Chapter 86 He and She Are Old Acquaintances
Ruben doubled over with laughter, his shoulders shaking. When he finally caught his breath, he couldn't resist adding, "Felix, you know as well as I do—Ambrose has never cared about those so-called rules. If he wants something, he'll take it. Hell, even if she were the president's wife, he'd still make his move."
Felix had to agree. He shot Ambrose a contemplative look, his lips quirking slightly.
"Ambrose, have you met Ms. Mellon before?"
Ambrose took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes sliding toward Felix. "Haven't you?"
"Can't say I have, though I've definitely heard the name." Felix raised an eyebrow.
"Same here. I've only heard about Ms. Mellon's reputation." Ruben perked up instantly, leaning forward with the eager expression of someone about to spill major gossip.
"But that day I ran into her on the street? Drop-dead gorgeous. I didn't realize until later that she was the famous Ms. Mellon."
Ruben paused, catching the smug expression on Ambrose's face. His eyes widened. "Wait—Ambrose, you have met her, haven't you?"
"I have." Ambrose didn't bother hiding it, meeting both their gazes head-on. "Does that surprise you?"
Both men stared at him, that self-satisfied look making their fists itch.
"So you've had your eye on Ms. Mellon for a while now," Felix said. "Why didn't you seal the deal back then? Would've saved everyone a lot of trouble."
Ambrose's expression went flat. "You're reading too much into it."
"Whatever. Let's talk business." He shifted gears smoothly. "Ruben, when does the Mitchell family's guy officially start?"
"Next month at the earliest."
"Before or after the bidding for that new district plot?"
"After."
Ambrose pressed his lips together thoughtfully. Felix caught on immediately. "You're worried the Mitchell family will stick their nose in, aren't you?"
"Once the Mitchell family takes office, they'll definitely interfere." Ambrose leaned back against the couch.
Everyone knew the score—the Mitchells would meddle in everything once they had power. If Ulysses really wanted that art museum project, he'd find a way to get it.
"Ambrose, that new city plot still falls under Orion Philip's jurisdiction. He was Owen's student back in the day, so he might not just hand it over to Ulysses." Ruben paused, then continued. "Last time Ulysses sent Brielle to negotiate, Orion didn't budge. Clearly didn't give her the time of day. But..." He hesitated. "If Ms. Mellon made the approach, the outcome might be different."
Ambrose nodded slowly. "Won't be necessary. She just needs to submit her work. Orion will choose the best design."
"Ruben, keep tabs on Ulysses for me."
Ruben nodded. "Consider it done. Surveillance is my specialty—I'll watch him like a hawk."
The three men continued drinking when the private room door opened. Aiden walked in.
"Mr. Boleyn, heard you were here. Thought I'd say hello." Aiden approached Ambrose with a smile, then raised his hand in greeting to Felix and Ruben.
"Mr. Smith, what's on the agenda tonight?" Ruben asked with a grin.
"The Mitchell family trying to rope us in. Acting like a nouveau riche, giving orders left and right." Aiden's face twisted with disdain as he settled beside Ambrose.
Ruben raised an eyebrow. "They're moving fast—already making their play?"
Aiden snorted dismissively. "Mr. Lawson, they're putting on airs because word got out about the Mitchell family's appointment."
He turned to Ambrose. "Mr. Boleyn, Ulysses is practically stepping on your toes. You're just going to let that slide?"
Ambrose's tone was cool. "If he wants to step on my toes, he'd better have the skill to pull it off. All he knows is playing these petty power games. Let him play. I want to see what he's really capable of."
Aiden immediately took a stance. "Mr. Boleyn, I'm on your side. I've got no respect for the Mitchell family."
His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and frowned, ignoring the call. Ambrose caught the gesture. "Answer it."
Aiden reluctantly picked up. "Mr. Mitchell."
Whatever was said on the other end made Aiden's frown deepen. "I'll head back in a bit."
After hanging up, he turned to Ambrose. "Mr. Boleyn, they're calling me back. I should go check in."
Ambrose simply nodded. Halfway to the door, Aiden stopped and looked back.
"Mr. Boleyn, Owen's foster daughter seems to be working for Ulysses."
"I know."
Aiden nodded and left. Once he was gone, Felix spoke up.
"Aiden's an interesting character."
"As long as he doesn't play games with me, I don't care what he's thinking."
Ambrose had Aiden's number. With the Mitchell family taking power, Aiden couldn't afford to ignore Ulysses, but he was worried about what Ambrose might think—hence the visit to clear the air.
Playing both sides. Ambrose despised that type the most.
---
The next morning, Scarlett arrived at the office early. Today was another design strategy meeting, and she'd been racking her brain for days without any breakthrough. The pressure was killing her.
At ten o'clock, she and her four team members gathered in the small conference room to continue their discussion.
The conversation kept circling back to the same points from last time. The suggestions being thrown around lacked that spark of brilliance.
Then the conference room door swung open.
Ambrose walked in, sharp in his tailored suit, radiating an intimidating presence. Everyone immediately stood to greet him.
"Mr. Boleyn."
The chorus rang out—except from Scarlett. She glanced at him briefly, his words from last night flashing through her mind. Heat crept up her neck as she quickly looked away. He caught every second of it.
His expression remained neutral as he addressed her directly.
"Where are we at now?"
He sat down across from her, his gaze unwavering.
Scarlett met his eyes, feeling exposed—terrified he might reveal something in front of everyone. But she kept her composure, explaining the challenges they were facing and their current progress.
Ambrose listened thoughtfully but offered no suggestions, simply telling them to continue.
His presence added weight to the room. Everyone felt the pressure, but Scarlett tried to ignore him, pointing at the blueprints on the screen as she shared her thoughts and raised new questions.
The other team members had exhausted their suggestions. Now it was time to debate which standout architectural features would work best for this design.
Word quickly spread through the design department that Ambrose had shown up at Scarlett's meeting. Everyone started speculating—what kind of major project was she working on that even the other teams couldn't know about? Even the design director was in the dark.
Heath had received the news too. He'd been curious about Scarlett's mysterious assignment for a while, but he knew Ambrose's temperament—snooping around would cross a line he couldn't afford to cross.
Still, curiosity gnawed at everyone, especially when Ambrose not only showed up but stayed for over an hour.