“Could you please make an exception and let me in?” Teresa pleaded, tilting her head. His gaze drifted from Teresa’s delicate, beautiful face down to her rounded belly.
He smirked. “No matter who you’re here to see, I can’t let you in without an invitation. The party ends at midnight. You can wait.”
Teresa glanced at the time. There were still thirty minutes left until midnight. She nodded, choosing not to make things harder for the staff.
Outside, the parking lot was packed with luxury cars. Teresa’s eyes landed on a familiar Rolls-Royce Cullinan; the license plate was Jonathan’s, a big plate. Only cars with Jarisberg plates could get into the city, just like this one.
Teresa resigned herself to reality. She thought, "Yeah, if Jonathan wants to destroy me, it’ll be as easy as squashing an ant."
She was just so tired, worn out from running around all day, not even sure what she was doing anymore. If she’d known he’d come after her like this, she never would’ve pissed him off in the first place.
Sitting alone on the steps, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She looked up at the sky. The moon tonight was only half full.
Time dragged on endlessly. Finally, midnight rolled around, and people started trickling out. Teresa saw lots of gorgeous women with men holding them close. But she didn’t see Jonathan. She stood up and glanced around, afraid she might miss him.
She thought, “Maybe Jonathan is among those guys with women in their arms?” She kept looking for a long while, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Mr. Lynn!” By the elevator, a few big shots stopped Jonathan. One of them held onto Jonathan’s hand and said, “I’ve booked a restaurant at Joy Feast tomorrow. Let’s sit down and talk more about the project.”
“Mr. Powell, I’m not really a fan of the food there. Maybe another time. I’ve got something on tomorrow,” Jonathan replied.
“Hold on, Mr. Lynn-” Kevin Powell was about to say more, but the man next to him pulled him back and let Jonathan go on his way.
“Come on, it’s obvious he’s not interested in collaborating with us. Let’s just wait for another chance,” the man said.
Kevin shook his fingers and said, “Jonathan only talked to two companies tonight. Can you believe that? Out of more than two hundred companies, only two got his attention."
“He might look young, but he’s actually super demanding. He gives you that fake smile, but you can tell he doesn’t mean it. He’s tough to talk to.”
Jonathan took the elevator down, ready to leave. As he walked down the steps and reached for his car keys, his attention was instantly and completely captured by a woman sitting off to the side.
Teresa slowly stood up. She stared at Jonathan without blinking.
Jonathan took a deep breath and walked toward her. Though his heart was in turmoil, he kept his expression calm and unruffled. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
Teresa didn’t say a word. She just glared at the man standing before her, who radiated power and confidence. Her eyes were burning with accusation and stubborn refusal to back down. But in the end, she had no choice but to admit defeat.
She said, “You win. I apologize. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you. Please, just let my company go. We’re just a small business trying to survive, and there are hundreds of employees waiting on their paychecks.”
Jonathan frowned tightly and asked, “What happened to your company?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. My company’s been wrecked. Every partner pulled out overnight. Don’t even try to say this has nothing to do with you!”
Chapter 34
Jonathan raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Why would I waste my time meeting with your company…"