Gloria and Klein left, leaving only Heath and Lucas in the large reception room.
"Is it her? The reason why were you willing to owe me a favor and have me fly here? Is she that important?" Heath gracefully walked to the bar counter and poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"Another glass?" He raised the glass to Lucas and gestured.
"She is someone I desperately want to be with, someone I want to just keep for myself." He did not know how important Gloria was to Lucas.
"Mike wanted me to ask you if that person is OK," Lucas said, changing the topic.
"Mike? After all these years, he still hasn't moved on? I always thought that Mike was the only guy who wouldn't let go. But now that I see you, I know that you are screwed as well." Heath shook his head.
Lucas did not explain. He chuckled and said, "Both you and Mike are so full of yourself, aren't you?"
Heath gulped down the wine in his glass and suddenly said, "She is excellent."
"I know. She has always been excellent." Speaking of Gloria, Lucas looked proud, as if she belonged to him.
"She is good at negotiation. Who did she learn them from? I think that the person who taught her such negotiation skills must be excellent." Heath's face was full of appreciation.
"You rarely speak so highly of anyone. Heath, I will only say this once. Keep your hands off her." Lucas' eyes darkened.
The corner of Heath's mouth twitched. "You are so screwed, Lucas. You've changed."
"It has nothing to do with you. Just keep this in mind and leave her alone," Lucas solemnly warned.
Heath could not help but roll his eyes. "I'm only saying that she is good at negotiating. I've met a lot of negotiators, and when it comes to negotiation skills, she's still green. The reason why I think she is good is that she has both skills and sincerity. She is very frank about her intention of cooperation, and she isn't trying to hide their shortcomings. Also, she makes it abundantly clear to me that even with these shortcomings, they still have the determination and ability to handle every detail. I like her confidence. She is candid, confident, and thorough. Such a partner makes it easy for me to listen to what she has to say. I have to say that you are a good hunter."
Lucas used to feel proud when being called a hunter in the past. However, for some reason, the word only sounded ear-piercing today. He was inexplicably irritated, and he picked up the wine in front of him and gulped it down.
"If possible, I just want to be her hunter," he blurted out and sounded frustrated.
After saying that, he turned around and strode away.
"Gosh!" Heath gawked at Lucas' back as he left in a hurry.
Heath thought, 'Are Mike and Lucas both crazy?
Even though they know they are digging their own graves, they still are willing to jump in with smiles on their faces.'
Gloria had put her phone on silent mode when she knew she was going to meet Heath.
She returned to the guest room, washed up, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and sat in front of the bed. Her phone was on the bedside table, and when the phone screen lit up, she remembered that she had been putting the phone on silent mode all this time.
She picked it up. Seeing it was Mandy, she hesitated at once.
After a long time, she pressed the answer button.
"Gloria, where were you? I tried calling you so many times, but I just couldn't reach you. I was about to call the police," Mandy said worriedly on the other end of the line.
Gloria hurriedly apologized, "Don't be angry. I had something important to do."
"What could be so important that you didn't even have time to answer the phone?" Mandy was smart and capable, and she could be scared when she got mad.
Gloria knew that she was in the wrong and quickly used Heath as her excuse. She said, "I met Heath."
Mandy went silent at once, and a few seconds passed.
"Heath? Heath from Damen Group?" Mandy screamed excitedly.
Gloria immediately moved her phone far away from her ear. "Keep your voice down! You are hurting my ear."
"Forget about your ear! Tell me about the legendary Heath from that Damen Group. You met Heath in person? Did you talk? Did you get us the partnership? Did he say yes?"
Just as Gloria was about to answer Mandy's first question, Mandy kept asking more, making Gloria a little dizzy.
She had to stop Mandy. She said, "I want to work on getting ourselves the partnership with Heath. Mandy, Heath seems interested in my proposal. As for the project proposal we discussed in private, I think you might have to work overtime tonight to get the materials sorted out and sent to me. I have to hurry up and come up with a plan."
"Yes! Sure thing! Miss Carter, don't worry. I'll work on it and send it to you tonight," Mandy said, incoherent due to excitement.
Gloria raised her eyebrows slightly. She thought, 'When Mandy gets angry, she always calls me Gloria. And when it comes to working, then she calls me Miss Carter.
Her speed of change is impressive.'
"Hey! I almost forgot the important thing. Gloria, about the things you told me. Well, Alpha Patrick is fine. Go ahead and work on your plan. Don't worry about him. He is doing good. He eats well, and he even learns to cook." Only then did Mandy remember the reason why she called.
"OK," Gloria replied casually.
She thought, 'Is that so? I ran away because of him.
And whether I'm gone or not is the same for him. Am I that dispensable?
So, whether he is sober or not, I am just not that important to him. In his life, Gloria is just a name that doesn't mean much to him?'
She changed into her pajamas and walked to the balcony, the wind blowing toward her.
She did not know what she was fussing about. She had already escaped from him, but she still felt suffocating and upset.
She regretted it. She thought, 'I shouldn't have gotten close to him, and I shouldn't have taught him how to masturbate that morning.
That stuff was so intimate. But I shouldn't have had any more dealings with him.
I did nothing wrong. I should never have gone soft on him.'
Mandy was always amazingly efficient.
When Gloria woke up, she unexpectedly received an email from Mandy.
The doorbell rang.
"Room service? Wait a minute." She woke up early in the morning, and she didn't have time to change her clothes and was still in her pajamas. She gently adjusted her pajamas and opened the door.
"Good morning." The man at the door was well-dressed.
"So early?" She looked at her pajamas, which were kind of tidy, and then looked at Lucas. "Come in."
"Are you working?" Lucas asked.
Gloria nodded and said, "Lucas, thank you for introducing me to Heath. You have helped me a lot."
She walked towards the break room. "What do you prefer? Coffee or tea?"
"Mineral water is fine," Lucas said.
"Just a second." She picked up a glass next to her.
She was standing next to the sink, and a tall figure suddenly appeared behind her. The smell of male hormones instantly filled her nose.
"It is not a good habit to work when you are on vacation," Lucas whispered in her ear.
Gloria left the break room quietly.
"It's a great opportunity, Lucas. I can't afford to lose, and neither can the Carter Group." She looked at Lucas with deep eyes. In an instant, the heaviness in her eyes was somehow suffocating. It was so oppressive, and he felt that he couldn't see through her.
Lucas was frustrated, yet he pretended that he didn't feel anything and said joyfully, "Gloria, want some breakfast? The breakfast here is awesome. Anyway, you have to eat something so that you will be more energetic at work, right?"
"OK. Let me get changed first." Gloria indeed felt hungry, and Lucas was right. She had to eat to have more strength.