Henry had never expected an 18-year-old girl to tell him off one day.
He was also annoyed because he could not refute what she had said. She did not beg to be their partner. She even said that she would have to evaluate their sincerity in collaborating with them. Perhaps the girl was naive because she had not experienced the cruelness of society as a whole. Henry opened his desk and took something from it.
“These are all the applications that we have received from different entities to cooperate with us in animation projects.”
He wanted to show off his arrogance, and he wanted Elena to be humbled by that information.
“Look at it. Your studio is not the only partner we can consider for an animation project.”
“I know that Second Young Master Sharp has a lot of options, but I also believe that if we are not qualified, you would not have invited us for a discussion today.”
Elena remained expressionless even after she saw that stack of documents.
She bit her lower lip and sincerely said, “Second Young Master Sharp, we are just a small studio. This cooperation may have been an opportunity, but it is also a burden.
“Everyone wants their company to grow bigger and stronger, but we might not even have that capability. It is a risky investment, indeed.
“I hope that Second Young Master Sharp will reconsider your confidence in our collaboration. If you are bored and wanted a random investment, I would advise you to be wary of this one.”
“What would your team think if they heard what you have just said?” Henry’s expression had darkened.
“They won’t think too much about it. They might be disappointed about it for a while, but after a good meal, we’d be on our way to look for partners again.
“Alternatively, we can opt to divert back to our original plan, which is to make comics first. We can consider delving into animation projects after some success with our comics.”
Henry remained silent, but he studied her expressions as he stared at her face.
She did not seem angry, and she had also implored him to reconsider their cooperation so calmly. Was that how one would speak to an investor? Did she really not care if she were to lose him as an investor? Well, according to Elena, they were partners in that venture.
After a few moments of silence, Henry suddenly asked, “You are so calm. Are you not afraid that we would reject this collaboration?”
…
Layla and Lois were distraught. After Elena went into the office, Layla saw an announcement in the news that morning. There was an exposé about the college level comic competition—the winner had a strong background! Photos of Elena and Eldest Young Master Williams as they got into the car and pictures of Elena and Henry as they walked and chatted happily were included in that report.
Elena’s identity as Third Young Miss Garcia and Eldest Young Master Williams’s fiancée was also mentioned in the report. The news also said that she was Henry’s female companion in those photos. They had seemed intimate in them, and most did not believe that they were only friends.
Even Layla, Elena’s good friend, had become extremely close with Second Young Master Sharp. The news also alleged that Elena had won the competition because of some insider information.
The most frightening thing was that Nina, who was hailed as the most beautiful and skilled female artist in the campus comic field, had injured her hand and was admitted to the hospital. The report deduced that someone had deliberately hurt Nina’s hand.
Some photos showed Elena and Eldest Young Master Williams together the night Nina had an accident. No one knew what had happened, and no one had proof that Elena was the reason for Nina’s injury.
Most people concluded that someone had arranged for Nina to lose in the competition, and Elena had emerged a winner. The report also mentioned that Elena would go to Sharp Corporation to sign the agreement that day. It was apparent who had won and lost in the competition. The public had treated Elena as the ‘enemy’ because they sympathized with the weak. However, it seemed like Eldest Young Master Williams had dumped that vicious woman that morning!
Layla was anxious. After Lois told her that Elena went into Second Young Master Williams’s office, she almost wanted to rush in to get her.
“Elena would never do that. Don’t panic.” Caleb tried his best to comfort her.
Layla shook her head and fidgeted. “Of course, she wouldn’t do that, but what does Second Young Master Sharp want with her? Why did he want to see her alone?”
It was an unusual move! If Elena had looked as plain as her usual self, she would not have been that worried. However, Elena had looked like a gorgeous fairy that morning! What if Second Young Master Sharp did something indecent to her?
“Don’t you think you’re overthinking it?”
Rufus was also a little worried as Elena had looked unusually beautiful that morning; some guy might get excited about her appearance. However, the other party was the respectable Second Young Master Sharp. He would not harm a woman in his company, no matter how lustful he was about her.
Luacs’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. His unsettling eyes stared at the building in front of him like he was in deep thoughts.
Layla sent another message to Lois. [Is she out yet?]
Lois did not reply, so Layla continued, “If Second Young Master Sharp really did something wicked to Elena, then we can call off the plan to cooperate with them!”
There was still no response from Lois, and Layla became even more anxious.
“The class monitor hasn’t replied to my messages yet.” She looked at Luacs, uncertain of the next step. “Luacs, what should we do? Do we go in and look for her?”
Luacs did not say anything, but he tightened his fingers on the steering wheel.
Layla turned to look at Caleb and Rufus. Caleb hesitated before he asked, “What if it’s just a misunderstanding?
“Maybe Second Young Master Sharp knew Elena and wanted to talk to her alone.”
None of them could tell what was in the guy’s mind. At least it was daytime, and they were in an office, so nothing wrong should happen.
A long time had passed, but there was still no reply from Lois. Just as Layla was about to explode, Luacs opened the car door and stepped out of the vehicle.
“Luacs!” Caleb was shocked and quickly went down after Luacs in a hurry. “Luacs, don’t act rashly. There are more bodyguards here than you can ever imagine.”
They saw many bodyguards in the building when they reached the building. Even if Luacs was a good fighter, he could not take all of them at once. However, Luacs proceeded toward the lobby in the main building, and his three friends chased after him.
As soon as they walked into the lobby, the receptionist went to greet them. “Are you looking for someone? Do you have an appointment?”
“Second Young Master Sharp,” Luacs replied casually.
The receptionist’s face sank, and her voice became a lot colder. “The second young master is in a meeting, it’s inconvenient… Hey! What are you doing?”
Without any warning, the little group of friends went straight to the elevator! The receptionist panicked and hurried after them. “This is Sharp Corporation, and it is not a place you can run around as you wish. Stop…”
At the nick of time, the elevator door opened, and a few people came out of it…