Stella Sterling shot Liam Shelby a sidelong glance. "A mere fifty million? You have that kind of money?"
"Even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you." Liam Shelby poked Stella Sterling's forehead. "How do you think I found out about this? Your dad threw down the gauntlet to make you back down."
Liam Shelby's subtle hint helped Stella Sterling put the pieces together.
'Her dad must have talked to all their friends and relatives, deliberately cutting off all her avenues for help?'
Stella Sterling pursed her lips. 'Who does he think he's looking down on?'
When it came to making money, she had never even considered asking friends or family for help.
Otherwise, she would have told Claire Shawcross and borrowed money from her ages ago.
Stella Sterling didn't talk with Liam Shelby for long. After returning from the stairwell, she headed straight for the break room.
While she was ordering coffee, Stella Sterling's phone rang.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the caller ID. "Mr. Jewell, you're back?"
The old man's voice boomed, hearty and cheerful. "The moment I landed in Calderin, I called you. You were rushing me like your life depended on it, little lady. I had to put everything else on hold, no matter how important. When are you coming over?"
Stella Sterling grinned. "I'll be there tonight. We can have a drink."
"Sounds good. I'll be waiting. And remember to bring a couple of those pork knuckles from West Street."
Hanging up, Stella Sterling breathed a sigh of relief.
The old man had returned just in time. The favor Ian Jarvis had asked of her should finally be making some headway.
「In the blink of an eye, it was two in the afternoon.」
The theme of the conference was a high-end exhibition.
Attendees were free to browse the exhibition area on their own, so the schedule was relatively relaxed.
It was during this lull that the first round of talks between OmniConnect and Rhodes Harbor Group began.
On the fourth floor, in a dedicated meeting room at the National Convention Center.
Representatives from both sides sat at opposite ends of a long table.
In the chief seat on the right sat Roman Rhodes.
Stella Sterling sat at the very end of the negotiating table, next to Director Howard Warner.
Before officially starting, Steve, the foreign executive leading the discussion, respectfully sought instructions from Roman Rhodes. "Mr. Rhodes, shall we begin?"
Roman Rhodes's gaze was calm. He gave a faint nod in assent.
The entire negotiation was conducted in English.
It was a serious, formal business negotiation, and Stella Sterling didn't dare let her guard down.
She listened with intense focus to the back-and-forth between the two sides.
And as she listened, she overheard a shocking piece of news.
Rhodes Harbor Group was about to acquire OmniConnect?!
Stella Sterling stared at Roman Rhodes, dumbfounded, her mind reeling.
'How could this be happening?'
'If OmniConnect gets acquired, won't that throw all my plans into disarray?'
Before joining OmniConnect, Stella Sterling had done extremely detailed industry research. She hadn't come here just to be a personnel and administration specialist.
Stella Sterling frowned, her mood souring considerably.
Time flew by, and the negotiation soon entered its second half.
Howard Warner was to present the company's personnel structure, with Stella Sterling providing the interpretation.
During this process, it was inevitable that she would make eye contact with Roman Rhodes in his chief seat.
Once or twice was perfectly normal.
But after it happened several more times, Roman Rhodes sensed something was amiss.
'This woman is multitasking.'
The reason was that every time Stella Sterling interpreted, her eyes were fixed squarely on him, and her gaze seemed to carry a faint hint of accusation.
'This is high-intensity interpretation work, comparable to simultaneous translation, yet not only is she handling it with ease, she can even spare the mental energy to think about other things?'
Roman Rhodes toyed with his pen, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
'How long has it been, how many years, since someone last "accused" him with such a direct gaze?'
As a man of power, long accustomed to his high position, he was always surrounded by subservient people. Whether their deference was genuine or feigned, everything he saw and heard was colored by obedience and compliance.
Only Stella Sterling dared to so brazenly convey her dissatisfaction with just a look.
For Roman Rhodes, it was a novel and rare experience.
At around five-thirty, the negotiation came to a temporary close.
Her task complete, Stella Sterling stumbled out of the discussion room, dizzy and feeling utterly wilted.
The only silver lining was that she wasn't needed for the subsequent negotiation sessions.
Before she left, Director Howard Warner stopped her. "Sterling, the matter of the company's impending acquisition is still confidential internally. You understand what I mean, right?"
Stella Sterling understood immediately. "Of course, Mr. Warner."
"Good. You worked hard today."
Stella Sterling watched Howard Warner and the other executives walk away, chatting amongst themselves. Only after they were some distance away did she slowly step into the elevator.
Downstairs, outside the convention center.
Stella Sterling leaned lazily against a ginkgo tree by the road, using an app to hail a car.
Rush hour. Queue for a ride: 57 people ahead.
Stella Sterling spotted the blue share-bikes by the roadside. Eager to give it a try, she opened her phone's navigation app and selected the cycling option.
The results: the navigation page showed that cycling from the convention center to the pork knuckle shop on West Street would take an hour and a half.
'My legs would turn into tree trunks.'
Just then, a Maybach van slowly emerged from the underground parking garage to her left rear.
It turned from the access road onto the main street, its path taking it directly past where Stella Sterling was standing.
As the vehicle made the turn, Brandon Coleman spotted Stella Sterling immediately.
He instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Roman Rhodes looking down at a document. He opened his mouth, but then hesitated to speak.
'Always remember the boss's teachings—don't be nosy.'
Brandon Coleman shut his mouth and drove past Stella Sterling without a word.
However, his body was more honest than his brain. Just as the front of the car reached Stella Sterling, Brandon Coleman's foot "accidentally" hit the brake.
The jolt of the vehicle caught the attention of the man in the back seat.
Roman Rhodes coolly lifted his gaze. A flicker of movement outside the window caught his eye, and he saw Stella Sterling standing under the tree.
After a brief silence, the man said in a low voice, "Ask her where she's going."
Brandon Coleman feigned a curious look out the window, saying with mock sincerity, "Oh, it's Miss Sterling! If you hadn't said anything, Mr. Rhodes, I wouldn't even have seen her."
Roman Rhodes gave him a dark look and muttered a word in Cantonese, "Idiot."
Brandon Coleman didn't dare say another word and brought the Maybach to a smooth stop in front of Stella Sterling.
The window rolled down. Stella Sterling peered in. 'Well, what do you know. We meet again.'
Brandon Coleman: "Miss Sterling, are you waiting for a car?"
Stella Sterling straightened up and nodded.
Brandon Coleman: "Where are you headed? I can give you a ride."
Stella Sterling was about to decline, but the wait time on the ride-hailing app was too long, and she really didn't want to pedal a share-bike. As she hesitated, her gaze drifted to the rear window.
Just then, the rear window slowly descended.
The man inside had taken off his suit jacket and tie. He was leaning back in his seat, wearing only a thin black shirt. Perhaps due to the day's packed schedule of meetings, his brow was slightly furrowed, giving him a weary, languid air.
Stella Sterling's lips twitched into a small smile. "Mr. Rhodes."
Roman Rhodes turned his head to meet her gaze. "You didn't drive?"
"I don't have a car." Stella Sterling smiled sheepishly.
Brandon Coleman's eyes immediately filled with sympathy.
Roman Rhodes eyed Stella Sterling thoughtfully. "Get in."
Stella Sterling made a show of politeness. "Wouldn't it be too much trouble?"
Brandon Coleman pointed to a sign by the road. "No trouble at all. Please get in first, Miss Sterling. This is a no-stopping zone."
Stella Sterling quickly pulled open the passenger side door, as if afraid they would change their minds.
However, the passenger seat was piled high with several files and Brandon Coleman's jacket. It was completely full, with no room to sit.
As Stella Sterling stood there awkwardly, Roman Rhodes spoke from the back seat: "Sit back here."
Brandon Coleman smiled apologetically and pressed the button to open the electric sliding door on the other side of the van.
After all the fuss, Stella Sterling finally got into the vehicle.
A faint, fresh, and natural scent of pine and herbs wafted through the cabin, reminiscent of damp air after a rain—a refreshing and uplifting aroma.
Stella Sterling sat primly beside Roman Rhodes. As the van started moving, a chilled bottle of mineral water, beaded with condensation, was placed in the cup holder on her side.
Stella Sterling glanced over in surprise, taken aback by the man's thoughtfulness.
During the meeting earlier, she had been interpreting for so long that she hadn't had a chance to drink any water.
Her throat was actually quite uncomfortable, and her voice was a little hoarse when she spoke.
Roman Rhodes had a document resting on his crossed legs. He penned his signature, then, sensing the young woman's stare, he lifted his eyes slightly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"