Nelson smiled faintly, his expression unreadable.
Mr. Gallagher abruptly put down his glass and pointed a finger upwards. “I have a way to help you cover this up.”
“What way?”
His face was inscrutable.
Nelson’s smile faded. “I don’t do illegal things. Jaquan has fallen into trouble over this before. Mr. Gallagher, do you understand?”
Hearing this, Mr. Gallagher was displeased and rolled his eyes. “Mr. Oconnor, in business, some tactics are a must. Don’t tell me you’ve never used any.”
Nelson merely put down his glass and picked up a teacup, sniffing it gently. “What way could possibly cover up such a major engineering flaw?”
Mr. Gallagher hesitated to speak. The door to the private room was pushed open, and a voice preceded the person. “Both of you esteemed gentlemen discussing business in my Sky Pavilion, I apologize for my tardiness.”
Nelson looked up to see Jaquan, dressed in a white suit, walking in with an air of elegance and charm.
Behind him was a woman Nelson had seen twice before, his assistant Charlotte. Today, she wore a green cheongsam that accentuated her figure perfectly, her demeanor gentle and obedient.
Charlotte met Nelson’s gaze and instinctively looked away.
“Mr. Scott, you’ve even been alerted,” Mr. Gallagher said.
Jaquan had already found a seat and tasted the tea on the table. “This tea is subpar work from my staff. Someone, take it away and bring a new pot.”
His gaze fell on Charlotte. “You make the tea.”
Charlotte nodded. “Yes.”
Her classical attire matched the tea setting perfectly. Mr. Gallagher couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Tsk, Mr. Scott sure knows how to pick women. With such a lovely lady by your side, no wonder you neglect your duties.”
The vulgar jest didn’t upset Jaquan; instead, he lowered his voice. “My assistant’s tea is unparalleled; Mr. Gallagher will surely appreciate it later.”
Nelson had retracted his gaze, fiddling with the plain ring on his ring finger, his thoughts unreadable.
“Nelson, I was listening, is there an issue with Vankey’s project?” Jaquan leaned in, getting closer to Nelson to ask.
Nelson raised his eyes, “Yes, Mr. Gallagher was just teaching me how to handle things, and you came in, spoiling everything, Jaquan.”
The sarcasm in his words was clear to everyone.
Jaquan laughed and patted his leg, “You should have listened to me back then, handed Vankey over to Scott Group, and these troubles would never have come to you.”
“I should have thought it through more carefully.” Nelson agreed.
Everyone laughed, but not from the heart.
“Mr. Oconnor, listen to me, I can help you get through the upper-level review; you can rest assured,” Mr. Gallagher, not giving up, tried to persuade Nelson in front of Jaquan.
Nelson pondered for a moment, seemingly reason triumphing over interest, “It’s too risky.”
“Being in our line of work, isn’t it inherently risky?”
Charlotte had finished brewing the tea, and she placed it squarely by Nelson’s side, “Mr. Oconnor.”
The man nodded, and as he took the teacup, his fingers briefly touched hers. She flinched, seemingly very nervous.
“Does Mr. Gallagher understand economic law? If we get caught, it will land us in prison.” Nelson lifted the cup, took a sip, and then looked at Jaquan, “If you’re not familiar with it, you can ask Mr. Scott; he is very knowledgeable.”
Charlotte saw that Jaquan’s face darkened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, “Indeed, my father went down for this; it’s better not to take the risk.”