“For God’s sake, Win. I just finished work. And now? You want me to come to your house to help with this tender thing?”
Randy continued to grumble in annoyance. How could that squinty-eyed man not be angry when she, who had just come home from work, was accosted and even forced to go visit Darwin, who supposedly needed help.
“Who else can I ask for help, Ran? Kennedy doesn’t handle tenders like this. If it were about real estate, maybe I’d drag her into it. Besides, in the Prawira family, you’re the one who has direct experience with joint venture projects like this.”
“But aren’t you a mining specialist?” Randy retorted while roughly loosening the tie around her neck.
“But I’ve never dealt directly with Foxtail. Whereas you, you used to work with them back when you were in Singapore.”
“Hey, Jaka Sembung!” Randy scoffed. “You’ve got the wrong person. You should call Rama. It’s Rama who worked with Foxtail, not me.”
Darwin sighed in resignation while massaging his forehead. He now remembered that it was indeed Rama who had worked directly with Foxtail in the past. Unfortunately, Rama was currently in Korea.
“So, what am I supposed to do now?”
“How should I know?” Randy replied indifferently. It was Darwin’s own fault for casually calling people without thinking it through first. “Besides, what’s the purpose of your investigation into Foxtail anyway?”
Darwin, who was sitting on the couch at that moment, leaned back and stretched his muscles before explaining what was happening.
“Veronica’s dad asked me to participate in the joint venture tender selection that Foxtail is going to hold soon. If I succeed, he’ll approve of me continuing my marriage with Veronica.”
Randy shook her head, incredulous. She never expected Darwin’s problems to end up this complicated.
“You should just give up, Win,” Randy bluntly said. Instead of encouraging him, her cursed cousin told Darwin to retreat before the battle even began.
“Why give up?”
“I’m sure you won’t make it.”
“Damn! Your prayers are really bad,” Darwin grumbled, getting increasingly frustrated.
“It’s not that I’m wishing you bad luck, Win. It’s just being realistic. Your competition is undoubtedly top-notch.”
Darwin nodded, agreeing with that statement.
“Papa Damian even included his company in this selection, and Sean is their representative.”
“Well, what if Sean wins, and he ends up marrying Veronica?”
Darwin pursed his lips tightly. Randy’s words had really infuriated him.
“I won’t let Sean have Veronica. Never. No matter what, Veronica has to come back to me.”
Both of them fell silent for a moment. Realizing that Randy wasn’t serving any purpose, Darwin promptly urged his cousin to leave.
“Alright, you should just go home. It’s not important to stay here any longer.”
“You’re so ungrateful. I was forced to come here, and now that you need me, you’re just tossing me aside like that. No wonder Vivian was upset yesterday.”
“Why are you bringing up Vivian now?”
Randy laughed casually. Instead of leaving immediately, she brought up another topic.
“But hey, what about that story from the other day? The one where someone asked Vivian to work together to separate you and Veronica. Did you find out who it was or what they were like?”
Darwin raised both eyebrows.
“Which story?”
“You know, the one where Vivian was asked to work together to separate you and Veronica. Did you find out who it was or any clues about them?”
Darwin shook his head. Their last encounter with Vivian hadn’t allowed him to ask further questions because she was in a hurry.
“I didn’t have a chance to ask. She was in a hurry.”
“Well, couldn’t you have initiated contact through text?”
Darwin paused for a moment. Thinking and weighing the options, he eventually shook his head.
“I guess not. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to message Vivian.”
Randy stayed silent for a moment, thinking and evaluating, then shook her head after a while.
“Maybe not. I’m curious too. Who’s the guy who approached her. Could it be Sean or even Mr. Damian himself?”
“It’s unlikely to be Mr. Damian. Vivian knows what he looks like.”
“Well, then, try asking her. It won’t hurt to send a message. Besides, it’s not like you’re flirting or anything. But you have her phone number, right?”
Darwin nodded.
“I do. She last contacted me yesterday, and I haven’t deleted the message. But, is it really okay to do this?”
Randy nodded repeatedly. After receiving reassurance and provocation from Randy, Darwin followed his cousin’s advice. He picked up his phone and sent a message to Vivian, who was far away in Singapore.
Darwin: Vivian, sorry to bother you. I just want to clarify once again about the guy who asked you to work together.
After typing a lengthy message and hesitating for a few seconds, Darwin finally sent the message. Fortunately, it only took two minutes for Vivian to respond to what Darwin had sent.
Vivian: What else do you want to ask, Win?
Darwin: Can you describe his characteristics?
Vivian: I don’t really remember.
After both Darwin and Randy read Vivian’s response, they thought for a moment. Then, not long after, Randy spoke again and made a suggestion.
“Win, try sending photos of the guys around you and Veronica. Maybe after seeing them, Vivian will remember.”
“That’s a good idea!”
Darwin then sent several photos at once. Photos of Damian, Adrian, who was Damian’s assistant, and of course, Sean. Hoping that Vivian might recognize one of them.
Vivian: I don’t know any of them. None of the three met me yesterday. As far as I remember, he wasn’t too young or too old, had fair skin, and was dressed formally.
Darwin and Randy were surprised once again by Vivian’s response. They became even more curious and started speculating about who the man could be.
“Could it be that they used someone else to meet Vivian?” Randy murmured while continuing to ponder.
“What do you mean?”
“So, the mastermind behind this plan intentionally had someone else meet Vivian to avoid exposing themselves.”
Darwin nodded in agreement. There was some truth to what Randy had just said.
“But…,” Randy continued. “Maybe you shouldn’t think about it. It’s not important because Vivian didn’t accept the offer to work together, right? It’s a different story if Vivian had agreed.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just curious.”
“Well then, enjoy your curiosity. I’m heading home. There’s no point in me staying here any longer. I’ll pray for your success, even though I know it’s impossible.”
At that moment, Darwin threw a chair cushion in Randy’s direction, annoyed by the bad luck she had wished upon him.
“I swear you’ll have difficulties too!” Darwin retorted as he escorted Randy to the exit.
“No way. God is never unkind to good people like me.”
Darwin rolled his eyes lazily and let Randy leave his house.