Chapter 276
The soft glow from Dorothea’s laptop lit up the room, casting cool shadows as endless lines of data scrolled across the screen.
“Don’t mess around, I’m seriously busy right now p>
Latham grinned. “Want some help p>
“No. Go back to bed.” Dorothea stood, gently nudged him out of the study, and locked the door behind him.
Latham just stood outside, looking defeated.
Dorothea went back to sorting through the company’s strengths and the past three years’ financial reports. She’d already had promising conversations with two other candidates, but neither could offer the financial support she needed.
She wasn’t ready to give up yet. She and Albert had ended ages ago, so Bonita really shouldn’t have any reason to hold it against her. And if Bonita was a lost cause, maybe her brother Manley could help. Manley had a solid reputation in the industry. Maybe he’d be more reasonable than Bonita.
The next day, Dorothea met with Manley.
The meeting went better than she’d hoped. Manley seemed genuinely interested in The Gresham.
“Dorothea, I’ll talk to Bonita. You can connect with her later about the contract p>
“Thank you. Really p>
After a quick handshake, Dorothea stepped into the elevator.
From a distance, Bonita spotted her and hurried over to Manley. “Manley, was that Dorothea you just met p>
Manley looked calm. “Yeah, it was. Is there an issue p>
“The Gresham has a lot of potential. Plus, you know Dorothea is the head of the Stephens family now. Working with them benefits us. You’ll be handling the follow- up with her p>
“I don’t want to,” Bonita said under her breath.
Manley frowned. “This is about Albert, isn’t it p>
“Bonita, don’t let personal stuff get in the way. You’re only engaged to Albert. Sure, we’ll be working closely with the Clark Group in the future, but there’s no need to make enemies with the Stephens family p>
“In business, the last thing you want is to create unnecessary rivals. More friends, more options. Besides, we’re not even working directly with the Stephens Group p>
“That’s not it,” Bonita shot back, her tone sharp.
But deep down, she knew that when Manley made up his mind, there was no changing it.
“Fine, I get it p>
Manley finally smiled. “Good. I knew
you’d see the bigger picture. You’ve worked hard lately. Once this is wrapped up take
incolate time off.
Didn’t you mention wanting to see an exhibition in France p>
Bonita forced a small smile and went back to her office.
Her secretary came over. “Bonita, Dorothea asked to meet tomorrow p>
“I’m busy p>
Bonita paused, thinking, then added, “Tell her I’m not available during the day. If she wants to meet, she can wait for me at the auction house tomorrow night p>
“Got it, Bonita p>
Dorothea wasn’t surprised when she got the reply. Bonita was clearly trying to make a point, but that was fine. If she needed to vent so be The company’s interests always came first.
Waiting a few hours was no big deal.
Mamie hesitated. “I can go with you tonight p>
“No, it’s fine. Go home. Your dad just got out of the hospital. Spend some time with him p>
Mamie’s eyes dimmed. Adonis had asked her to come home for dinner. She really didn’t want to go, and instinctively wanted to avoid it, but she couldn’t say no.
“Okay. Call me if you need anything. Bring your assistant with you p>
“I will p>