Chapter 101
When Nina and I walked out of the company, I saw a sports car parked not far away. Leaning against it was Michael, dressed in all-black casual wear, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. When he saw us coming out, he casually tossed the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his toe.
Nina nudged my arm: "Emily, look at that cocky guy in his sports car. He seems to be looking our way. Do you know him?"
She said what I didn't dare to say.
Michael was not only cold and distant, but also secretly flirty.
And she didn't even try to lower her voice. I wasn't sure if Michael could hear her, but I was certain that his tightly pressed lips trembled a few times, and his gaze toward us grew even colder.
I cleared my throat softly and quietly reminded Nina: "Be careful what you say later. He's not someone to mess with."
When I looked at Michael again, the corner of his lips seemed to tremble once more.
I put on a smile and pulled Nina toward Michael: "Let me introduce you. This is my former boss, Michael, Mr. Johnson. This is my good friend Nina, she's a designer, really talented."
Nina looked at Michael curiously, flashed a bright smile, and extended her hand: "You're Emily's former boss? I've heard her mention you. Hi, I'm Nina, Emily's best friend. Thanks for taking care of her all these years."
Michael glanced at Nina up and down, turned his head away, and said, "No need for thanks. She just worked for me."
Nina casually withdrew her hand, hooked her arm through mine, and said provocatively: "Your work shouldn't be in Lumaria, right? Don't tell me your company can't function normally after Emily left, so you followed her here?"
I felt a bit awkward. Nina seemed oblivious to Michael's furrowed brow and increasingly dark expression. Michael wasn't someone you could joke around with casually.
I gently tugged at the corner of her clothes, signaling her not to go too far.
Nina turned to look at me, confused: "What's wrong? Am I not right?"
Michael just lazily glanced at her, then looked at me and said flatly: "Emily, I need to talk to you."
He was asking Nina to leave.
Nina had always been the one acting proud toward others since childhood, so naturally, she couldn't let others ignore her: "Just say whatever you need to say here. There's no one else around."
Michael gave her a casual once-over: "Aren't you that someone else?"
His words nearly made Nina explode: "Do you even understand the situation? Who's closer to Emily - me or you?"
I quickly put my arm around her shoulder and pushed her aside: "Go wait in the car for me. I'll be right there."
Nina protested: "Emily, you tell him - am I or am I not your closest friend?"
I quickly lowered my voice to coax her: "No one's more important than you. He's talking to me about work stuff, you definitely wouldn't be interested. Go wait in the car, I'll be quick."
Nina reluctantly dropped her hands and stopped insisting. "Then hurry up."
After Nina left, Michael finally spoke: "I was busy with the racing thing the past few days and didn't check on you. Didn't I tell you to call me if anything came up?"
I was a bit confused: "But nothing's happened, right?"
Michael stared at me: "Are you sure? You've been followed for several days. Haven't you thought about why they keep following you? Who are they trying to find through you?"
I had actually felt this way too, but now that he said it out loud: "They're not looking for you, are they?"
Michael didn't deny it: "They've probably investigated your background thoroughly. After we shook off those people last time, two more groups followed you. They probably have my information too. Guess what they'll do next?"
I laughed a little: "What else can they do? I already got a call from Zach. His backer probably can't wait anymore and wants to have a good chat with me."
Michael frowned at me: "Don't tell me you're planning to go meet them alone?"
Since they were openly asking to meet, they probably wouldn't do anything to me directly. They'd most likely paint a rosy picture and seek cooperation. Through me, they could connect with Solstice's biggest consortium - that was their ultimate goal.
"Mr. Johnson, I don't want you getting dragged into this." It wasn't that I didn't want his help - I just didn't want him to think I was useless without his assistance.
Michael casually put his hands in his pockets: "Don't forget their ultimate target is me. Sooner or later, I'll have to face them. This isn't Solstice; your influence can't suppress them here. Can you really handle it?"
I smiled helplessly: "Right, this isn't Solstice, so there are laws here to restrain them."
Michael laughed mockingly: "You think they have moral boundaries? Shipping goods to Solstice is just one of their most insignificant businesses. They also do smuggling, drugs, and clearly have people in high places protecting them. Such vicious characters aren't going to be restrained by laws."
"Mr. Johnson, you're not planning to come with me, are you? As you said, this isn't Solstice." I reminded him.
He wore a contemptuous smile: "Even here, they'll be wary of my status."
I couldn't help but sigh: "Mr. Johnson, you really don't have to help me this much. I've already left the company, and I probably won't be going back. Our cooperation has ended."
Michael glanced at me sideways and gave me a disdainful look: "Are you thinking of me as too calculating? No matter what, you were once my person. There's no reason to let others bully you. As for whether you'll come back later, who can say for sure?"
Thinking about it seriously, he really had never wronged me. In Solstice, he never restricted my freedom to develop, and even when I left, he gave me a card and several branch companies: "Thank you, Mr. Johnson. When I really need your help, I'll speak up. I'm about to have dinner with my friend - want to join us?"
Michael had already opened his car door and didn't even look at me: "Your friend is too noisy. Another time. You can treat me one-on-one next time."
The sports car whooshed away from my side, stirring up a cold breeze.
Nina got out of the car and complained to me: "Your boss looks pretty cool when he's not talking, but what a waste of a good face with that cold mouth of his."
I patted her hand: "Probably because he doesn't interact much with women. And why did you start criticizing him right away? Didn't you see his dark expression?"
Nina lifted her chin proudly: "He disrespected me first. I was talking to him, and look at how he barely responded."
I could only smile helplessly: "That's just his personality. You'll understand after knowing him longer. Let's go. By the way, who did you say wants to see me?" I asked casually as I got into Nina's car.
"Jeremy! Don't you remember? That really handsome celebrity. He's asked me to arrange a meeting with you several times." Nina said with a smile.
I vaguely recalled that cool and handsome face: "We don't really have much connection. Why does he want to see me?"
"Maybe the big star has taken a liking to you. Don't worry, I definitely won't make decisions for you without asking." Nina said with a laugh as she started the car.