Chapter 69 Confidential Document
Chapter 69 Confidential Document
In the afternoon of that day, the senior executives of HL Group and Mu Group received the news. The Fosun Entertainment Group was removed from the final bidding of the project in T Country, and it was replaced by HM Group.
Inside the meeting room of HL Group, Lorenzo came in and stood in front of James, who was sitting in the host's seat. He looked at James and reported hesitantly, "Mr. Xi, I heard that a woman went to Mr. Zheng with a document this morning. And soon after she left, HM Group made a big move. Then the result of the bidding changed."
"A woman?" James looked at him with questioning eyes.
The manager of the planning department chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Xi. I've heard that the woman's name was Maria Song. She seemed to have insider information and gave it to HM Group."
"Maria Song?" A deep frown appeared on James' face.
He didn't expect Maria to have such an ability. HM Group had already been wiped out of the bidding for that project, but she helped it back.
Lorenzo reminded him in a low voice, "Mr. Xi, when we were in T Country, Maria and Mr. Wang had spent time together."
James leaned back in his chair and tapped the table with his fingers, lost in thought.
Lorenzo continued, "Someone saw Maria get in Mr. Wang's car. Then the car wandered around the city for a long time before they went back to the hotel together..."
Bang! The loud thump on the table interrupted Lorenzo's remaining words.
All the senior executives who were talking about Maria also shut their mouths at the same time.Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.
With a hint of fury in his eyes, James said in a low voice, "Lorenzo, is this the main point of this meeting? We need to do our job well and win the project. That's the most important thing. This is not about what a woman has done. We have our own strength to fight and win this project!"
"I understand, Mr. Xi. I'm sorry." Upon realizing that he behaved too fervidly to speak ill of Maria, Lorenzo restrained himself at once.
James cast a cold glance at all the senior executives in the room and uttered coldly, "Dismiss!"
He then stood up, tidied his suit, and strode out of the meeting room. Lorenzo trotted behind him to keep up. As soon as he went back to his office, James smashed the folder on his desk, took off his necktie, and tossed it aside casually. He stood in front of the French window, his hands on the waist, his chest heaving up and down.
He was a bit confused. If Maria had really hooked up with Colby, why was she still pursuing him?
James had also heard that rumor about Maria and Mr. Wang in T Country. It was said that one night, Maria got in Mr. Wang's car and they went to his hotel room. He gave it careful thought. They only stayed in T Country for two nights. On their first night, Maria was in the hotel. He knew it very well. On the second night, he woke up in Maria's suite. He tied her up in a chair and wrapped her mouth with duct tape. He even ordered Lorenzo to send two men in her suite to take her. They even had a fight.
Therefore, it was impossible that she could spend a night with Mr. Wang. It was just gossip that had no credibility at all.
But the question was, how did she get such a confidential document about Ezyhealth? She even gave it to Colby.
It took James half an hour to figure out the answers to the questions that were troubling his mind. But in the end, he still had no clue.
Eventually, he decisively removed Maria's image from his mind and went back to his work. As the evening fell, the CBD Exhibition Center became extremely vivid, adorned by dazzling colorful lights. The jewelry banquet was held here tonight. And two-thirds of the wealthiest and most influential people of H City gathered in the large hall.
Many were saying that poor men paid attention to cars while rich ones collected watches. Also, poor women paid attention to bags while rich ones collected jewelry.
No wonder most male guests attended the banquet with their dates. But not everyone went there because they wanted to buy anything from the exhibition. Most of them just wanted to see the latest and most fashionable designs of jewelry. Perhaps they would only buy if they saw something that they really liked.
Since all of the jewelry cost a fortune, they were all locked in glass showcases. And one or two staff were guarding beside each showcase, ready to provide information about the jewelry anytime a guest would ask.
All of the sets of jewelry being showcased were limited edition that could rarely be seen in jewelry shops. They were too premier to be shown to the public.
But aside from the different sets of jewelry being showcased in this banquet tonight, one main focus of everyone's attention was the presence of the golden couple, Alina and James. James was dressed in a black suit with dark embroidery and a pair of shiny black leather shoes. Alina was in her creamy white evening dress and a set of shining diamond jewelry. She held James' arm, obediently following him everywhere.
Since James had been busy socializing around the hall, Ethan had a little difficulty finding him. So when he finally saw James, he grabbed James' hand, heedless of Alina's presence. "James, I saw a pair of earrings over there. Come and have a look. They are so gorgeous."
Obviously, Alina was annoyed with his behavior. Pulling a long face, she thought inwardly, 'Why is Ethan so impolite? Hasn't he noticed that I'm also here?' Ethan didn't even say hello to her. He just took James away from her without casting a glance at her.
She couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Judging from Ethan's outfit and the intimate way he addressed James, she suspected that he was gay.
James didn't seem to care about Alina either. He just released his arm from her grip and followed Ethan to one of the glass showcases where a pair of noble and elegant earrings was displayed.
"They look domineering, aren't they? Such huge gems!" Ethan praised with excitement.
The gems were indeed enormous, but James wasn't that interested in them, so he just agreed nasally. Since she was left alone, Alina decided to walk over to James and Ethan. To get the two men's attention back to her, she took the initiative to start a conversation with Ethan. "Mr. Nan, I think this pair of earrings suit a dignified and generous woman. Do you agree?"
Ethan rubbed his chin with one hand and thought about her question. After a few seconds, he finally answered, "This pair of earrings will definitely suit Maria." In his eyes, Maria was the most domineering woman he had ever met in his life. She was the type of woman who could make him feel secure even if he was the man.
Alina almost choked with anger. She really wanted to roll her eyes at Ethan. 'Why does he have to mention Maria's name? Is he doing this on purpose to annoy me?' she asked herself inwardly.
Then all of a sudden, she remembered that Maria was also planning to attend tonight's banquet. Subconsciously, she looked around the hall. And she heaved a sigh of relief when she hadn't noticed Maria among the crowd.
While staring at Ethan, who was attentively listening to the staff's explanation about the earrings, Alina couldn't help but sneer inwardly. 'Ethan, you're just a poor and powerless veterinarian. If it weren't for James' backing, you would never be able to attend such an event like this.'
No matter how much Ethan liked the pair of earrings and how much he wanted them, she was sure that he couldn't afford them at all.
Stella, who had also been wandering around, finally got an opportunity to greet James and Alina. She walked up to them. "Good evening, Mr. Xi. Hello, Alina. You look so gorgeous tonight."
Alina just smiled. She had heard such
compliment so many times tonight since they arrived at the hall that she felt tired of responding to it anymore.
She was with James at this banquet, so she had already expected that she would catch a lot of attention. That was why she also made sure that she would be the most eye-catching woman tonight.
Ethan was still listening to the staff talking about emeralds when he suddenly whistled and exclaimed, "Whoa! Look who's here!"
Curious about who Ethan was referring to, James turned around and looked at the entrance of the banquet hall.
Maria, who was walking into the hall, became everyone's center of attention.
As usual, her long wavy hair was draped around her shoulders. Her eyes were enhanced by the black eyeliner, making them look brighter and bigger. Her rosy cheeks and earth-colored lips really suited her. She was also wearing a pair of black lace gloves that stretched to the crook of her arms. The black satin evening dress with dark embroidery that hugged her body and revealed her perfect curves made her look so elegant and stunning. She was no different from an empress.
As she walked alone into the banquet hall gracefully and steadily in her high heels, the aura she emanated was so striking that every man in the banquet almost wanted to leave their date and rushed over to her.
As a result, all the eyes that had been on Alina just now moved towards Maria.
From the way that Maria dressed tonight and the atmosphere she had brought to the banquet hall, there was no doubt that she totally won against Alina.
Soon enough, one sharp-eyed guest noticed the design of Maria's gown. She nudged a friend beside her and whispered, "Look at Maria's black gown. The embroidery is way too similar to the embroidery in Mr. Xi's suit. The colors and the patterns are all the same."