Chapter 295
‘Sure enough, I’m still no match for Birgitte. Even after all this time, I couldn’t close the deal and ended up making Ms. Miller come all the way here herself,’ thought Dorcas.
Aubree looked at Dorcas’s noticeably thinner face with concern and gently patted her back. “I told you before, if you can’t close the deal, don’t push yourself. Kurtis was the one who approached us for the partnership, but now he’s just stringing us along. It’s obvious he has ulterior motives. He probably never intended to cooperate in good faith from the start.”
‘Of course, I’m not really here to discuss business,’ Aubree mused.
Gordon’s flower shop only restocked once a month. Seriously, what was his deal? It was weird enough for a psychologist, who was definitely not short on cash, to run a flower shop, but every month he still insisted on hauling himself downtown to buy fresh flowers.
The monthly flower supply run was coming up soon. ‘I’m going to find out exactly what dirty little secrets Gordon and Alice are hiding!’ Aubree thought.
Aubree composed her expression, her gaze turning calm. “Take me to Kurtis first,” she instructed.
Anticipating Aubree’s visit, Kurtis had reserved a private spot at an exclusive golf club early that morning and was awaiting her arrival.
When Aubree arrived with Dorcas in tow, Kurtis had just sunk a putt. One of his agency’s artists was fawning over him with exaggerated admiration. Aubree cast a cool glance at the scene before greeting, “Mr. Carr. Pleasure to meet you.”
Kurtis’s eyes lit up when he saw her. With a dismissive wave at his entourage, he flashed a charming smile. “Ms. Miller, I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
He offered his hand first. Aubree responded with a brief, perfunctory handshake before quickly withdrawing.
Kurtis was every inch a playboy. Put him next to Ollie, and Ollie seemed a paragon of propriety by comparison.
Yet, despite his playboy looks and matching personality, he managed to build such a massive empire from scratch–a rare display of true ambition and business acumen that almost made his rakish charm forgivable.
“Getting an audience with you is no easy feat, Ms. Miller,” Kurtis chuckled, his smile turning roguish.
“I’ve been tied up with business in Südlichen Strand lately. Mr. Carr, since you took the initiative to seek cooperation, I thought reaching an agreement wouldn’t be difficult…” Aubree paused, her tone full of implication. “But now it seems I was overthinking it. You don’t seem very interested in cooperating after all.”
“Not at all. I’ve made it clear I want to work with you from the start, Ms. Miller,” he said, glancing at Dorcas. “But you keep trying to fob me off with your secretary, hardly a convincing show of sincerity, is it?”
He flashed an overtly suggestive grin.
Aubree’s expression flickered oddly for a moment. ‘Wait, is this guy actually after me?’
If that was the case, Aubree felt not even a shred of pleasure at being admired. Seriously, Kurtis was pushing forty. Sure, he had that dashing playboy look, but if he’d been a bit wilder in his youth, he could practically be her father.
Aubree subtly put some distance between them. “So, now that we’ve finally met, Mr. Carr, can we sign the contract?”
“No rush. I’m hosting a yacht party tonight. It’s a shame I’m short a female companion.”
“Sorry…” Aubree started to refuse without hesitation.
Kurtis chuckled, “Your people have been in Kroit City for quite some time, Ms. Miller. Seems they’ve been looking for someone. Have you found them yet?”
Aubree’s brows knitted sharply. “What exactly do you know?” she demanded.
“So, about tonight’s party?” Kurtis extended his hand with a sly, inviting smile.
The Carr family was a major player in the entertainment industry, which meant their network of connections ran deep. For Kurtis, digging up any information he wanted, especially in Kroit City, was child’s play.
Aubree let out a controlled breath. She wasn’t sure what Kurtis was after, but one thing was certain: he’d had his eyes on her for a while now.
Suppressing her revulsion, Aubree reluctantly placed her hand in his. “I accept,” she said coldly.
Her eyes flashed with unmistakable menace. “But Mr. Carr, if this trip doesn’t yield the results I’m after,” Aubree warned, “you should know I’m not someone you want to cross.”
Kurtis chuckled, unfazed.