Get Lost!

Scott turned to see Steve walking toward them, his face annoyed.

When Steve recognized the casually dressed man facing away from him as Scott, his expression immediately changed. His eyes widened, and his pupils dilated.

Steve had been informed by Lombard that Scott was an extremely powerful man.

If he offended Scott or made him uncomfortable, not only would his career as CEO of Dominion Group be over, but his life could be as well.

Steve was about to greet Scott with a deep bow when Scott gave him a slight shake of his head.

Steve understood. For reasons unknown, Scott didn’t want anyone to know the nature of their relationship.

That explained why he was dressed so casually, even though he was at the Dominion Group office.

“Mr. Steve!” Wayne called out, pushing Scott aside and stepping forward to approach Steve.

Steve was a well-known businessman in Mildenbrough. Many people knew him, including job applicants like the bearded man.

Then he added, "It looks like this woman applied for a job but had a rough interview. Her application was likely rejected, and I think that was the right decision. A whore clearly doesn’t deserve to be an employee at Dominion Group or work for you."

Wayne grinned broadly, confident he had said what needed to be said. With this, Steve would surely throw Scott and Luisa out harshly.

However, Steve glared at him in fury.

Who the hell are you? he asked coldly.

“I’m Wayne, Mr. Scott. Wayne Bottlehood. I’m one of the applicants for the project officer position here. My uncle, Oliver Bottlehood, works here as the Marketing Manager,” the bearded man replied.

Steve glanced at Scott and the beautiful woman in a scarf standing beside him. He knew the beautiful woman was Luisa Grandier. The HR Manager who had just interviewed Luisa had sent him a photo of her.

“What did you just call these two, Wayne Bottlehood?” Steve asked, turning his gaze back to Wayne.

Wayne was slightly confused by Steve’s question but answered anyway, “One’s a bum, and the other’s a prostitute.”

Thud!

Suddenly, Steve delivered a hard punch to Wayne’s face. 

Caught completely off guard, Wayne was knocked to the ground, his nose bleeding. His friends behind him were shocked. They wanted to help him up but didn’t dare to move, especially with Steve standing right there.

“How dare you say that! Get lost! Your application is rejected! And your uncle will be fired today as well!” Steve shouted, his eyes bulging with anger.

“And while I’m at it,” he continued, glaring at Wayne before shifting his gaze to his friends, “we’ve decided to hire Luisa as our new project officer. All of you should leave. Take this insolent fool with you!”

Wayne and his friends were stunned. They stared at Luisa in disbelief, then looked back at Steve.

It was hard for them to process this shocking news, but it came directly from the CEO himself.

“Luisa, you start working today. I want you to assist in organizing our tender auction this afternoon. The event begins in an hour, so prepare yourself,” Steve said, his gaze sharp as it landed on Luisa.

Luisa’s eyes widened slightly, her mouth falling open a bit. Her job application was accepted? Is this really happening? But her interview earlier...

She then looked at Scott, finding him smiling and nodding.

"See? I told you they’d hire you. Congrats!" Scott said.

Luisa took a deep breath. The news was so unexpected, she wasn’t ready. She needed time to accept this as reality.

Then, she turned to Steve, bowed respectfully, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Steve, for entrusting me with this. But, to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m ready to handle such an important task on my first day..."

At that moment, she felt a reassuring pat on her shoulder. She turned to see Scott nodding and smiling gently.

“You can do this. Trust in your abilities. Okay?” he said.

As if hypnotized, Luisa nodded. Scott’s smile widened, and Luisa felt something warm grow inside her.

Seeing how Scott supported Luisa, Steve realized just how important she was to him. He knew he had to do whatever it took to make Luisa feel comfortable working at Dominion Group.

He then turned his attention back to Wayne, who was still sitting on the floor, wiping the blood from his nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

“Get out of my sight before I call security to drag you out!” Steve said coldly.

“You too! Get lost! Take this fool with you!” he added, this time addressing Wayne’s friends.

They quickly moved to help Wayne up and hurriedly escorted him out of the building.

Wayne glanced back at Steve with a questioning look, but when Steve returned his gaze, Wayne quickly looked away.

Now, only Scott and Luisa were left standing in front of Steve—the driver had already taken the black limousine to the designated CEO parking spot.

“Scott, I think I need to go to the restroom for a moment,” Luisa said quietly.

“Okay. I’ll wait here,” Scott replied. He could tell that Luisa was nervous about starting her new job in just an hour.

Luisa excused herself and walked away briskly.

As she disappeared down one of the hallways, Steve approached Scott.

“Mr. Scott, there’s something I need to inform you about,” Steve said. Now that they were alone, he felt he had to show proper respect to Scott.

“What is it?” Scott asked.

“About half an hour ago, a representative from the Winterbourne family contacted me, asking me to convey their warm regards to you as the new owner of Dominion Group. They also extended an invitation to host you for lunch today. They wish to have a private conversation with you after the tender auction,” Steve explained.

The Winterbourne family was one of the four most influential families in Mildenbrough. It was common for them to host important people who could potentially become their business partners. Scott knew this but wasn’t interested at all.

“Tell them I don’t have time to meet. You can figure out the wording. I’m sure you know what to say,” Scott replied.

“Understood, sir,” Steve responded.

“Anything else?”

“No, sir. That’s all. I apologize for interrupting your time.”

“No problem.”

At this point, Luisa reappeared, walking toward them.

Steve took his leave, nodding at Scott before focusing on Luisa.

“What were you two just talking about?” Luisa asked, curious.

“Nothing, just some pleasantries,” Scott said, shaking his head.

...

At the prestigious tender auction held on the second floor, about an hour later...

Tables were neatly arranged, filled with people who exuded an air of elegance and sophistication. 

These attendees were all prominent businessmen from Mildenbrough, representing families ranging from the first-tier to the fourth-tier families in the city.

The representatives of the first-tier families sat at the front tables: the Winterbournes, the Beaumonts, the Vanderhelms, the Ravenwoods. 

James and the Grandiers—Lisa, Daniel, Lucas, and Jacob—sat at the tables at the back.

Lisa and James shared a table. Despite the large size of the round table, Lisa sat right next to James, clinging to him. Occasionally, she would deliberately press her chest against his arm, flashing that fake smile of hers.

 

Her father had already reminded her to stay close to James so that he would fulfill his promises to them.

At this point, the door at the back of the room opened, and two people entered—a man and a woman. Lisa and James turned to look at them, and their expressions immediately darkened.

There was no mistaking it; the man was Scott. And the woman, despite her hastily wrapped scarf, was unmistakably Luisa.

‘How on earth is she here? Isn’t she supposed to be at the brothel?’ Lisa thought.

She was just about to say something when James suddenly stood up and walked toward Scott and Luisa, blocking their path. Scott and Luisa stopped in their tracks. Luisa stepped back, hiding behind Scott, looking visibly frightened.

"How dare you just barge in here. You know, Scott, this tender auction is for the elite. Commoners like you aren't welcome here," James said, lifting his chin and glaring at Scott with pure contempt.

Scott merely smirked, raising his eyebrows as if daring James to insult him further. He then said, “Well, that’s the reason why I’m here.”

“Tch! You’re probably here to apply for a janitor position, aren’t you? If that’s the case, head down to the basement. I hear that’s where they process applications for menial jobs like that. A lowly job like that suits you, Scott. Fits right in with that face of yours that reminds me of a toilet!” James sneered.

Scott’s eyes twitched. He stepped forward, stopping just inches from James, leaving only a few centimeters between them.

“You’re the one who should be cleaning toilets, James. Not just your face, but your hands are perfect for the job. How about we head to the restroom now? You clean the toilet, and I’ll record the whole thing on my phone,” Scott said with a mocking smile.

James’ face turned beet red. He snorted like an angry bull and grabbed Scott’s shirt with his right hand.

“Yesterday, you broke my fingers, and today you insult me. Are you ready to face the consequences?” James growled, glaring at Scott.

...