Chapter 102
I didn't expect to see Jeremy again so soon, and I certainly didn't expect it would be in such a private setting.
Following the meeting time I'd arranged with Zach, I walked into the private room.
As the door opened, a faint smell of smoke drifted out. Zach sat on one side, holding a cigar between his fingers. He took a drag and blew white smoke rings toward the girl in his arms. His laughter paused for a moment when he saw me come in.
"Ms. Wilson, you're finally here. Come, have a seat." Zach released the girl he was holding and waved me over.
In Zach's arms was a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen, strikingly beautiful with long, wavy blonde hair draped over her chest, partially covering her exposed cleavage in a way that made your blood rush.
Next to her were two young men, one of them being Jeremy.
The moment Jeremy saw me, surprise flashed across his face. He instinctively leaned forward, his face flushing: "Emily?"
Zach glanced sideways at Jeremy: "Oh, you two know each other? Even better. Quick, make room for Ms. Wilson to sit down and pour her a drink."
Jeremy made space and invited me over, naturally sitting down beside me and greeting me quietly: "Didn't expect to meet here. It's a company-arranged drinking session, just here to deal with it."
I smiled politely at him, knowing that in the entertainment business, not all schedules are up to you.
"Jeremy is a dedicated artist. Whether it's his professional skills or anything else, he's top-notch." As Zach spoke, his eyes roamed up and down Jeremy with a suggestive look and an ambiguous smile.
As he was speaking, the private room door opened again. A tall, thin man wearing black-framed glasses appeared in the doorway. He casually removed his sunglasses and swept a cool glance around the room.
Zach quickly stood up and walked over to the man in two steps: "Benjamin, you're finally here. Ms. Wilson, let me introduce you. This is my brother." He looked at the man. "This is Emily, the owner of SoftGlow Biotech."
Everyone had unconsciously stood up. I also slowly rose to my feet and nodded slightly at Benjamin: "I've heard so much about you."
Benjamin glanced at me coolly, seemingly not taking it too seriously: "So you're Emily? Vivian mentioned you to me, said you're definitely a rising star in business. Indeed, I can tell at a glance you're something special."
I only smiled in response to his flattery: "I've heard of your reputation for a long time, too, but never had the chance to meet. This time Zach organized this gathering, and I finally got to meet you. It's my honor."
Benjamin naturally sat down between the young man and Jeremy, leaning slightly toward Jeremy: "Jeremy, you need to take good care of Emily. Our company might need to work with her in the future."
Jeremy quickly nodded.
Benjamin looked at us and raised his eyebrows suggestively: "Oh—by the way, that entertainment company that tried to poach you from our company last time, I think the owner's last name was Lopez. I heard he has quite a close relationship with Ms. Wilson."
I was confused. Lopez? Oscar or Gregory?
Gregory didn't run an entertainment company, so it must be Oscar. But when did Oscar try to sign Jeremy?
Jeremy smiled slightly, his eyes quickly passing over me as he spoke to Benjamin: "Mr. Lopez is Emily's fiancé. Their company has just started, and many actors have received contract offers. I'm doing well at our company and won't break my contract during the term."
Benjamin casually draped his hand over Jeremy's shoulder, looking at me with a teasing expression: "Actually, I wanted to invite Mr. Lopez too, but his health probably wouldn't allow it. Another time, another time we'll get Mr. Lopez and you together, and we can talk about the entertainment industry's development."
Jeremy moved unnaturally, trying to shake off the hand on his shoulder, but Benjamin moved closer and held him even tighter: "Actually, I've sat down with other entertainment company bosses and discussed the problem of artists breaking contracts after they become famous. We all agree that if a company makes you famous and you turn around and sign with another entertainment company, such artists should be blacklisted industry-wide. What do you think, Emily?"
Clearly, there was something else going on between Jeremy and him. Seeing Jeremy's uncomfortable expression, I smiled and answered: "As a boss, yes, but everyone has their own direction for development. When ideas don't align, letting go might be the best thing for both parties."
Benjamin laughed out loud: "You're so generous. I can't compare to you. No wonder Jeremy is willing to sit next to you. Not only are you beautiful, but you can also connect with him intellectually. If it were me, I'd also want to have deeper exchanges with you."
His words seemed to have hidden meanings, and they made me a bit uncomfortable.
Jeremy quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "Thank you, Emily. Our company treats artists very well and has given me many opportunities."
Zach laughed and chimed in: "Let's not talk about that. Ms. Wilson, I heard your business has a large market share in Solstice, and that area hasn't been safe in recent years. To do business so well there, you must have quite a lot of experience, right?"
I held my wine glass, slowly swirling the dark red liquid inside, and answered with a smile: "You're giving me too much credit. I'm just an employee."
Zach laughed: "If you say that, how are we real workers supposed to feel? The market isn't good now, money is hard to make. But I see you people coming from Solstice—one casually throws down over a billion dollars to build the western Emerald City project, another takes only a few months to completely acquire the industry-leading Brown Group. I really need to learn from you."
I smiled perfunctorily along with him: "Don't say that, Zach. Forget everything else, just this club alone is unique in this city. When it comes to doing business, who can do it bigger than Zach?"
Zach stubbed out his cigarette on the table and looked at me with a smile: "Probably not for much longer. Once your fiancé's project is actually built, I'm afraid this club of mine will have to close down."
I maintained a polite smile on my face: "Who knows what the future holds. But there's something I need to ask you right now, Zach. Those two people I asked you for last time—they got arrested for breaking the law. I didn't have time to look into it, and then I heard they both died of illness. Isn't that strange?"
Zach's expression changed slightly, but he quickly smiled at me: "That's on me for not judging people well."
I sighed: "Strange, perfectly healthy people, how could they just die like that? Do you think they might have been subjected to some kind of punishment in prison? That's something you could sue over, right? I wonder if their families will investigate to the end."
Benjamin spoke up from the side: "Two nobodies—if they're dead, they're dead. Aren't people dying every moment? The key is whether the dead have any value, especially over in Solstice. Don't you think so, Ms. Wilson?"
I looked at him with wide eyes, pretending not to understand: "Mr. White, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Benjamin, next to me, turned his head, looking at me past Jeremy: "If you don't understand, that's fine. The reason I invited Ms. Wilson here this time is to see if you're interested in working together."
I saw that the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes, which held an appraising look, like a wolf waiting to strike.
"How does Mr. White want to work together?"