Crisis averted… for now.
Omniscient
Blaine and Shin quickly slipped out of the room and closed the door. Blaine let out a puff of air, but he yelped softly as Calvin was standing in the middle of the hall with a smile on his face.
“Gentlemen, my apologies for not coming to greet you formally. Please follow me into my office,” he said.
Shin walked silently as he dragged Blaine by the arm. They entered his office and saw that Andrew was also there, standing by the window as he looked out of it.
“Is he just for decoration?” Blaine whispered to Shin, but Andrew cut their conversation short as he turned to them.
“Porter, Masahiko. What brings the two of you here?” he asked.
Calvin leaned against his desk as he listened intently as well.
“As you know… Brielle has encouraged all of us to come together and stop this prolonged feud between us all,” Shin began, and Calvin nodded. “We know you have been trying to gain trust with Killian, and we believe that you should consider investing in a small portion of our joint stocks.”
Calvin hummed. “Interesting... the email you sent about this subject yesterday was clear enough as it is, but there was no need for you to go out of your way to say this in person,” he said skeptically.
Blaine butted in. “Well, if you must know, Calvin, Brielle is hosting a family dinner this Friday, and we came to formally invite you as a way to begin building our soon-to-be partnership.” The words became progressively harder to say as he spoke.
“Well, thank you for the invitation, gentlemen. My secretary will contact you later this week for the details. As for our partnership, I hope we can get started as soon as possible,” Calvin said with a smile.
Shin and Blaine bid their goodbyes as they left the room.
Andrew watched as the door closed behind them and spoke.
“I don’t buy it. Something doesn’t seem genuine. Porter hates you, and Masahiko doesn’t have enough of a personality to generate his own opinion, so he hates you too.”
“You’re right. But I’ll give in to their requests and advances for now. There’s a meaning behind all of this, and if, while figuring it out on my own, I can potentially gain limited access to Killian’s company, so be it,” he said.
As if out of nowhere, the door opened, and in walked Eugene.
Calvin chuckled. “Eugene, my boy! Right on time. I hope you have more information ready to be delivered.The last valuable piece of information you gave me was back in April when Archer and Delilah finally made it official...I hope it doesn’t take you going to a different country again to receive the same results.” He spoke knowingly.
Eugene placed the files on Calvin’s desk and huffed. “I’m trying to trace Marissa and her parents, but I can’t. They haven’t been around the city in years, and Michael, Delilah’s father… is also off the grid.”
Calvin shrugged. “Well, it seems as though you’ve got your hands full. Where’s Stephan?” he asked.
Eugene rubbed his temple. “Last night, he was drowning his sorrows at the bar, but…” He paused for a moment, and Calvin narrowed his eyes.
“But what, Newman?” he asked, and Eugene sighed.
“He was with someone… Luca,” Eugene finished.
Calvin looked over his shoulder to Andrew. “We’ll deal with your son later, Crawford… He’s beginning to enjoy being in the midst of this a bit too much.”
Eugene spoke again. “I’m going to be busy Friday night. Brielle is forcing me to attend her family get-together, and I can’t get out of it this time.”
Calvin smiled. “Splendid. So I will see you at dinner as well… this should be interesting.”
“You’re going?” Eugene asked in a rush, and Calvin chuckled.
“Not just me… I would assume an invitation for me would be an indirect invitation for Vivienne and Andrew as well, but don’tworry, Eugene. As long as we keep things happy and friendly… nothing should happen.”
Chapter thirty-seven
Omniscient