Chapter 20
“Come on, we’re here for your business,” she said, pulling her thoughts back.
“Right, right-we’ve got to find Mitch,” Clarice nodded quickly. “If I miss this chance, who knows when I’ll get anoth- er.”
The riding club was massive. They walked another fifteen minutes before finally spotting Mitch.
At the moment, he was surrounded by a small group of people. One of them was Stephan Riggs, who had previously partnered with Clarice’s company. She had actually learned about Mitch being here through him.
Just as the two were about to approach, Clayton appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Aline’s arm.
“You seriously followed me here? What exactly are you trying to pull?” he demanded.
“I didn’t follow you,” Aline said coolly, yanking her arm free.
“You show up here, of all places, and that’s not following?” he scoffed. “I’m here on serious business.”
Joyce had told him Mitch would be at the club, and word in the investment world was that Mitch was eyeing the drone tech sector. Coincidentally, his company’s latest project was in that exact space, so he was hoping to make a
connection.
“Well, I’m here on business too,” Aline replied, not backing down.
“You? What kind of business could you possibly have here?” he asked, clearly not believing a word.
Joyce walked up just then. “Clayton, don’t waste time-we should go meet Mr. Fuentes.”
“Alright,” he said, then shot a warning glance at Aline. “This is an important opportunity for me. Don’t cause trouble.”
Joyce slipped her arm through his as they passed by. Her tone was smug. “A capable woman helps a man get ahead. A jealous woman just makes herself look ugly.”
Then she turned sweetly to Clayton. “I’ll have my uncle introduce you to Mr. Fuentes.”
Joyce was the heiress of the Dunn Group, and her uncle, Randal Dunn, had ties with the Fuentes family. At that mo- ment, he was standing nearby, chatting with Mitch.
As they approached, Randal made the introduction with a smile. “Mr. Fuentes, this is my niece, Joyce-Skyreach Corp’ first female captain. And this is Clayton, CEO of Hill Group.”
“Hello, Mr. Fuentes,” Joyce said graciously. “We actually met once at a restaurant. Professor Olson was there, too.”
Mitch barely glanced at her. His tone was indifferent. “Don’t remember.”
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Chapter 20
Joyce’s smile faltered as she was met with indifference. Embarrassment flashed across her face.
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Clayton quickly jumped in to smooth things over. “Mr. Fuentes’s a busy man-of course he can’t remember every en- counter. But I do recall that day at the restaurant. The way you stayed calm in the face of an armed attacker and fought back without hesitation-it left a strong impression on me.”
He was laying it on thick, hoping to flatter Mitch, but Mitch barely reacted, offering only a perfunctory nod.
Just then, Aline and Clarice walked over.
The moment Clayton saw Aline approaching, his expression darkened.
“Mr. Fuentes, it’s a pleasure,” Clarice said with confidence. “I’m Clarice from Wonder Tech. We specialize in drone technology and have built a solid reputation in the field. If you’re considering investing in this space, we’d love the opportunity to talk.”
With someone like Mitch, directness worked better than playing polite games.
But Mitch’s gaze shifted past Clarice and landed on Aline.
“Ms. Moore. We meet again,” he said, eyes steady.
Aline gave a tight smile. “Yes, we do.”
“And what brings you here today?” he asked, raising an eyebrow with mild curiosity.
“I work at Wonder Tech,” she replied. “I’m here to support Ms. Nunez.”
Clarice lit up. That answer meant Aline had officially agreed to join her company.
“Exactly!” Clarice jumped in quickly. “Aline is a specialist in drone systems and will be leading some of our most im- portant technical projects moving forward.”
Clayton immediately scowled. “Aline, don’t make a fool of yourself. Do you even know where you are?”
