Chapter 268
Alaric had no intention of allowing Stellan to meet Todd, not because he was particularly concerned about the meeting, but because he knew exactly what Todd was like—ruthless and lecherous. Despite his personal feelings, Alaric realized that given Todd had already arrived in Arizona, it was inevitable that their paths would cross at some point. He couldn’t avoid it forever.
Early the next morning, Ambrose accompanied Todd to Nexus Innovations. They waited in the lobby, and Todd glanced at his watch with a frown, clearly displeased. “Didn’t you say Alaric is always punctual? It’s already work time, and he’s still not here,” Todd complained, his impatience palpable.
Ambrose calmly replied, “He’s taking Stellan to the Reassuring Clinic first, then heading over. There might be traffic.” The clinic and Nexus Innovations were on opposite sides of town, which naturally added time to Alaric’s commute.
Todd’s eyes flickered with something that almost resembled amusement. “So, he married the woman you love, gets to sleep with her every night, and now he’s even accompanying her to the clinic? Ambrose, how do you stand it?” His words cut deep, and Ambrose’s expression darkened, but he remained silent, not willing to engage in such a discussion.
Todd continued, not letting up. “Watching the woman you love being taken by another man every day, and you can only swallow your anger. You guys really have no backbone.” The words were venomous, but Ambrose dared not retaliate.
Before the situation could escalate, Alaric finally walked into the lobby. As soon as he arrived, Linda rushed over to greet him. “Mr. Knight, these two have been waiting since early this morning. They say—”
Alaric waved her off with a flick of his hand, signaling for her to step back.
Todd stepped forward, his voice slightly elevated with annoyance. “I wanted to pay a proper visit to the local head, but Mr. Knight is quite the big shot. My people waited all afternoon yesterday and couldn’t even get a face-to-face. So, I decided to come myself this morning.” His words, though polite, carried an underlying sharpness.
“The casino just opened, and there’s a lot to handle,” Alaric replied, his voice as cool and composed as ever. “Ambrose understands that best. Mr. Vale, you came at a bad time.”
Todd’s lips curled into a half-smile. “Yes, my fault,” he muttered, barely offering an apology.
Alaric glanced at his watch, noting the time. “I have a meeting in five minutes. After taking the elevator and walking to the conference room, I’ll only have two minutes left. Mr. Vale, please be brief.”
Todd’s irritation flared, clearly unsatisfied with the two-minute window. “Two minutes? After waiting all this time?” he grumbled.
“It’s nothing much,” Todd continued, trying to hide his frustration. “I’m new to Arizona, and I need the local head’s support. I wanted to invite you to dinner to build some rapport.”
“Depends on my schedule,” Alaric said nonchalantly, already moving toward the elevator. “Mr. Vale, wait for a call. My assistant will reach out to you when I have time.”
With that, the elevator doors opened, and Alaric stepped inside, leaving Todd and Ambrose standing in the lobby. As the doors closed, Todd muttered under his breath, “Even more arrogant than me!”
Ambrose, ever the dutiful assistant, replied respectfully, “That’s Alaric. You’ll have to wait. With Alaric involved in the jewelry company acquisition, it won’t be resolved quickly. You can treat these days like a vacation. Arizona has many fun places and attractive women. You could relax and enjoy yourself while you wait.”
Todd considered this suggestion and his mood lightened slightly. “That’s a good idea,” he said, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “Arrange it quickly. If I have fun, it’ll be easier for you.”
“Of course, Mr. Vale,” Ambrose replied, his tone polite but with a hint of resignation.
Later that day, Stellan was in the lab again, immersed in her work. By mid-afternoon, around three or four, a physician came in to inform her that someone was looking for her.
“Rowena?” Stellan’s voice lit up with surprise when she saw her friend.
“Had nothing to do at the hotel, so I decided to take a walk and ended up here,” Rowena explained, grinning. “I hope I’m not disturbing your work?”
“Of course not! Come on, let me show you the lab on the second floor,” Stellan said with enthusiasm, eager to share her space with Rowena.
Rowena followed Stellan to the second floor, and she couldn’t help but be impressed by what she saw. “This is a pharmaceutical lab? So cool,” she exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration. “Stellan, you actually do medical research? That’s incredible!”
Stellan chuckled modestly. “I’m still a beginner compared to some of the seasoned medical professors. But I’m trying.”
Rowena shook her head in awe. “You’re already amazing. You’re someone who actually contributes to the medical field. That’s remarkable,” she praised, her admiration genuine.
“Stop flattering me. I’m really not that great,” Stellan replied, though a small smile tugged at her lips.
“I think you’re super impressive,” Rowena continued. “But I’ll leave you to your work now. I’ll stay quiet.”
Rowena was genuinely curious to see how Stellan worked, so she remained silent, observing her friend with interest as she got back to her research.
As the afternoon wore on, Alaric arrived to pick up Stellan, just as they were wrapping up. Rowena, noticing him, smiled warmly. “Mr. Knight is so busy, yet he picks you up every day. Stellan, you’re really lucky.”
Stellan smiled back, though a faint tension lingered in her chest. “You will be too,” she replied softly, her mind drifting for a moment to thoughts of Rowena’s future and hoping that it wouldn’t involve Richard.
“Miss Blaire?” Alaric asked, surprised to see Rowena.
“Mr. Knight, I was just bored at the hotel and decided to visit Stellan,” Rowena explained cheerfully.
“Stellan always says you two hit it off immediately,” Alaric remarked, his tone light.
“Yes, we did,” Rowena confirmed with a smile. “Since Mr. Knight is here, I’ll leave you two to it.”
“It’s fine,” Alaric said, turning to Rowena with a smile. “Since you have nothing to do at the hotel, why not come home with us for dinner?”
Rowena hesitated. “I heard you have three kids. I didn’t prepare anything for them. I’ll visit next time with gifts for the kids to make a good impression.”
Alaric chuckled softly. “Well, in that case, how about you treat us to dinner tonight? I’d love the chance to thank you properly.”
Rowena blinked, surprised by the offer but pleased. “How about I treat you? I really want to thank Mr. Knight, and I hope you’ll give me the chance.”
Stellan exchanged a glance with Alaric. He nodded slightly, and Stellan’s expression softened. “Alright,” she said, her voice light. “Shall we invite Mr. Walker too?”
“No need,” Rowena replied quickly. “Richard is busy. It’ll be better just the three of us.”
Alaric nodded in agreement. “Okay, just the three of us then.”
The trio made their way to a local restaurant. Once seated, Rowena got straight to the point. “First, I want to thank Mr. Knight for choosing me as the casino’s ambassador. It’s such an honor. I also want to apologize for delaying the ad shoot due to personal reasons. You didn’t hold it against me, which makes me feel guilty.”
Alaric gave a faint, knowing smile. “I had my reasons. Maybe it’s because you share a name with a friend of a friend, which made me feel a bit of familiarity.”
“Share a name with a friend?” Rowena’s curiosity piqued. “May I ask which friend?”
Alaric’s smile deepened. “Cormac,” he said.