CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 5: LIKE A TOAD CRAWLING OVER YOUR FOOT

Silas Sutton seemed gentlemanly and refined, but his words were far from that, provoking imaginative thoughts.

Stella Grant pressed her lips together, her mind flashing a term: Cultured scoundrel.

After speaking, Silas Sutton stretched his long legs, took the paperwork from Stella, glanced through a couple of pages, and teased, "From the current perspective, the drawbacks of this project far outweigh the advantages."

Faced with Silas Sutton’s swift shift to a professional mode, Stella was momentarily dazed, as if she had overthought everything.

When Silas finished speaking and saw the person beside him remain silent, he turned to Stella, "Manager Grant?"

Stella snapped back to reality and quickly adjusted her emotions, "President Sutton, this project wasn’t intended to be a windfall. The initial returns won’t be as high as other projects, but the later revenues will be stable and enduring."

Silas Sutton replied, "What can you guarantee me?"

Stella, neither humble nor arrogant, said, "I’ll prepare a detailed proposal for you, the data will speak for itself."

Words alone have no basis.

Data with factual evidence holds more persuasive power.

Silas chuckled, closing the file in his hand, "I hope Manager Grant won’t disappoint me."

As the two talked, the car arrived at the project site.

Stella got out, and the supervisor on site spotted her and immediately ran over to offer her a safety helmet, "Manager Grant, what brings you here?"

The supervisor at this site was Charles Wright, a long-time acquaintance of Stella.

Stella took the helmet with a smile, "Wright, could you get me two more helmets?"

Charles glanced at Silas Sutton and his driver behind Stella and understood instantly, "Sure, wait a moment."

After saying that, he turned around and jogged away.

Soon after, Charles returned, carrying two additional helmets.

Stella took the helmets from him, turned around, and handed one to Silas Sutton, then one to his driver.

The driver accepted quickly, while Silas lowered his gaze for a second and didn’t take it immediately.

Stella raised her eyes, "Hmm?"

Silas lowered his gaze to meet hers, "I’ve never buckled before. Manager Grant, could you help?"

Stella inhaled, then stepped half a step forward.

Silas stood upright, not bending down at all to accommodate her.

Stella frowned slightly, forced to stand on tiptoe.

Almost the instant Stella tiptoed, Silas simultaneously reached out to steady her waist.

Stella’s body shivered, her eyes full of vigilance as she looked at Silas.

Silas’s expression remained calm and bland, "Thank you."

Stella, nerves taut, "You’re welcome."

After buckling Silas’s chin strap, Stella turned to meet Charles Wright’s incredulous gaze.

Stella smiled, "Wright."

Charles realized his awkwardness, chuckled embarrassedly, exchanged a couple of polite words, and led Stella and the others inside.

This place was planned to be a retirement home, surrounded by mountains and water, with beautiful scenery.

Initially, Omni planned to go it alone, but midway through, there was an issue with the funding chain.

That’s when they were forced to begin external bidding.

The site was littered with sand and bricks, Stella walking alongside Silas, helping him watch his step while explaining the project.

"This location is among the best in Veridia."

"Elderly people often prefer peace and quiet, and this area is far from the bustling downtown, yet equipped with complete living facilities."

"Omni has positioned this project as a mid-to-high-end retirement home, so you needn’t worry about the revenue aspects."

While introducing the project to Silas, the phone in Stella’s pocket suddenly buzzed twice.

Stella paused briefly, didn’t check, and continued her introduction to Silas.

Only after finishing the introduction did she take her phone out to glance at it.

It was two messages on WeChat from Flynn Shepherd.

[Are you okay?]

[Your Mr. Lynch just called me. I told him the guy from last night was me.]

Reading Flynn’s message, Stella felt a wave of nausea in her gut. Fingertip tapping the screen, just as she was about to reply, a playful and teasing voice sounded from behind, "Your boyfriend is quite generous."