Chapter 573
As their displeasure grew, I maintained my composure. “What’s wrong? Did I say something inappropriate?”
Martin’s face darkened. He was quite unpredictable.
Jeremiah felt compelled to intervene. “Ms. Chloe, this is Bourdamun, not Foswood. Don’t—”
Before he could finish, Martin slammed the table. He yelled at Jeremiah, “Who do you think you are? Do you have the right to speak here? Don’t pretend to be something you’re not!”
I shivered at his sudden outburst and involuntarily looked at Martin. I could tell that his words were actually aimed at me. Martin was quite arrogant.
The room fell silent. The other three dared not breathe, and my heart raced.
I chuckled, breaking the tension. Leaning back in my chair, I glanced casually at Martin and remarked, “Looks like you have quite the temper, Mr. Martin.”
He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. He’s short-tempered.”
I forced a strained smile. “It seems dinner isn’t coming.”
The unidentified man immediately gestured to lower the tension. “Martin, don’t be so angry. Ms. Chloe is a young lady, and you might scare her off. Jeremiah, hurry and check on dinner!”
Then he turned to me. “Ms. Chloe, please don’t mind him. Mr. Martin’s temper isn’t great, especially today. Grandpa was upset, and he was a bit agitated. I can see that you are from a big city. You’ve got composure.”
The man chuckled and continued, “Let me introduce myself. My last name is Jake Lawson. I’m Martin’s uncle and the vice president of Mars Group.”
It seemed he was Martin’s partner in this play, with one playing the good cop while the other played the bad cop.
“We sincerely wanted to discuss some project issues by inviting you here. You’re right. It’s about the development of the new district. Ms. Chloe, you’re an outsider who isn’t familiar with Bourdamun. That’s understandable!”
Jake looked like a smooth talker, and he had clearly handled such situations before.
“Bourdamun has been lagging
behind due to its location,” he
continued. “Many people have worked hard to change this. Finally, there’s a good opportunity to
develop Bourdamun, but this comes with increased scrutiny. S
“Martin may not be pursuing a formal career, but he has big plans. All Bourdamun residents, particularly Martin, share the desire to see their hometown develop. So he’s eager to find a breakthrough. Mars Group can change Bourdamun!”
He paused and observed my reaction. I had to admit that Jake was a skilled speaker, adept at handling situations like this.
I understood that he was about to reveal the actual situation and was testing my response. So, I remained focused.
Indeed, when he saw I didn’t object, he glanced at Martin. He chuckled again and continued.
“In other words…” Jake said, “Ms. Chloe, if you want to take on this project, you might need to take a different approach.”
“How so?” I asked as if I were genuinely curious. “Mr. Jake, you’re right. I’m new to the city and don’t understand the customs here.”
Jake laughed heartily. “Ms. Chloe, you must be kidding. There are no set customs! It’s just that you might need to take a roundabout route!”
He got up, walked over to me, and poured a cup of tea.
I glanced up at Martin. His
expression had eased a bit by now.
When he saw me looking at him
he
gestured at the teacup. “Ms. Chloe,
please!”
I took a sip and placed it gently on the table, turning my head to look at Jake.
He took this opportunity to sit next to me.
“Mr. Jake, what roundabout route am I taking?”