The possibility of collaboration had likely been discarded long ago.
At this point, he simply could not be bothered to entertain them any further.
"Are you done?" Gideon asked, turning his attention to Ashley.
Ashley nodded.
Without a word, Ashley picked up a napkin and gently wiped the corner of her mouth, earning a faint look of resignation from Gideon.
"Alright, let’s leave." The mont Gideon rose from his seat and extended a hand to help Ashley up, another figure moved even faster.
Gage was already on his feet.
Stepping between them, he firmly took Ashley’s arm and carefully assisted her to stand, all while shooting Gideon a hostile glare. There was no way he was going to continue allowing this man to take advantage of every opportunity to get close to his newly found sister.
The corners of Gideon’s lips twitched slightly.
For perhaps the dozen tis that day, he felt sowhat helpless.
Still, he chose not to argue. He rely watched as Gage helped Ashley to her feet, his expression calm despite the obvious obstruction.
Ashley, on the other hand, felt equally helpless.
Between her overprotective brother and Gideon, she was beginning to feel as though they viewed her as so fragile invalid incapable of taking care of herself. At least she understood Gage’s behavior. Having only recently found his sister, it was natural for him to want to spoil her and make up for the years they had lost.
As for Gideon...
She had absolutely no idea what his excuse was.
Rather than wasting energy trying to figure him out, Ashley pushed the thought aside and returned her focus to the matter that truly concerned her.
Business.
Her opinion of the three businessn before them had already sunk to rock bottom. The failed eting had effectively brought them back to square one, forcing them to search for a new distributor and business partner from scratch.
However, the encounter had also confird her earlier suspicions regarding the current state of Maple Leaf City’s business circle.
The problem was not limited to these three n alone.
They were rely symptoms of a much larger issue.
If even the most influential businessn in the city behaved this way, there was a high probability that many of the others would share similar mindsets and ambitions. Greed, short-sightedness, and a desire to seize imdiate benefits seed to have beco the norm.
More importantly, the three n seated before them were not ordinary businessn. They stood at the top of the local food chain, possessing extensive networks, influence, and resources that surpassed most of their competitors.
Since collaboration with them was no longer an option, finding alternative partners would beco significantly more difficult.
And Ashley had little doubt that today’s events would not simply end here.
n like these were not the type to quietly accept rejection.
If she had to guess, they would likely use their influence behind the scenes to interfere with or even sabotage any future partnerships Gideon’s company attempted to establish.
The road ahead had just beco far more troubleso than she had anticipated.
"Tsk."
Ashley couldn’t help clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"Are you worried?"
The deep voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.
Without her noticing, Gideon had already closed the distance between them. While Gage was busy pushing back her chair after she stood up, Gideon had effortlessly taken advantage of the brief distraction to move closer.
Far too close.
As he leaned down to whisper, his warm breath brushed lightly against the shell of her ear.
Ashley’s body instantly stiffened.
A strange shiver ran down her spine, causing her eyelashes to flutter uncontrollably. The sensation spread through her body like ripples across still water, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Yet despite the unexpected intimacy, she felt no urge to pull away.
Quite the opposite.
His proximity left her feeling strangely lightheaded, her heart beating faster than it should. A dangerous sense of exhilaration stirred within her chest, making her acutely aware of every inch separating them.
The scent that lingered around him, the warmth of his body, and the low timbre of his voice seed to weave together into an invisible net that quietly ensnared her senses.
Unconsciously, she bit her lower lip.
The subtle movent lasted only a mont, but it did not escape Gideon’s notice.
His sharp eyes imdiately caught it.
A trace of satisfaction flickered across his gaze, and the corners of his lips curved upward ever so slightly.
Slowly, he straightened and put a little distance between them once more. He knew very well that if Gage turned around and caught him leaning so closely toward Ashley, he would be rewarded with another hostile glare.
Still, Gideon didn’t mind.
The brief retreat did nothing to diminish his good mood.
After all, he had seen her reaction clearly.
Just as her presence affected him in ways he had never expected, he was pleased to discover that she was not entirely immune to him either.
"Mr. Walker, what do you an by this?! Are you seriously going to leave us hanging like this?!" The businessman in the middle shot to his feet. His chair scraped loudly across the floor before crashing backward with a heavy thud.
The outburst caught everyone off guard.
The two businessn beside him were equally stunned. Ashley, Gage, and Gideon had risen so naturally that it took them a mont to realize what was happening.
They were leaving.
Not stepping out temporarily.
Not taking a break.
Leaving.
The three n’s expressions imdiately darkened.
Even if Gideon had no intention of cooperating, they had expected him to at least reject them formally. Instead, he had finished his al and stood up to leave as though the eting had been nothing more than lunch.
It was humiliating.
The businessman in the middle naturally felt slighted.
Unfortunately, he had forgotten who Gideon Augustus Walker was.
Did Gideon need to explain his decisions to anyone?
No.
The mont they tried to pressure him and subtly threaten him with their influence, Gideon had already made up his mind. There were plenty of opportunities and plenty of people willing to work with him. If one option beca troubleso, he would simply choose another or create an opportunity for himself.
To him, the negotiation had ended long ago.
Everything afterward had rely been lunch.
That was why he had not brought up business again. Continuing the discussion would only waste his ti, and the three businessn had already been crossed off his list.
Yet they clearly had no intention of letting the matter end there.
If they could not understand his actions, they were determined to make him say it outright.
"Have I not made myself clear enough?" The warmth and gentleness that Gideon had shown Ashley monts ago vanished without a trace.
In its place erged the man who had built his reputation through power, influence, and an uncompromising will.
A suffocating pressure descended upon the room.
His voice was neither loud nor angry, yet the three businessn felt their hearts tighten. The sharpness in his eyes alone was enough to make the atmosphere several degrees colder.
"B-But..."
The businessman who had remained silent throughout most of the eting finally opened his mouth. However, the mont his eyes t Gideon’s piercing gaze, the words lodged themselves in his throat. His courage crumbled instantly, forcing him to lower his head and remain silent.
User Comments
0 comments from readers