Meanwhile, Evelyn had been stopped at the stairs. She anxiously asked someone to go find Martin.
Martin came to find her, fully aware of the risks of being seen by her parents.
“Upstairs? That’s impossible. It’s not a place we can go,” he said.
“Mr. Martin, are you telling me you don’t have the qualifications?” Evelyn pressed.
Martin awkwardly smiled. Those who could go upstairs could easily stir up a financial storm with a single step. The information up there was cutting-edge, ahead of the market. Someone like him, who still relied on his family’s support and got a regular salary, had no business going up there.
Evelyn, having seen Lillian go upstairs, wasn’t ready to give up.
“Mr. Martin, I’ll be honest with you. I’m Conrad’s girlfriend. He and I had a falling out. Could you help me and let me go upstairs?”
Martin furrowed his brow. “You?”
“Why? Don’t I look like it?” Evelyn said, embarrassed.
Martin cleared his throat. “Conrad should be coming down soon. I really can’t help you get upstairs.”
Evelyn gritted her teeth. “Fine then.”
Conrad would definitely be coming down! She didn’t believe she couldn’t catch him.
In fact, Conrad had come up to discuss business, and Pandora was merely there because she was the spokesperson for the Brown Family Group. The status of the Brown Family Group determined her position. All she had to do was stay downstairs and keep the scene going.
The door to the top floor opened, and Simon and his group were already inside.
Conrad grabbed a bottle of champagne. “I’m late, so I’ll take a drink to punish myself.”
Simon glanced at Conrad. “We’ve always had video meetings, but this is the first time I’m meeting you in person, Mr. Conrad.”
Now that the King Family Group wanted to develop land in City N, they had to deal with Conrad, the local power player. They had previously connected with Conrad through his friend, Steward, who knew Michael. This time, they came personally to focus on developing the City N cross-sea bridge and the new district.
City N had plans to reclaim land from the sea, expand the land area, and attract talent for construction. That entire area belonged to the Brown family.
Conrad knew that the government was already interested in developing the area. There was money to be made, and of course, he wouldn’t let go of the opportunity.
Simon had only recently learned how deep the Brown family’s influence went in City N.
Paul, who had come with them, spoke up, “Since everyone’s here, let’s get started.”
The two cities were part of the country’s top economic regions, and the funds for development were no small amount. In other words, while the cruise party seemed like a recreational event, its purpose was really to facilitate cooperation and investment between several major groups, though this was kept private.
Some people were milling around Hogan and George. Especially George, who usually acted like a normal doctor and stayed out of the social scene at the hospital. The last time anyone saw him was during his wedding.
“Did George get divorced? I never see him with his wife anymore.”
“Who knows.”
Lionel took a sip of his drink. “Seems like everyone’s curious about your divorce. Didn’t Melissa want to come with you?”
“Let’s not talk about her,” George muttered, annoyed. “Bad luck.”
He grumbled about her all the time. She was just like Lillian-always acting tough and defiant.
Lionel looked around, noticing that Hogan was acting like a peacock, looking for his girls, but Gordon was nowhere in sight.
“Is Hunter really crippled?”
“Conrad had someone do it. What do you think?”
“Is there no hope for him?”
If George didn’t speak up, which hospital would dare to treat Hunter?
And the problem was, this idiot Hunter had gone after his wife’s best friend and his two closest buddies.
Saving lives? Someone like him hadn’t been shot dead by Conrad, he’d only been left to survive for a few more days.
That was Conrad’s way. Lionel added, “Why don’t we see Gordon? I thought the Smith family from H City was here.”
“He said his legs hurt and went upstairs to rest. He didn’t want to be seen as a disabled person.”
Upstairs, Lillian watched carefully, making sure Conrad wouldn’t appear again before she pushed Gordon out.
Gordon looked speechless. “Do you know your ass was almost in my face just now? Don’t say you’re not interested in me? You’re just sleazy.”
Lillian felt wronged. “Mr. Gordon, just because you’re limping doesn’t mean no women love you. You shouldn’t keep teasing me. If you’re that desperate, go find an EX-girlfriend.”
Gordon’s face darkened. “Do I need women? You wanna go check my hospital room? It’s practically a flower shop in there.”
If he wasn’t afraid, would he have been discharged properly?
The two continued to bicker as Gordon’s people waited at the small meeting room door.
“Director Peter is already inside.” Gordon glanced at his phone. “You go in. I’m not interested in mingling. My dad wants me to meet with relatives and friends. Later, you can have someone take you back to my room.”
He winked at Lillian. “Unless you want Conrad to find out.”
Lillian knew he was joking. “Thank you.”
******
The door opened, and Lillian took a deep breath before quickly walking in.
Peter seemed more laid-back than he appeared in the interview. When he saw that Lillian had come in alone, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where’s the manager from the Smith Family Group? Wasn’t he supposed to be the one who arranged this meeting?”
Lillian wasn’t sure what identity Gordon had used to arrange the meeting, but she still managed to smile. “Hello, Mr. Peter. I’m Lillian.”
“I don’t know you. If you’re pretending to be someone else to get me here, I won’t be happy,” Peter replied, standing up as though he was about to leave.
Lillian quickly explained, “Sorry, I’m not an employee of the Smith Family Group, but I hope you can give me just five minutes-only five minutes.”
Peter sneered, “My five minutes shouldn’t be wasted on this.”
“But I’m sure you won’t regret giving me these five minutes.”
Several minutes later…
“Your ancient civilization is indeed amazing. It could definitely be made into a film series, but the costs and effort would require a huge investment of money and energy. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to spend my time on this.”
Peter’s rejection left Lillian feeling somewhat powerless, but she couldn’t blame him.
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
“Why are you talking for so long?” A woman’s gentle voice rang out.
Lillian could faintly smell jasmine as the woman walked toward Peter with a smile.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up and saw her.
“Sorry, I ran into a little trouble. Where’s Sophia?”
“She’s off chasing some boy she likes, trying to get his number.” The woman sat down and finally noticed Lillian.
“And this is…”
“Oh, this is my wife, Helen. You might not know her, she’s a bit out of the spotlight these days.”
Lillian calmly responded, “No, Miss Helen may have retired from the film industry, but her graceful image is still remembered by us.”
Peter raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “See? I told you, the footprints you leave behind are always remembered.”
Helen smiled charmingly. “Am I interrupting your conversation?”
Lillian quickly spoke up, “No. Mr. Peter, thank you for today. I’ll take my leave now.” Her voice was a little dry. “I won’t disturb you and… your wife.”
Peter nodded slightly, but Helen was still staring at her. “Miss, have we met before?”