Chapter 148

Taking a leave? Is she trying to distance herself from him and leave the Kingdom Estates?

Lawrence couldn't understand what was going on with this woman. It had been long enough since Darcy was angry, but now she was still giving him the cold shoulder and growing distant?

Since she refused to bow down, it seemed that he would have to find a way to bring her back.

Head, he had had enough of these cold war days, and he decided to give in!

"This bidding is very important. Perugia City is a tourist city, and I must get half of the city's land. You will be my secretary for this bidding and accompany me on a business trip to Perugia City in three days!"

After Lawrence finished speaking, no one dared to speak below.

His sharp gaze also froze Winnie. Did he want her to accompany him to the bidding? That would be falling into her uncle's trap.

Winnie's face turned pale, and she was about to refuse when Bryan glanced at her discreetly. The CEO was furious, and it wouldn't be good to reject him in public.

Winnie realized that everyone was watching, so she pursed her lips.

"Let's adjourn! Let's focus on our respective tasks."

Lawrence lowered his head, and the men began handling documents, not giving anyone a chance to speak.

Winnie's words caught in her throat as she could only accompany the others and exit the room, feeling complicated.

Bryan caught up with her a few steps later and handed her all the detailed information about the hotel group project. Softening his voice, he advised, "Mrs. Rodriguez, the CEO is afraid that you won't come back if you take a leave, so he's using a big project to keep you tied here. He hopes you understand his concern and do well in this bidding."

What Bryan didn't say was that Mr. Rodriguez and Mrs. Rodriguez had been cold war opponents for a while now, and he had thought of ways to solve it. But this time, Mrs. Rodriguez seemed unwilling to turn back because of Darcy.

Mr. Rodriguez may have thought that this opportunity to go on a business trip together could help ease their relationship.

Winnie remained silent, looking at the billion-dollar project in her mind, and she sighed silently.

If she decided to leave him, leave the Kingdom Estates, this might be her last job, and he insisted on giving it to her.

Then she would do it well for him, but she would never agree to go together for the bidding. He didn't understand her concerns.

Once the bidding proposal was ready, she would find a reason not to go.

For the next two days, Winnie stayed in the Vice President's office, organizing the bidding materials with Milly.

Lawrence had been preparing for the five-star hotel project for a year, with financing alone exceeding billions of dollars. This kind of massive project would have an impact on the foundation of the Kingdom Estates and could only succeed, not fail.

The bidding location was in Perugia City, occupying half of the city's massive land, and all the necessary connections had been established.

Now, it only needed Mr. Lancelot, the decision-maker of Perugia City, to agree for it to be approved.

Mr. Lancelot was a well-known figure in the political world and was over eighty years old.

Winnie frowned. Having spent time in Triton, she tended to consider things very thoroughly.

She specifically researched Mr. Lancelot's health.

The hard-won information showed that Mr. Lancelot had recently undergone brain surgery and couldn't sit at the negotiation table for long periods, especially at late hours. He should avoid getting angry.

Winnie also found out that there were six companies participating in this important bidding.

Regarding the decision-making process, Mr. Lancelot will meet each candidate one by one, with a total of six meetings in a day. There will definitely be someone who stays until the evening. If Lawrence is scheduled towards the end, it is crucial to avoid late-night discussions. Mr. Lancelot can be dangerous, and if anything happens to him, it will affect Lawrence in every way possible.

Winnie created a set of guidelines containing instructions on how to choose an appropriate time to negotiate with Mr. Lancelot, which she placed in the document's front page.

Upon Lawrence's arrival, they would open it and know exactly how to secure the land successfully.

On the day of the bidding, Winnie left Olivia's apartment with the confidential document and personally delivered it to the Kingdom Estates.

She planned to find an excuse to avoid traveling.

However, her uncle's call suddenly came in. It was his assistant's voice, sounding quite anxious.

"Miss Anderson, Mr. Granger's situation is not good. He is experiencing severe leg pain and muscle spasms. I want to take him to the hospital, but he resists and is extremely agitated. He says you can help. He asked me to find you."

Winnie's face changed, as she had indeed provided her uncle with Dry Needling treatment, which had alleviated his pain to a great extent.

She checked the time, fortunately, it was still morning. Lawrence would only leave at three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Just keep him calm. I will come right away," Winnie said, hung up the phone, and immediately instructed the driver, "Change the route to North County Apartments."

When she knocked on her uncle's door, Winnie discovered a messy room. Her uncle must have been in so much pain that he had knocked many things over.

The assistant approached and sighed, "Every time he experiences phantom limb pain from his foreign trips, it's like this."

Winnie's eyes became slightly moist as she looked at her pale-faced uncle, understanding how much pain he had to endure.

She quickly took out the Dry Needling tool from her bag, closed the zipper, and went to the bedside with her bag, comforting her uncle, "Please lie down first, calm down, and I'll begin after applying the ice pack."

The assistant glanced at her bag and said, "Miss Anderson, please put down your bag to facilitate the Dry Needling."

"That's fine, no worries," Winnie replied, careful not to disturb the contents of her bag, which contained the bidding document.

Elliott also glanced at her bag, then his gaze slowly shifted to her face as he earnestly asked, "How is the hotel project proceeding?"

Winnie faltered in her actions, lips tightening as she fabricated a lie, "I'm sorry, Uncle. Lawrence didn't allow me to pursue the hotel project, and I wasn't able to secure it."

Elliott's gaze dropped, and he suddenly appeared cold. He felt deeply disappointed and lowered his eyes. Seeing that he didn't press further on the matter, Winnie sighed with slight relief.

After finishing the ice treatment, she immediately began locating the positions on his body. She applied the Dry Needling technique, along with other treatments and supportive massages.

Her uncle experienced intense pain this time, and it took a while before he felt any relief.

Winnie, being pregnant, became a bit flustered and tired. The assistant went to buy medication, leaving the room quiet as her uncle peacefully drifted into sleep.

Winnie leaned back in the chair, unknowingly closing her tired eyes.

She was awakened by a sudden phone call.

Looking up, she realized it was already two o'clock in the afternoon, just the time when Lawrence was supposed to depart!

When Winnie saw the incoming call from Bryan, her expression changed, and she quickly stood up to answer it outside the apartment.

"Mrs. Rodriguez, why haven't you come to the company? The bidding documents are still with you, and we need to leave soon," Bryan's tone was urgent.

Winnie glanced back at the room and found a convenient reason, "My uncle is sick, and I can't leave. Please apologize to him for me and tell him I can't accompany him. Besides, Mr. Lancelot is quite traditional and values the qualities of the younger generation. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to bring a female secretary or a female Vice President. He will understand."

Winnie and Bryan arranged a meeting point and hurriedly took a taxi there. Bryan had just parked his car when Winnie opened her bag and handed him the bidding document with a white cover.

Bryan sighed, "The CEO was furious about you not going. He didn't have time to catch you before the meeting. He's determined to secure this piece of land, and Mr. Lancelot also sees his potential. But with the bid proposal you prepared, there's no doubt it will go smoothly. Just wait for the CEO to come back and make peace with him, Mrs. Rodriguez."

Winnie's eyes welled up with emotion.

As she watched Bryan's car drive away, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. With her not attending such a significant project, her uncle should not be able to interfere.

Winnie hadn't heard of her uncle having any connections back, but the man who handed her the contract that day... She concentrated, trying to recall who he was. Was he really the person who started the company with her uncle?

The phone rang again.