Chapter 103
Guess my chill expression made them think I was a pushover.
Benjamin, sitting next to me, uncrossed his legs and leaned forward slightly. "About the partnership—let me be straight with you. If you do what I say, I can make your company's profits ten times what they are now."
I smiled casually and glanced up at him. "Mr. White, that's a promise I find hard to believe. Makes it tough to say no, but things aren't that simple. My company just started—there's barely any profit to speak of."
Benjamin set his glass aside and smiled. "I'm not exaggerating. It just depends on whether you want it, Ms. Wilson."
As he spoke, he leaned against Jeremy, casually patting his back twice before his hand lingered, sliding along his spine in a sticky, invasive way.
I noticed Jeremy's body suddenly go rigid. I smiled, took a sip of wine, and placed my glass in front of Jeremy, signaling him to refill it. "Who doesn't want to make money? What kind of money-making opportunity are you talking about, Mr. White?"
Jeremy stood up to get the decanter from the turntable, naturally escaping from those hands, and tried to use the excuse of pouring wine to sit on my other side.
Benjamin looked up at Jeremy coldly, eyes narrowing like a snake scanning his profile.
I could tell he was unhappy with Jeremy's move, but seeing I was still watching him, he let it go. "Emily, is your focus on Lumaria now, or Solstice?"
"Does that relate to your ten-times-profit promise?" I asked with feigned curiosity.
Benjamin nodded smugly. "Of course it does."
I pretended to think carefully. "If we're talking about focus, it's definitely on SoftGlow Biotech now. As for Solstice, I've already handed everything over. Which aspect are you referring to, Mr. White?"
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "The specifics—you should know better than me."
I looked at him, confused. "Mr. White, you're the one who said you'd help me make money, but now you're saying I know better. I'm a bit lost here."
He looked at me with interest. "The fastest money comes from things you can't talk about openly. Honestly, before meeting you, I didn't think much of you. But now I'm starting to get interested."
I leaned back slightly and laughed. "I'm afraid that won't work—my fiancé and I are very much in love."
Benjamin laughed loudly again. "Does that mean if you're not married yet, I still have a chance? If so, just give me a hint."
I smiled softly. "I'm afraid there's no chance. My fiancé is great in every way—just a bit jealous and petty."
As he kept making flirty remarks, I continued to trade light jokes with him. He called this meeting, and if he wasn't getting to business, why should I be anxious?
"Well, that's quite a joke. I'm always talking nonsense—don't take it personally."
He quickly steered back to business. "Though this is our first meeting, I feel like we've known each other forever. I won't beat around the bush—I do have some business at Solstice. It's been tough these past two years, so I want to try a different approach. Interested, Ms. Wilson?"
"Mr. White, some money can be made, and some money... shouldn't be." I swirled my wine glass, watching the dark red liquid trace arcs, leaving vivid streaks.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow and leaned close, lowering his voice. "Lumaria has no shortage of people, but in Solstice, people are what's most scarce—all kinds of people. Dead or alive, you can make money from them all. You should understand this better than I, Ms. Wilson."
Watching his narrowed eyes, I blinked and whispered in his ear. "Mr. White, things are tightly monitored now. What you're talking about—that's old news."
Benjamin shook his head with a smile. "If someone knows how to work the system, they can decide what's in—and what's out."
"Mr. White, I'm just a legitimate businessperson." I leaned back against the sofa casually and took a small sip of wine.
Benjamin responded naturally. "You? Too modest. Your backer's the real puppet master."
"You must mean my former boss. That kind of leverage only works while you're still in the building. I'm out now—so that connection's dead. I have no sway with him anymore." I smiled, deflecting.
Benjamin released the guy he'd been holding, and his smile grew colder. "From what I know, your boss values you highly. If you help me with this, then from now on, whatever problems you have, just say the word—if I can solve it, I won't hesitate."
Zach chimed in. "Ms. Wilson, don't think this is an empty promise. You're new to Lumaria, so you might not know, but everyone in the circle knows Benjamin keeps his word. I can tell—he's serious about building something big."
Benjamin's eyebrow twitched as he smiled. "Though your business is just starting, who knows—maybe soon you'll be on par with your old boss."
"Well... I'm a bit of a coward." I smiled.
Benjamin chuckled softly, covering his mouth as he whispered in my ear. "There you go, joking again. If you were a coward, how could you transform from one person into another? Right, Emma?"
My expression didn't change, though my fingers tightened slightly around the wine glass. I smiled at him. "What are you trying to say, Mr. White?"
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "I don't mean anything by it—just expressing my sincerity about working with you."
I set my glass on the table. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean?"
Benjamin leaned close to my ear. "Emma, I sympathize with what you've been through. Honestly, I'm really interested in you as a person. Within three years, you helped your boss expand his business several times over—you're definitely talented. Don't deny it. Jeffrey's right outside the door. Need me to call him in to verify?"
"Mr. White has dug up all my background—that doesn't seem like someone looking to cooperate." If he could mention Jeffrey so directly, he must be very confident. He must have started investigating when I took Paul and James.
Benjamin's smile remained. "I just wanted to understand you better for our partnership. Who you are doesn't really matter—I want to work with Emily as she is now."