Chapter 70
The dinner was exceptionally harmonious, with the only discordant note being Oscar after the meal.
"Take me with you to work tomorrow. I want to check out your company, too." As soon as we got back to the room, he suddenly came out with this.
I frowned and turned to him. "What are you going to see? It's not like you haven't been there before."
Oscar looked away a bit guiltily, but insisted stubbornly, "If others can go investigate your company, why can't I? Don't forget, even though I'm not the most professional, I do have sales channels. Does your partnership have regional protection? If so, I can at least handle the Solstice market."
I couldn't help but laugh. "I have a company in Solstice too."
"Oh, right, I forgot. We're competitors to begin with, so can you help me compete against yourself?" Oscar joked.
"What do you think?" I raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. "Don't worry, my real lab is somewhere else. They won't see it."
Of course, Oscar wouldn't see it either. It wasn't that I didn't trust him—I just didn't trust anyone.
Oscar added, "When you have time, take me to visit your real lab. I'm really curious. The beauty products your previous R&D team developed were already impressive. This time with the anti-aging thing, is it fake or does it actually work?"
"I'll discuss it with you properly when there's a chance." I brushed him off. "Alright, go take your shower. I'll shower and sleep soon too. I've been really tired these past few days."
Oscar grabbed his pajamas and walked toward the bathroom with a sigh. "Sleeping on the floor these days has given me back pain."
"Want me to sleep there instead?" I said with a laugh.
He turned to look at me from the bathroom doorway. "Forget it. What kind of person would I be if I made a woman sleep on the floor? Oh, and tomorrow when Gregory comes to see you, just have Bianca show him around. She should be able to explain things clearly now."
"Oscar, how come I never noticed how petty you were before?" This really looked like jealousy.
Upon seeing him disappear, my smile slowly faded. Maybe this kind of relationship between us really needed to end sooner rather than later. The longer it dragged on, the more troublesome it would become.
I had to admit I felt a bit attracted to Oscar, but it was precisely that attraction that scared me. Trying my best to pretend I didn't care was exhausting too. I couldn't figure out how much of what he said in those ambiguous remarks was true or false. I was afraid that if one day I took all his words seriously, as I did before, I'd be the one getting hurt in the end.
Things were fine as they were now. We kept our distance, guarded our hearts, and if we didn't let them out, we wouldn't give others a chance to hurt us.
As for the medication currently being developed, Oscar actually only knew part of it. Besides the lab I'd kept hidden, next to the laboratory, another project was quietly underway.
During the past period, in addition to preparing various company matters, handling procedures was my most important work. Meeting Vivian accelerated the process, on the condition that she got a share of the stock.
I didn't have any doubts about this. No matter where you were, when you had connections at the top, you could sit safely under the umbrella. As long as the storm wasn't too severe, there was nothing to fear.
Vivian not only had a bureau chief father but also in-laws with strong military ties. While she wasn't in politics herself, she was a savvy businessperson. With her as your shield, the whole operation became significantly safer.
When Oscar came out of the shower, I had already reviewed the next day's work and sent a message to Jasper. Since Gregory was going to inspect the company, he would definitely need to see our current production workshop, so Jasper needed to arrange everything properly.
What I didn't expect was that Gregory arrived at the company the next day, even earlier than me.
When he saw me park and get out, he quickly came over, his face showing a sunny, handsome smile. "Good morning."
I smiled sweetly at him. "Here so early? Are you that eager to investigate me?"
Gregory's face gradually turned red, and he explained somewhat frantically, "No, no, this is also my job. It's only right that I arrive before work hours."
I reached out and patted his shoulder twice, giving him a knowing smile. "I'm just joking. Don't take everything so seriously. Are you silly or what?"
I clearly felt his body stiffen, and even his facial expression showed some hesitation, as if uncomfortable with my touch.
The smile at the corner of my lips deepened. I pretended not to notice anything unusual and turned back to smile at him again. "Come on, why are you just standing there?"
Gregory nodded and quickly followed.
"Yesterday, I basically gave you an overview of the company. How about I take you to see the factory today? The first batch of products is being mass-produced these days. The last batch didn't quite meet quality standards, so we made some improvements." I glanced at the documents on my desk and spoke casually to Gregory while looking down.
Gregory nodded. "We're going to check out the factory. The quality from the Brown Group's processing plant is fairly stable. I heard from Uncle Oscar that you're currently making cosmetics and transitioning toward anti-aging medications. I think this is a really good project. If you can actually develop it, forget the regular market—just the celebrities alone would be a huge target group."
His thinking wasn't old-fashioned. I nodded. "I don't dare make any promises until it's actually made. Let's just focus on what's in front of us. Should we take my car or yours?"
Gregory quickly stepped forward. "I'll drive. It would be my honor to be your driver."
"I've noticed you're really nice, but you seem too reserved when facing me. We're all family, you don't need to be like this all the time." I tidied up briefly and said to him with a smile.
Gregory lowered his head, his voice very soft. "I don't know why either. I just can't help being nervous in front of you."
I looked at him with a smile. "Am I really that intimidating? When it comes down to it, it's still because of the misunderstanding when we first met. I'm already over it, but you're still hung up on it?"
Gregory looked up at me, his face quickly showing a relieved smile. "It's not that... Let's go. I'll call Jasper to give him a heads up."
"No need. I told him yesterday to arrange everything. We can go over anytime." I picked up my bag, indicating we could leave now, and also telling him that I held the initiative in my cooperation with the Brown Group.
The car had just started when Gregory's phone rang. The car's display showed Sophia's name.
Gregory hesitated about whether to answer, glanced at me, and finally pressed the answer button just before the call would disconnect. "Sophia, what's up?"
Sophia's voice wasn't loud, carrying a hint of grievance, as if she were hesitant to speak. "Gregory... I... I want to borrow some money from you."