Chapter 290
Chapter 290
Eliana glanced at the office door in front of her and asked cautiously, “Mr. Jenson, who’s in there? Shouldn’t we knock and annexande
ourselves first?”
“You’ll find out once you go in,” Ryan said with a wink. “Trust me. I wouldn’t throw you under the bus.”
“All right. Thank you for bringing us here,” Eliana said after weighing it over. She turned, knocked on the door, and waited.
A voice from inside called, “Come in.” Eliana took a deep breath and twisted the handle.
The moment she stepped in, the man at the desk paused with his pen mid–stroke and looked up. “Mr. Jean?” she blurted out in shock,
Outside, Ryan blocked Mark and Donna with one arm and quietly closed the door with the other. “You two don’t need to go in,” he said.
Mark leaned toward Donna and whispered, “Donna, that’s the mayor, Mr. Jean, in there! Do you think Ellie can handle this?”
Donna was just as doubtful.
But Ryan only chuckled. “If she wants to, she’ll handle it just fine.”
In truth, he was more worried that Franco would fail to win Eliana over. She had absolutely no interest in using connections for personal gain. Otherwise, she would have played that card long ago.
Meanwhile…
“Ellie? What are you doing here?” Franco rose from his seat, genuine surprise lighting up his features.
“Uh… Mr. Jean…” Eliana hadn’t expected Ryan’s so–called “person in charge” to be Franco himself. This was the last thing she had imagined.
“Come, have a seat,” Franco said warmly, motioning her toward the sofa.
She had no choice but to sit with him, though she kept in mind how busy he must be. “Mr. Jean, I’m sorry to drop in on you like this. I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Take your time, Ellie. There’s no rush.” Seeing how hurried she sounded, Franco added gently, “Would you like sparkling water, coffee, or something else?”
“Just water, please,” she said quickly, not wanting to ask for more.
Franco personally poured her a glass and then asked, “How did you get in? And why didn’t you call me first?”
“Ryan brought me in,” she explained. Then, realizing Franco might not immediately place the name, she added, “Ms. Jenson’s son. You know him, right?”
“Oh, of course I know him.” He laughed inwardly, ‘He’s my own son. How could I not?‘
“Ms. Jenson was introduced to Starlight Media through you,” Eliana continued. “She wants to rent the government hall for the charity auction in two weeks. Would that be possible?”
“She’s set her sights on the government hall?” Franco asked.
“She’s worried about security since the auction involves rare collectibles. That’s why she…”
Franco shook his head. “But the government hall isn’t open for outside use.”
22:06 Frl B’AUT CO. ©
Chapter 200
“Not even with your relationship with Ms. Jenson?”
“If it were that easy, Ellie, she wouldn’t have needed to come to you, would she?”
“Then she came to me because you mentioned wanting to make me your goddaughter, so she’s using me, isn’t she?” Eliana,completely unaware that she was stepping right into the trap, asked what she believed was the truth.
Franco arched a brow ever so slightly and then said smoothly, “Ellie, this world runs on connections. If you were my goddaughter, I’d have the standing to intervene in this matter, and no one would dare question it.”
Just then, Eliana’s phone rang. She shot Franco an apologetic look before answering, “Hello, Ms. Jenson.”
“Mrs. Russell,” Beverly said, “how’s the task I gave you coming along?”
“I’m discussing it with Mr. Jean right now,” Eliana replied.
“Then please move quickly. I’ve already paid a substantial deposit, and I won’t accept failure.”
Eliana could hear the unspoken warning in Beverly’s tone. ‘She’s determined to get the government hall, and if I disappoint her, she’ll make sure the company pays the price.‘
“I understand, Ms. Jenson. Go
When she hung up, Franco asked at the perfect moment, “What did she say?”
Eliana let out a sitent sigh. “She wants me to hurry.”
Franco smiled with interest. “And what
you do?”
Eliana swallowed and asked, “What you said earlier… was it true?”
“Of course it was true,” Franco replied easily. “I’m the mayor. Why would I lie to you?”
In truth, becoming Franco’s goddaughter wasn’t such a bad thing, and Theodore had never tried to stop her either.
‘All right. For the company’s sake, I’ll do it,‘ she thought.
Eliana mustered up her courage and whispered, barely audible, “Godfather.”
Franco had been waiting so many days for this that he felt a rush of emotion.
Perhaps at first, he had been motivated mostly by the thought of building a closer tie with Theodore. But now, his feelings had genuinely
shifted.
“You must be very close to your father, Ellie,” he said softly. “That’s why you’re so hesitant to let anyone else be like a father to you.”
That was not true.
If anything, the lack of fatherly affection from Hudson was what made it feel so unnatural. She worried she might mishandl daughter” relationship with Franco.
ew “father-
“All right,” Franco said. “I’ll take care of the government hall. I promise the charity auction will be held there in two weeks, safely and without
a hitch.”
Eliana’s eyes lit up, and she could not hide her relief. “Thank you
I so much!”
Chapter 290
When Eliana stepped out of Franco’s office, Mark and Donna were ready to bombard her with questions. But they froze when a digner looking man followed right behind her, and neither dared say a word.
Eliana turned back and said politely, “Mr. Jean, there’s no need to see us off
Noticing Ryan nearby, Franco said, “All right, I’ll have Ryan see you out.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Jean,” Eliana said.
Franco gave her a mildly reproachful look. “Still calling me Mr. Jean?”
Under so many watchful eyes, Eliana’s face warmed as she corrected herself. “Goodbye… Godfather.”
Mark and Donna’s jaws nearly hit the floor. Ryan, on the other hand, looked smug, as if everything had gone according to plan.
While waiting for the elevator, Mark and Donna stared at Eliana in awe. “Ellie, did we just hear that right? What did you call Mr. Jean?”
Eliana flushed with embarrassment. “Please don’t ask, okay?”
“Weren’t you in there to discuss business? How did you come out with a godfather?”
“If I’d known, I would’ve gone in instead!” Mark muttered, imagining that if it had been him, he might have walked out as the mayor’s godson.
Donna shot him a glare. “Oh, shut up.”
As Donna helped Eliana into the elevator, Eliana said quietly, “Actually, I knew Mr. Jean from before.”
After a beat, she added, “Mark, Donna, I hope you won’t let this get around at the company, all right?”
“Ellie,” Donna said, “if Mr. Jean was willing to have you call him godfather in front of us, it’s clear he’s not worried about anyone finding out.”
“Exactly,” Mark added.
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