Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

Chapter 130 Inquiring

Back in the conference room, I told Zack to head back and wait for good news.

Since Leonard had agreed to help me test Alisa, working with Belgrave Group was practically guaranteed.

"You don't have to stress over it. If this partnership doesn't work out, there will be other opportunities," Zack reassured me, ever the considerate type. I shook my head.

"Don't worry. We'll be working together.".

Only an idiot would pass on working with a company as solid as Belgrave Group.

Alisa ended up staying in Leonard's office for the entire afternoon.

When the workday ended, the two of them left together, sparking another round of gossip in the office.

Our picture-perfect couple image, which had just been restored a few days ago, was already crumbling, and people couldn't help but feel sorry for me.

But honestly, I was more excited than upset. Julia wasn't nearly sharp enough to outplay Leonard, and I had a feeling we'd get useful information soon.

That evening, I dragged Emma and Jill out for dinner, but Emma couldn't help giving me a puzzled look.

"Your cousin is out of her mind. Is she seriously trying to seduce your husband?"

"Leonard had better not be that tasteless," Jill chimed in, patting her chest in relief. "Thank God I dodged

that bullet."

μ

I waved away their concerns. "Relax. I'm the one who told him to test Julia. It's been nearly 20 years since we last saw each other, and something's definitely off with the Green family." Emma, who knew about my mother's journal, stayed quiet, but Jill perked up and became clearly

interested in the situation.

"Uncle Keenan's family? They've got quite a bit of influence in Melgrove. My family's restaurant chain has worked with them before. I had no idea you two were related.

"His family is strong, too. So, why are they suddenly looking to partner with the Harmon family, especially across provinces?"

"And if Alisa wanted to seduce Leonard, why not do it subtly? Why be so obvious about it?" I added, voicing the question that had been bothering me.

Alisa had never been involved in business matters. Her performance in the meeting today made that clear. If the Green family wanted to collaborate, they would've sent a capable team, not someone as clueless as her.

Yet, Alisa's intentions were blatant. It didn't add up unless, they were in a rush to form some sort of alliance. Could they count on me being out of the picture soon so Alisa could swoop in?

As we continued chatting, we came to the conclusion that something must have gone wrong for the Green family. A marriage alliance might be their way of solving the issue.

Jill, always up for a challenge, volunteered to investigate.

"My family's stores in Melgrove are celebrating anniversaries soon. I'll have my staff dig around and see what they can find.

Chapter 130 Inquiring

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"Trust me, my employees are experts at gathering intel. If we were in ancient times, they'd be the best informants around," she boasted with a wink.

I felt a bit awkward accepting her help, knowing I already owed her so much. Back in college, we hadn't exactly been close friends, but now she was going out of her way to support me, and I wasn't sure how I could ever repay her. "How about I buy your employees presents? It wouldn't feel right to have them work for free," I suggested.

Jill gave me an unimpressed look. "They already get paid by me. Why don't you buy me that present?"

Seeing the confusion on my face, she added, "Or maybe you don't want to owe me any favors?"

I nodded honestly. "Yeah, I'm starting to feel like I can't keep up with all the favors I owe you."

Jill rolled her eyes, pulled out her phone, and sent me a message. "Julian's developing a new drug and needs patients like you to help gather data. Why don't you go in for some trials? It's already passed foreign trials, so it's safe.

"Just visit the hospital more often, contribute some data to my family's research, and we'll call it even. And who knows, maybe this new treatment will cure cancer. I'll have saved the world!"

I let out a long breath, smiling. "So, you help me with some information, and all the credit goes to you for saving the world?"