The dinner hosted by Emergence Pharmaceuticals concluded at ten o’clock in the evening.
The raffle segment lasted over an hour, filled with ample gifts and red envelopes.
Since the raffle included everyone from ordinary employees to board members, everyone had their name in the draw.
Even the billionaire boss hoped to win some luck by participating.
Of course, even when they won, they wouldn’t take the prizes. For instance, Marcel was drawn for an $800 red envelope.
When he went up to collect, he immediately donated the $800 and added $80, 000 from his own pocket.
The whole venue erupted in excitement.
Marcel and others didn’t mind; they were all about the festive atmosphere and lively spirit.
By the end, nearly everyone had won a prize.
Even Harriet won a tablet computer.
As the banquet ended, Flynn was about to leave when Rose stopped him.
After all the employees had left, Rose approached Flynn, who was sitting in the lounge area.
Harriet had just finished settling the bills with the hotel manager for the dinner.
She was about to have Rose confirm them before leaving, but seeing that Rose had something to discuss, she decided to wait.
“Sordoff plans to invest eight billion dollars in Lilia,” Rose stated bluntly.
“I know,” Flynn responded indifferently, having overheard it earlier.
“What about the investment you found?” Rose asked, frowning at Flynn’s lukewarm attitude.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll take you to meet them tomorrow,” Flynn replied, clearly still annoyed by Rose’s behavior during the banquet.
“Are you upset I didn’t let you sit at the head of the table?” Rose frowned.
Flynn glanced at her and remained silent.
The King of the Underworld, being ordered around by a woman, was not a good look.
And with Orion and others coming over, Rose should have managed on her own instead of needing him there.
And didn’t she see how beautiful Trusova looked after getting drunk?
Flynn was clearly in a bad mood.
So much so that, when Orion and others toasted to him, he only sipped a little and made a sarcastic remark:
“I’m just an employee here; toast to Ms. Sharp instead.”
Expressing his discontent, Rose should have let it go, but instead, she took it to heart and started drinking seriously.
Thinking of downing three glasses in a row.
Didn’t she know her own limits?
In ten years, Flynn had never seen a woman who wasn’t happy unless she was upsetting herself!
The two stood in a tense silence for a few seconds.
Rose pursed her lips and crossed her arms next to Flynn, saying coolly:
“Mr. Kennedy and the others are guests; they should naturally be prioritized.”
Flynn chuckled and cocked his head, asking:
“Miss Sharp, after all I’ve done for you, am I not a guest? Shouldn’t I be treated even better?”
“You’re different,” Rose said calmly.
“How am I different? Just because I owe Kevin my life, I should do all this?” Flynn asked.
“Fine! I owe you one for the Sharp family then. What was it you said before? You handle the company’s production, and I’ll handle everything else.”
“Why complicate things by bringing Kendal into this?”
“She ended up being of no help at all, annoying me, and dragging you into this mess.”
Flynn’s words were heavy, filled with reproach and a hint of resentment.
“Are you done?” Rose’s face turned red with anger.
“No!” Flynn raised his voice:
“You’re just making things worse! Taking detours that are completely unnecessary!”
“I’ve said I don’t want to waste too much time on the Sharp’s Group, what are you doing? Always stirring up trouble!”
“Stirring up trouble?” Rose looked straight at Flynn, her beautiful eyes shimmering and trembling:
“In your eyes, bringing Kendal in was creating trouble, troubling you?”
“Isn’t it?” Flynn countered.
“Fine! I was wrong, I’m sorry.” Rose let out a bitter laugh, rarely apologizing.
But her words were tinged with various emotions, sounding somewhat disappointed.
Flynn watched Rose turn and walk away, stunned.
Logically, he should have felt better after venting, but he didn’t; he felt a slight regret.
He had indeed spoken too harshly.
Flynn could never stay mad at Rose.
“Flynn, you and Ms. Sharp are both drunk,” Harriet whispered as she approached.
Flynn snorted, “Am I? Was I wrong then?”
“I have my own things to do, too. Is it wrong to let her follow her own advice?”
“Can’t she compromise a bit? Why so assertive?”
“No wonder she’s grown so big without a single friend. With that personality, who would like her?”
Harriet shook her head and slowly said:
“How can she have no friends? Aren’t you one?”
“I think you all need to calm down.”
“You have your own things to do, I understand, but Ms. Sharp is a person, and also the CEO of a company worth billions.”
“She’s not a robot; you can’t just program her to act as you wish. She has her own pride.”
“Ms. Sharp asked Kendal for help, not because she wants to rely on you for everything, making you think she’s useless.”
“She also meant to ease your burden.”
“I think if Ms. Sharp proved to be wrong, she’d regret it deeply. She’s not good at expressing herself, but she surely feels sorry towards you.”
Flynn paused in realization.
Indeed.
Unlike the demure Scarlet.
Rose was too independent, with her own pride, unwilling to be subordinate to men.
But the triple alliance was too strong; as they pressed on step by step, she felt powerless.
This left her conflicted.
Grateful for Flynn’s help, yet hating her own “incompetence” for not being able to assist.
The only person she could vent to was Flynn.
After all, she was deserted by everyone else, with only Flynn left as her friend.
“Ms. Sharp is actually quite pitiful. I’ve seen her several times in the office, staring blankly at a family photo, sometimes with red eyes.”
“She’s carrying too much, too much, which has made her a bit extreme, but Ms. Sharp is grateful to you.”
“When we talk about your funny stories in the R&D department, she laughs along. It’s just that all women have their quirks, and strong women like Ms. Sharp are no exception…”
Harriet said, looking at Flynn with envy.
Only Scarlet and Rose had ever made Flynn so accommodating.
And only Rose was so pure, not relying on Flynn’s power for everything.
Instead, she treated Flynn as a friend or family member, with her own independent thoughts.
Harriet couldn’t do that; seeing Flynn, she would uncontrollably look up to him, treating his words as sacred.
“I don’t think she’s useless, nor do I feel much pressure from the triple alliance, it’s just…”
Flynn didn’t continue, sighing inwardly, “It’s just that I’m too anxious about my mother’s life and death, wanting to find her urgently.”
“Because if my mother is still alive, each day’s delay means another day of suffering for her.”
Things changed rapidly.
Flynn only wanted Rose to follow his plan to quickly end the business war.
That way, if there were any clues about his mother, like those possibly in Haralu, Flynn could go there without any hesitation, no longer needing to juggle multiple concerns.
“Can you get back on your own?” Flynn asked.
Harriet nodded, “I didn’t drink today, I can drive.”
“Okay, then I’ll leave first.”
Flynn walked out and called Rose.
“Want to know which investor I found?”
“Weren’t you unwilling to tell?” A resentful voice came through the phone.
“I’m a bit tired today, treat me to a massage.”
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a cold voice.
“Riverside Club.”
Flynn hung up and saw Leander had already arranged a ride for him.
He got into the car, and once the driver knew the destination, he drove out of the parking lot.
At that moment, a red sports car stopped in front of the Cherry Blossom Inn. Kseniya got out and headed straight for the hotel lobby.