In a luxurious limousine, Jenna was sitting in the middle of the back row, whereas Maud was sitting in the front while indicating the directions. The driver was concentrating on driving Jenna to the most hygienic and top-grade vegetable market in the city.
Jenna personally selected the ingredients, from meat to vegetables, all of which were the freshest and of the finest grade. She did not prepare too many ingredients as she wanted the meal to be light. Instead, she prepared two seasonal dishes, soup, and invited two chefs, who specialized in street food. She personally cooked the dishes and soup, and monitored how the two chefs made the unique street food dishes in the kitchen of the five-star hotel. Then, she went down and personally invited Madam Lilian into the guest room.
When Madam Lilian saw Jenna, she was all smiles. Also, when she learnt that Jenna personally made that meal for her, she was so excited that she couldn’t speak, and her eyes were filled with grateful tears.
Jenna’s face was slightly blushing. She held onto Madam Lilian’s arm as she smiled with her sparkling eyes.
“Madam Lilian, it’s my honor to treat you to a meal. I hope you’ll like it,” she whispered in a soft tone. Upon hearing that, Madam Lilian replied happily, “Child, I’m so happy that you’ve personally cooked the meal for me. It’s really my blessing to meet you.”
Jenna smiled sweetly and held Madam Lilian’s arm as they walked carefully. Then, a staff member next to Madam Lilian said with a smile, “Mrs. Richards, when Ma’am heard that you’re going to treat her to a meal and that you’ll be personally cooking the meal for her, she was so happy that she couldn’t even close her mouth. I have never seen Madam Lilian being so happy before. It seems that you and Madam Lilian are really destined to meet. You two look similar too.”
Madam Lilian became happier when she heard her staff member’s words. At the same time, she also re-examined Jenna. She always felt that Jenna was familiar and that they got along with each other a lot. That kind of feeling was really something she had never felt before. So, when she heard the secretary’s words, she couldn’t help but to think about it.
The beautiful crystal chandelier shone brightly, and the pink wallpaper gave warmth to the atmosphere of the room.
Jenna chose a small private room.
Apart from Jenna and Madam Lilian, there was only Madam Lilian’s secretary accompanying them.
The chefs and waiters were personally chosen by Jenna. In order to ensure their safety, Jenna also called Paul and Irvin over to guard them in secret.
“Madam Lilian, try this honey-coated profiteroles.” Jenna remembered that during the last banquet, she and Madam Lilian both liked to eat those kinds of sticky cream puffs and seemed to have a soft spot for them. Therefore, Jenna used a spoon to scoop one and put it in Madam Lilian’s bowl.
“Thank you.” Madam Lilian put the honey-coated profiterole into her mouth and chewed it. Her mouth was then filled with the fragrance of flowers, and she couldn’t help but to keep praising it.
“Madam Lilian, I used some fresh flowers as the filling. Although it is not much, I can guarantee that it will be very fragrant. My mother once said that if one matches the original food with the fragrance of fresh flowers, the fragrance will leave a deep impression, and the person who eats it will never forget that feeling,” Jenna said proudly, chuckling.
“Yeah. It’s really like this.” As Madam Lilian chewed gently, she could feel the fragrant scent from the flower wafting down her throat into her stomach. Then, the lingering scent in her mouth made her feel as if her entire body had been laced with the fragrance of flowers, making her feel very comfortable. “Your mother’s words are so true. It looks like your mother is also an exquisite woman.”
Madam Lilian praised her from the bottom of her heart, and Jenna smiled proudly.
“Ma’am, try this. This is a famous snack in A city, mugwort biscuits. It is made with carefully selected mugworts. It has the effect of nourishing the spleen and refreshing the liver. The taste is excellent as well.” Jenna picked up the round, green biscuit on the lotus leaves and put it in Madam Lilian’s bowl.
“Madam, this is known as molten lava cake. It is most popular with for women. There are many delicious things stuffed in the cake.”
“This is beef with cumin sauce. It was made with beef that came from the savannah. So, the taste is very exquisite.”
…
Jenna introduced all kinds of snacks to Madam Lilian, one by one, and Madam Lilian placed each of them aside after taking just one bite. She ate all of them happily and even ate a lot more than she expected.
“Child, you can call me Grandma from now on. I’ll also call you by your first name, Jenna. What do you think?” The more Madam Lilian looked at Jenna, the more she liked her, to the point that she really wanted to stay with her everyday. As for Jenna, she also felt that Madam Lilian was kind and gentle. It was rare for an elderly woman to have that kind of character. Therefore, when Madam Lilian said that, Jenna immediately called her ‘Grandma’.
Madam Lilian was pleasantly surprised and agreed happily at once.
She then removed the jade bracelet from her hand and gave it to Jenna.
Jenna looked at it carefully. It was carved from jade with the finest quality, and its texture was very exquisite. Therefore, Jenna knew that it was extremely valuable with a glance. So, she rejected it. Nevertheless, she saw that Madam Lilian, who deliberately put on a long face, said pitifully, “Jenna, if you don’t want it, then it means that you’re looking down on me. If that’s the case, you might make me think that you’re not sincere.”
Jenna was stunned, and she had no choice but to accept it.
Madam Lilian put it on for her in person and smiled with satisfaction, when she saw how good it matched Jenna.
After that meal, the two acted like a kind and amiable pair of grandmother and granddaughter, and their behaviors were affectionate. Even the secretary by the side sighed with emotion, when she saw how close they were.
On the other side, in another luxurious private room of the five-star hotel, Hansen was also drinking and laughing merrily.
At that moment, the mayor of A City, Sadiva Garver and Hansen were sitting across each other and enjoying their meal.
Sadiva was treating Hansen to that meal.
Hansen had already known Sadiva’s purpose of doing so, and he agreed, as he also had his own intentions. Right then, A City’s economy was in a recession. Their revenue wasn’t that good, and even all the taxes he collected from the citizens were about to be used up. What troubled Sadiva most was that since A City was a provincial capital with a great reputation, the Regional Games was planned to be held at A City.
Such a wonderful thing would only make A City’s reputation flourish. Although it might seem like a good thing, only he, Hansen, knew its mystery. To hold such a big event like the Regional Games would require a lot of money. It was not as fun as one would think.
Hansen knew what Sadiva was thinking about.
The whole world was paying attention to the Regional Games. If Sadiva held it in a low-key manner, not only would it bring shame upon A City, it would also cause the country to be humiliated. Sadiva was someone involved in the political world. So, naturally, he knew that point.
Besides, that year was the third year since he had been appointed the mayor. How successful Sadiva would hold the Regional Games was the factor to whether he could continue his term as the mayor, and was a way to gauge how capable he was.
So, if he had financial difficulties, what should he do? Of course, he should seek help from other businesses and taxpayers.
A City was huge. If one wanted to hold the Regional Games in a way that would leave a lasting impression on the entire world, then the municipal government would have to up their game. This meant that they were in need of a large amount of money.
The Richards Group in A City was a well-known corporation. In addition to that, Hansen was one of the richest individuals in the world, which was why Sadiva thought of him first.
Hansen knew Sadiva’s purpose for treating him to a meal very well, but his company had been turned upside down by Zoella. Not only that, but some of his land titles were also in imminent danger.
At that time, the Regional Games was a test for the government, as well as a business opportunity for him at the same time.
“Mr. Garver, several restaurants and commercial lands owned by the Richards Group were initially operating smoothly, but recently, incidents have happened, one after another. I wonder if Mr. Garver knows about it?” Hansen mentioned it casually before Sadiva could even speak.
He had to bring up the problem first, so that Sadiva could understand his current situation.
Sadiva knew more or less about the Richards Group’s matters, especially the incident of the Richards Group leaking state secrets, which used to cause him a lot of trouble. However, he had his own intentions in meeting Hansen. Firstly, he needed Hansen’s financial resources. Secondly, such a large enterprise was the instrument of governmental support. Plus, after hundreds of years, in terms of business, paid taxes, and social capital, the Richards Group had indeed become an important part of A City. It was the time to use such a good resource. In fact, Sadiva really couldn’t afford the Richards Group to collapse at that time. Otherwise, the impact of it would seriously affect the economy of A City, which was something that Sadiva didn’t want to happen, just as they were about to hold the Regional Games.
Therefore, he, Sadiva, had already long thought of a plan.
“Mr. Richards, I’ve heard little about the Richards Group. Don’t worry. All previous party committees, including me, have attached great importance to big enterprises, especially to a person as talented as you are. Our party committee pays a lot of attention to matters like these. Now that something like this has happened to your company, I’ve already ordered the relevant departments to observe it publicly and investigate it privately.” Sadiva smiled and spoke in a very considerate manner.
Those words made Hansen feel like laughing. Of course, he knew that if the Richards Group collapsed at that time, the taxes that A City would get would be cut by more than half. It wasn’t an ideal situation for Sadiva at all.
At that time, the reason the mayor of A City and one of the world’s richest businessmen were sitting together was that they were all doing their best for their own interests.
Two years ago, Hansen had helped Sadiva bring down Earl, which allowed Sadiva, who initially had no hope, to become the mayor. Therefore, Sadiva still had a favorable impression of the Richards Group. Moreover, the taxes the Richards Group paid every year was very lucrative.
“Mr. Garver, I heard that this year’s Regional Games will be held in A City. Congratulations to you, Mr. Garver.” Hansen picked up a glass of red wine and stood up to propose a toast to Sadiva.
Sadiva had a medium build, and was dressed in delicate and casual black attire. His well-maintained face looked very energetic, and his forehead was radiant. His eyes were bright and full of wisdom. Yet, there was a hint of craftiness in them, which was why no one could guess what he was thinking.
When Hansen proposed a toast with him, he appeared very sincere as he was also half-kneeling.
Sadiva knew that although he was the mayor right then, once he was removed from his position, he would be a nobody. However, Hansen was different. He was the permanent president of a company with endless potential. So, it was hard to say who would have the upper hand in the future. In addition to that, the next election was drawing near.