Chapter 472

There he was, Bentley, standing right outside her office door.

Melanie and her assistant were in the midst of attending to him.

Bentley, a wealthy Jenkins family scion, had a refined, elegant look, but Winnie could see something piercing in his eyes that suggested a darker side to him.

At the moment, his gaze seemed to linger on Melanie, a soft smile playing on his lips, though he spoke little.

Winnie wasn't surprised-after all, they weren't well-acquainted. Yet Melanie's cool and alluring beauty was certainly caught his attention.

"Mr. Jenkins, are you flirting with my assistant?" Winnie teased as she approached.

Melanie's assistant, Jannie, stiffened at the striking looks of Bentley.

With ease, Bentley turned around, his rakish smile in place, "As everyone knows, it's Miss Blanchet that I'm pursuing. I was hoping for an alliance between us."

"I've been waiting for you. How do you like these flowers?"

A bouquet of modest white roses appeared just beneath Winnie's eyes.

The heady scent of flowers triggered a sneeze, "No thank you, you can give it to someone else."

"Give it to who?" Bentley squinted playfully, then casually handed it off to Melanie, "Take care of this, will you?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Jenkins." Melanie obediently took the flowers and placed them on a common area where everyone could enjoy them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bentley watched her before teasing Winnie, "Here I am in the middle of the day to see you, and you're not inviting me in?"

Winnie didn't really have a reason to invite him in, but suddenly remembering something, she did. "Mr. Jenkins, I do have a favor to ask of you."

"Let's hear it."

"The golf course land that's up for bid, are the Jenkins family going for it? I'd like Mr. Jenkins to submit my bid to the Rodriguez family's company. And if I win the bid, you'll have to let me treat you, Mr. Jenkins to a nice dinner!"

Bentley laughed, his eyes narrowing with amusement as he looked at Winnie, "Are you afraid of showing up at the Rodriguez family's business? What's the matter, got lions, tigers and bears there? Let me guess, Lawrence? You've got quite the feud with him, huh. Going after the Rodriguez family's land, you're sure to receive threats from him."

His meaningful tone made Winnie feel like he was onto something. If he knew about her past fling with Lawrence, why would Bentley, of all people, still pursue her-a woman who's been around the block? With Mr. Jenkins' status, he could have his pick of debutantes; why cling to her?

She found his pursuit odd, yet couldn't quite figure out why. Dodging his question with a chuckle, she asked, "So, are you willing to help or not? If you're not, then you might as well stop hanging around me."

"Is that a blunt threat?" Bentley raised an eyebrow.

Winnie also raised one in response, "Mr. Jenkins, you've made your appearance; isn't it time to head back? Don't you have work to do?"

Bentley retained his smile, "Ever heard of Jenkins and Co.?"

"Rings a bell. You know, Bentley, I'm still busy with my sales team competition. You can go ahead." Winnie thought this was someone with whom it might be beneficial to be on good terms for future purposes-the CEO of Jenkins and Co!

As Bentley walked out, Melanie came in with some jewelry data, fiddling with the medical patch on her neck and not watching her step, she stumbled slightly.

"Careful." Bentley grabbed her slim waist with a quick gesture, his dark eyes deepening as he looked down.

"Mr. Jenkins, I'm sorry!" Melanie quickly stood up, slipping out of his arms and taking a step back to apologize.

"Yeah."

Just as the man's voice dropped, Angela's shrill voice rang out from beyond the door, "Melanie, why are you making advances towards Mr. Jenkins?

Do you really think you could charm him? Your father was not a successful man, and your status is even lower. You'd have to be reborn ten times over to even have a chance with Mr. Jenkins, get it?"

Her words poured out like torrential rain, sarcastic and relentless. Melanie's face grew pale, her fingers clenched tightly.

"Angela, I wasn't throwing myself at anyone; I don't play those American games like you do!"

"Hah, which man in Trento City would even look at someone of your station? You're only fit to marry a driver, guess you'd better work some extra shifts since you're so penniless!"

Bentley exuded a frosty aura as he blocked the doorway, "Miss Angela, I doubt you're a good match for me either."

"I... Mr. Jenkins, but your mother complimented me when she met me, and I don't mind that you have a child..." Angela retorted.

"I mind that you talk too much. If my mother complimented you, then you should marry her, as long as she finds you acceptable."

"...Mr. Jenkins!" Angela's eyes reddened with humiliation as she watched Bentley coldly pass by and hastily followed after him.

Winnie, observing the drama unfold, was surprised: Bentley had a child at such a young age?

Melanie walked in with some files, and Winnie asked, "Do you know if Bentley has been married?"

"Ah, I'm not sure... I don't think so. Winnie, I really don't know much about these guys."

Seeing potential in her sketch, Winnie continued, "Alright, let's get back to it."

"Oh, Winnie, I did some digging at lunch. Even Ishara's team, with just her and the assistant, isn't asking for help from the sales aces. She's clueless about jewelry, yet she doesn't seem worried with only two days to prepare. I even saw her assistant going down to buy coffee earlier, they were just laughing and chatting in the office, not at all like they're gearing up for a competition."

Winnie squinted thoughtfully, Ishara must have been planning to use the competition to snag that 4% share, giving her a total of 12% in the Blanchet family business.

In the cutthroat competition, it was unspoken yet understood that the stakes were high, especially for Winnie. If she lost, certain power players within the Blanchet family would cast her out. How could she advance into the Blanchet family's headquarters without anything to offer? And her mother's vengeance, her fight against Eleanor would be for naught.

As for Ishara, losing would mean the end of her ambitions.

She couldn't afford to take it lightly!

Something's off when everything seems too calm. She's not worried because she's scheming something, isn't she?

Winnie said, "Let's not focus on them for now. We need to concentrate on our plan and selecting the right jewelry. With a flawless plan, no one can throw a wrench in our works."

"Winnie, I'm sure you'll rock it. I just worry about Ishara cheating! She's the queen of playing sick and weak, resorting to tears to gain sympathy," Melanie hinted with intent.

A chill ran through Winnie as she thought of Lawrence; Ishara was undoubtedly hoping to lean on him. But Lawrence was known for his meticulous work ethic, and she knew he wouldn't let personal feelings cloud his professional judgment. Could he really abandon his principles over some sweet-talking from Ishara?

With that, she buried herself deep in planning.

By the afternoon, the sky had darkened. As Winnie left her office, she noted that Lawrence's office remained closed.

Had he not come in at all? Not joined Ishara for lunch either?

Suddenly, she remembered his mention of returning to Lymington last night. Was he visiting Madame Rodriguez?

Glancing towards Ishara's vacant office, which had emptied early with Lawrence absent, Winnie smirked at Ishara's lack of pretense.

This was not the attitude of someone fighting to win. Was Ishara nonchalant because she assumed Lawrence would pull some strings for her?

The next day, after accompanying Sidney for his infusion, Winnie rushed to her job at ST Corporation.

But the moment she stepped into the workspace, Melanie caught her eye with a worrying look.

"What's up?" Winnie approached her.