep them busy for quite a while.
The company might even need to hire more staff, or they might not have enough hands.
Hearing one piece of good news after another, Caroline's smile refused to be contained. She immediately messaged Milton.
[I won the bid.]
He replied quickly.
[Congratulations. I knew you could do it.]
Looking at this message, Caroline suddenly remembered what Harlan had said to her. Her heart stirred.
She typed out a message on her phone, then deleted it. She asked Milton to meet up.
Milton was still at work and could only arrange dinner. Caroline suppressed her doubts, waiting until evening when she saw Milton to ask directly.
"Do you know the person in charge of this bidding meeting?"
She stared intently at Milton's expression. She remembered Milton saying he had a friend who handled these things. Could that friend be Harlan?
If so, did that mean she'd won the bid through connections?
Milton smiled slightly. "Yes, he's a childhood friend. Since he's coordinating this bidding meeting, I'm quite familiar with his habits and thinking. So when preparing the proposal with you, I added a little personal touch."
"But I promise, I only recommended you for consideration. I didn't insist he choose you. Your being selected is your own capability."
Caroline exhaled. No wonder. How could a small company like hers possibly compete with Vanguard Enterprises Group?
Without Milton's recommendation, she probably wouldn't have succeeded so smoothly. But winning this bid was genuinely good for her.
Especially under Richard's relentless pursuit, landing a project like this not only boosted company morale but also benefited the company's future development and reputation. She really had no reason to refuse an opportunity already in hand. She could only nod solemnly at Milton.
"I owe you one this time. If you ever need help with anything, just say the word."
"Don't be in such a rush. My friend has very high standards. He's seen a lot, has high expectations, and is quite particular about partner companies. Everyone in the industry knows he's notoriously difficult to work with. Even though I recommended you, he won't make exceptions. You'll understand when you start working with him."
Milton shook his head.
Caroline smiled at him. "Either way, thank you for giving me this opportunity. Otherwise, I wouldn't even qualify to be scrutinized. I'm definitely buying dinner tonight."
She called the server and ordered a table full of dishes.
Milton's face showed a hint of helplessness, but he didn't refuse. He shared the meal with her.
When leaving, Caroline, as usual, declined Milton's offer to drive her home. He'd already helped her so much—how could she trouble him with such a small thing?
Seeing her resolute attitude, Milton could only give up. But before leaving, he reminded her to message him when she got home.
Caroline agreed to everything, then hailed a ride home herself.
But she couldn't shake the feeling—maybe it was her imagination—that the driver kept looking at her. This awareness made Caroline uncomfortable.
She pulled out her phone and instinctively called her emergency contact.
Arthur's phone rang. He glanced down, his expression changing. Without regard for the ongoing meeting, he grabbed his suit jacket and stood to leave.
The manager beside him had no idea what was happening and called out uncertainly, "Mr. Windsor, is there a problem?"
Arthur didn't look back. "I have an emergency. Postpone this meeting until tomorrow."
With that, he grabbed his car keys and left. Checking the location on the linked account, he pushed the car to top speed.
Caroline had finally confirmed the driver wasn't heading toward her neighborhood. She spoke up. "Driver, do you know where my complex is? I notice you haven't been using navigation."
The driver completely ignored Caroline, just floored the gas pedal. The speed was extreme.
Caroline gripped the back seat handle tightly, watching the scenery fly past outside. Her heart sank to the bottom.
This driver really was targeting her. But at this speed, jumping from the car wasn't an option. For now, she could only hope her emergency contact could reach her quickly.
She couldn't control the thought—was Alton busy right now? Could he make it to her?
Watching the location dot move further and further toward the outskirts, Arthur's expression grew visibly agitated.
He also notified his bodyguards to drive toward that location as quickly as possible. He floored the gas pedal.
No matter how Caroline tried to communicate, the driver remained silent.
Seeing the surroundings grow increasingly desolate, she hesitated briefly, then prepared to call the police.
The sound of dialing rang out. The driver heard it and slammed on the brakes.
Caroline's entire head crashed into the front seat. The violent impact made her head throb with pain. She couldn't hold onto her phone—it slipped from her hand. She frantically bent down to search for it. Just as her fingers closed around the phone, someone grabbed her wrist.