Chapter 143
I parked the car at the entrance and looked back. The two of them sat in silence, with Faye still sulking.
"I have something to take care of. You two go back first and have dinner. Don't wait for me."
Faye leaned forward and asked, "Blair, where are you going? Working late today?"
I took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm going back to the mall. During my research today, I ran into Michael and their new product launch. Jessa said a few words to me, then Cleo showed up. I got a call from Sophia and left in a hurry, so I don't know how she's doing now."
"What?"
Faye frowned. "Blair, why don't we come with you? From what you've all said, Michael doesn't sound like a good person, and there's Jessa too. You might have trouble dealing with them alone."
"No need."
I checked the time. "You two go back. I'll just take a quick look."
"Alright then."
Sophia reminded me, "Blair, call us if anything happens."
"Okay."
After they got out of the car, I started driving toward the mall.
I could have called Cleo, but she's always been proud and might not answer.
But I left in such a rush earlier, I'm still a bit worried about her.
Even though she's never been very nice to me, she's still a Morgan family member, my husband's sister. I can't just ignore her.
If Michael embarrassed her and they got into some messy argument that reached Aiden's ears, the old man would worry himself sick again.
I parked hastily and almost started running.
The click-clack of my heels made me slow down. In that moment, I remembered I was pregnant. If I fell, that would be real trouble.
"Blair, where did you go? We thought you'd skipped out."
The marketing director joked with me, smiling. She knew I was friends with Nola, so she didn't give me a hard time.
"Sorry, I had an upset stomach. I just went to the pharmacy."
Luckily this place was close to both the Morgan Group and home, otherwise I probably wouldn't have made it back before everyone left.
"We're done, off work now. If you're not feeling well, just give us a call. Why did you come back?"
I smiled. "I like to finish what I start."
"Alright, everyone can head home then. Just get the data organized and turn it in to me tomorrow."
"Goodbye."
I waved at her, thinking she should treasure these days of being my supervisor. Those days were numbered. When the time was right, I would announce that I was actually the president of Heartstrings Jewelry.
I laughed at my own thoughts for a moment, then remembered Cleo again.
I looked around and checked the break room. There was no sign of them anywhere.
"That's for the best."
I muttered to myself. If they were all gone, that meant there were no more conflicts. That put my mind at ease.
"I knew you'd come back."
I turned around. Elliot handed me a bottle of water.
"Have some water."
"Thanks."
I was surprised to see him. I'd thought Cleo and Michael might still be here arguing, but I hadn't expected him to still be here.
Elliot opened the bottle cap for me and said with a smile, "I already sent Ms. Morgan to her car. Michael has such a temper. Ms. Morgan actually cares about him quite a bit."
I don't like talking about people behind their backs, especially Cleo. She's a Morgan family member. Even if she's wrong, I'd still feel protective of her.
"Isn't Mr. Sullivan off work yet?"
"Is Ms. Ember trying to get rid of me?"
I smiled. "Don't get me wrong. It's just that it's after work hours now."
The mall was getting more crowded, with people coming to shop after work.
"I have something I'd like your opinion on. Would you mind having dinner with me?"
A face-to-face invitation was really hard to refuse, and he said he had something to discuss, which made it even harder to turn down.
"Okay."
I accepted his invitation. There was nothing between us anyway. Just having a meal together, no big deal.
We found a private room in the dining area of the mall.
Elliot thoughtfully poured me a cup of tea.
"You order."
"No, I'm not good at that. You order. I'm not picky."
I pushed the menu back to him.
"Then I'll just order whatever."
He ordered a whole table full of dishes. There were just the two of us, and he ordered over ten dishes. It was ridiculous.
After the server brought out the last dish, I finally picked up my chopsticks.
I had no appetite. I still hadn't processed everything that happened today.
"Please, help yourself."
"Mm."
Elliot was about to pour me some wine when I stopped him.
"Mr. Sullivan, I drove here. I can't drink."
"You could call a driver."
I covered my glass. "Sorry, but I'm not feeling well today. I can't drink."
"That's fine."
From the corner of my eye, I caught his displeasure, but he quickly smiled again.
We ate in silence. After a few minutes, he spoke up.
"Our company has a new product and we're looking for a spokesperson."
"With your company's resources, you could get anyone to endorse it."
He put down his utensils. "Jessa wants this endorsement."
No wonder Jessa had been getting close to him. She wanted them to use her as their spokesperson. WR invests quite a bit in advertising every year.
"That's your company's business. It's not my place to comment."
Elliot waved his hand. "What's yours and mine? I've always admired you. Your advice would definitely be valuable."
"I don't have any advice. If you think she's right for it, use her. If not, use someone else. I can't influence that."
"You can."
My head buzzed. What did he mean by that?
"I know she's done some bad things to you. Michael wants to use her, but I don't have to."
What did this have to do with me?
My issues with Jessa were between the two of us. Why was he getting involved? And this really had nothing to do with me.
"Just say the word, and I'll reject her."
Elliot said to me firmly.
At that moment, I was confused. Why would I interfere with their company's business? Why would I block Jessa from becoming their spokesperson?
"Mr. Sullivan, I don't quite understand what you mean. Your company's internal affairs have nothing to do with me as an outsider."
"You're not an outsider."
Elliot was acting very strange. When he said that, I became even more unsettled.
"Mr. Sullivan, I don't casually judge others, and I don't give people advice on such matters."
I made my position clear. I didn't want to badmouth Jessa with him, and I certainly wouldn't sabotage her opportunities.
"Haha, you're still the same as always."
I smiled slightly. "You seem to know me pretty well."
He picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "You've always had your own principles. That woman Jessa is only interested in profit. I've been close to her because she made the first move."
"Mr. Sullivan, is there anything else?"
Did he invite me to dinner just to talk about Jessa? I hated this kind of behavior, casually judging people behind their backs.