Babel Novel
Chapter 24
Joshua's favoritism was getting a bit ridiculous.
Joshua had more to say, but Chloe stood up and cut him off. "Grandpa, I'll take some gifts to CNR Tower tomorrow to apologize to Mr. Connor and make sure we get the bidding qualification."
The resort project had special approval from the central government and had to go through a public tender. Hundreds of construction companies were after it, and the chances were already slim. Now, without even the qualification to bid, Moncada International had no chance at all.
Since this mess was on her, Chloe wasn't going to dodge the responsibility.
Lucas smirked. "Fine, I'll be waiting for Sartori Corporation's tender document tomorrow. Don't let me down."
Lucas didn't think Chloe could pull it off. He'd already witnessed Mr. Connor's pettiness and grudge- holding firsthand. If apologies were enough, he wouldn't be saying this. In fact, he'd already visited several times over the past few days. Connor had outright refused to see him, and at his last visit, Connor even had security kick him out. It was beyond humiliating.
This was all because of Chloe. She also needed to experience the same public humiliation he felt when being thrown out by security.
The next morning, Chloe drove to the CNR Tower. She parked in the terrace lot and looked up at the skyscraper piercing the clouds, its gilded name gleaming in the morning sun. Completed less than three years ago, CNR had already become an iconic building in Riverbrook. She'd always thought it was some new tech startup, but it turned out to be a branch of Sartori Corporation. CNR must symbolize Connor's name.
Chloe walked into the lobby and headed straight for the reception desk.
"Hi, could you tell me which floor Mr. Connor's office is on?" she asked.
The four receptionists, all stunning in their own right, reacted differently to hearing her call Connor by his name. The tallest one with a pointed chin shot back, "You think you can just call our CEO by his name? What's your relationship with him?"
Chloe almost blurted out that she was his "sugar mummy" but kept her composure. "I'm here on behalf of Moncada International to discuss business with Mr. Connor," she said with a smile.
The pointed-chin receptionist sneered. "Moncada International is really pulling out all the stops, trying to use a beautiful girl like you to get the job done. Sorry, but our CEO has made it clear—no one from Moncada International is allowed inside CNR."
Then, she motioned for security.
Before they could escort her out, Chloe said to the security guard, "Sorry, I need to make a call."
The guard, clearly taken by her looks, couldn't bring himself to be rough and waited patiently for her to finish her call. The four receptionists watched and whispered among themselves.
"Being pretty definitely has its perks. Look at the way the security guard is drooling over her."
"Where did Moncada International find such a stunner? She's even more gorgeous than some movie stars."
"What's the use of being beautiful? Moncada International is up to no good. Even after their general manager visited four times, our CEO never gave him the time of day. They're really desperate, sending a pretty face over. But our CEO is too sharp to fall for that."
Chloe hung up the phone. The pointed-chin receptionist wasted no time. "What are you standing around for? Get her out!"Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
Just then, the reception phone rang. The pointed-chin receptionist saw it was from the CEO’s office. In her three years at CNR, she'd never received a call from the CEO’s office. She picked it up cautiously.
A man’s pleasant voice came through, "Let her come up."