In the private lounge of the country club, Lawrence shifted restlessly in his seat. He couldn’t seem to get comfortable.
"Dear, you don’t have to bother with this," Jasmine, seated beside him, said with a shake of her head. "You are Lawrence Young. It’s not like you’re eting with the Lancasters or the Summit Partners."
"My dear, I heard from my broker that the person who bought these lands is an influential person," he leaned closer, whispering. "Impression is very important, especially in this situation."
Jasmine pondered. "You’re right, dear. How do I look?"
"Stunning as always, my love." He smiled as she mildly slapped his shoulder.
"Goodness, you."
"Anyway, they should be here any mont," Lawrence said, checking his wristwatch. "Rember, we’ll impress them—him or her."
Jasmine nodded in understanding, fixing the curls of her hair with her palm. Even though they were the buyers, Lawrence had heard good things about the current owner. He hadn’t gotten much information, but he knew that the most influential people preferred privacy.
The wait wasn’t long. Soon, a knock ca on the door. The couple turned their heads as a male staff mber opened it. When the staff stepped aside, he revealed a man and a woman in formal business attire.
"Ahem!" Lawrence cleared his throat while Jasmine smiled beautifully.
The couple rose to their feet, watching as the young pair entered. Lawrence stepped forward and offered his hand.
"It’s good to finally et you..." He trailed off. "Mister..."
"Bennet." Atlas grabbed Lawrence’s hand and squeezed it firmly. "Atlas Bennet."
Atlas Bennet?
Lawrence’s brows furrowed, the na sounding familiar. He stared at Atlas’s stoic face before his breath hitched.
"Atlas Bennet—" he stuttered, then cleared his throat. "Atlas Bennet from Global Pri Logistics and Pierson Corporation in Anteca?"
Jasmine’s surprise was evident as she glanced at her husband. Seeing the mix of awe and excitent on Lawrence’s face, she knew this person was very important.
Atlas smiled in satisfaction. "I’m pleased to et you, Mister Young."
"Of course, I an, no, it’s my pleasure!" Lawrence shook Atlas’s hand more excitedly. "I didn’t expect to et the legendary Mister Atlas Bennet today."
"You flatter . I am no legend, and it’s been a while since I stepped down as the CEO of Global Pri Logistics and COO of Pierson Corporation." Atlas withdrew his hand, maintaining a short smile.
As for Lola, she stood motionless beside him and studied him. Unlike his usual distant and emotionless deanor, seeing him talk like this was impressive. But then again, this man, whether he liked it or not, needed to learn the skills of flattery and socialization.
Amid her thoughts, she felt his hand on her waist before he pulled her to his side. Caught off guard, Lola instinctively placed a hand on his chest.
"And this is my wife," Atlas introduced, giving her a charming look. "She’s the one who suggested I sell the properties when she saw one of your emails. Isn’t that right... wife?"
Her stiff smile stretched. She tried to pull her waist away, but he didn’t budge.
"Yes," she said, facing Lawrence and Jasmine and extending her hand. "I’m pleased to et you, Mister Young."
Lawrence politely took her hand and nodded. "No, the honor is ours, Mrs. Bennet." His smile stretched, and he quickly let go of her hand, reaching for his wife. "And this is my wife, Jasmine."
"Hello, Mrs. Bennet," Jasmine quickly grabbed Lola’s hand with both of hers, smiling beautifully. "Such a beautiful lady. Thank you for helping us buy back the land."
Lola maintained her smile, studying Jasmine and Lawrence. Both were standing before soone they knew, but the treatnt was entirely different. She felt like laughing—Lawrence couldn’t even recognize his own daughter. And Jasmine was so warmly holding her hand when she used to just stare at Lola with disdain, never even letting her close.
"Of course," Lola swallowed the rising tension in her throat. "Mr. Young’s letter really moved , after all."
Satisfaction quickly dominated Jasmine and Lawrence’s faces, while Atlas’s smile faded. He just stared at the couple, obviously not pleased.
"Why don’t we take a seat?" Lawrence clapped, his tone light. "This is going to be a long discussion, so shall we? I’ll also call my lawyers, who were waiting in the other room."
The four of them sat down around a small table. On one sofa sat Jasmine and a now-humble Lawrence. Across from them were the young couple, Lola and Atlas.
As they did, more people ca in to check the legal papers. While Lawrence’s team reviewed the docunts, he couldn’t help but look at the couple. Atlas and Lola were quiet, going through the docunts separately, both looking highly aware of what they were reading.
There’s no doubt about it, he thought, nodding to himself. This man is Atlas Bennet. How did I beco so lucky? All this ti, I was so angry that the current owner of Loren’s properties was asking such a ridiculous price.
Good thing I didn’t scold him outright or complain, he thought. His broker was right—this was soone not to be trifled with.
"These are all good," Atlas broke the silence, handing the docunts to the lawyer beside him, who placed them in front of Lawrence. "Read them carefully before signing. Our lawyers highlighted the clauses you might want to go through with your legal team."
"Thank you, of course." Lawrence quickly reached for the docunt, while Jasmine turned to Lola.
"Mrs. Bennet, is your bag from the latest MC spring collection?"
Lola’s brows rose slightly. "Yes."
"No wonder," Jasmine clasped her hands together. "I heard how limited this collection was—only five of each item in the world. As expected from Mister Atlas Bennet’s wife!"
"Oh. I didn’t know that." Lola glanced at her bag. "It was given to , after all."
Jasmine’s eyes widened for a mont. "Just given to you?"
"Mhm. From a friend."
Jasmine was speechless. That bag cost more than a few of her most expensive items combined, but to this woman, it was just a gift from a friend. As expected, the top of the food chain had a different caliber. Giving high-end gifts like that was nothing!
"You see, our daughter is probably around the sa age as you," Jasmine continued the conversation. "If you’re going to stay longer in Novera, I’d love to show you around and introduce you to my daughter."
"Which one?" Lola tilted her head. "Didn’t you have two daughters? I heard about them."
Jasmine’s smile stiffened while Lawrence froze. Both of them looked at the young woman, thinking that Lola’s horrible reputation had even reached her.
"Uhm." Lawrence cleared his throat, then sighed heavily. "Well, we do have two, but the first one ran away a long ti ago with soone from a lower background. Although my wife and I are doing our best to help her, she’s quite rebellious."
A somber look dominated his face as he added, "To be honest, I wasn’t the one who sold these properties... but she sold them without my knowledge. That’s why I am trying to buy them all back; these properties were very important to ."
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