With that, she hesitated for a moment, then asked, “That’s all I need to do, right? Do I need to be there myself?”
“No need,”
Brettley replied.
“Thank heavens!”
With that, Tara hung up and dialed the number of the manager of Moore Group’s Sharnwick City branch.
After passing on Brettley’s message, Tara raised her brow, glancing at the man sitting next to her at the bar, and smiled. “Sorry, I must’ve missed this while I was on the phone, but what’s your name again?”
The man glanced at her, frowning. “John Young.”
‘Mr. Young. What a smart name!”
Tara chuckled, then clinked her wine glass against John’s.
Then, she turned to him with a grin and added, “So what are you meeting me for, Mr. Young?”
John furrowed his brow as he raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. “I want to do business with you.”
Then, he turned to gaze at Tara and added, “I hear that you’re now in charge of Moore Group’s Sharnwick City branch. I just started a new company, and though we don’t have much to our name as of now, I can assure you that I’ll provide you with the best service and the best products. I sincerely hope you’ll consider giving us a chance, President Moore.”
John met Tara that afternoon at the entrance of the Moore Group building.
Since he was not a local, he was unfamiliar with the market and could not compete with the other companies in terms of reputation and connection. Therefore, he had no choice but to meet the new president of Moore Group in hopes she would give him a chance.
After all, a woman like her probably placed more priority on their quality of work and attitude, right?
To John’s surprise, Tara requested to meet him at this bar that same night.
Although he had a bad feeling about this, the moment he went home and saw the two people he needed to care for…
He ultimately decided to try his luck and showed up for his meeting with Tara.
He would never have accepted Tara’s invitation unless he was extremely desperate.
Tara paused when she saw the look on his face, then poured him another glass of wine, smiling. “Drink.”
John obediently did as she said.
Before he even put down his glass, Tara’s voice rang out next to him, “Are you really that desperate to work with me? Is it because you have people counting on you-the sick and the elderly?”
Tara had heard this excuse more times than she could count; this was the reason everyone gave when begging her to give their companies a chance.
John put down his glass and let out a bitter chuckle. “Well, technically that’s not true. There’s no elderly relying on me, but…”
He paused. “I have a child at home, barely a year old, and another gravely ill person I need to take care of. Believe me when I say I have no choice.”
Tara raised her brow when she heard John’s response.
She knew who John was, hence why she invited him for a drink to mess around with him. After all, she had to act her role to convince him. If she was to work with him the moment he asked, John would suspect that something was up-
“So you have a child at home and someone gravely ill?” asked Tara. She questioningly stared at John with her eyebrows raised. “Who is it? Is she your wife?”
She remembered from her hours of researching John that his wife had passed away. Not only that, but it was Anne’s death that led Bethan to commit manslaughter, which landed her in prison.
Therefore, John would probably have only one person to care for, which was he and Anne’s infant daughter.
Who else was he caring for? Was Anne still alive?
John did not expect Tara to be so interested in his life. He sipped his drink slowly to stall time, then answered hesitantly, “No, it isn’t. It’s… It’s my sister.”
“Your sister?”
Tara’s eyebrows raised at his response.
She vaguely recalled that John was an only son and that both his parents had passed away in a car accident two years ago. He did not have any female cousins either, so who was this ‘mysterious sister’ he mentioned?
Had he moved on after Anne’s death but was uncomfortable with revealing that fact, so he chose to lie by saying it was his sister instead? If so, why would he choose to be with someone who was gravely ill as he put it?
This puzzled Tara, but she knew she was in no place to question him. If she did, John would know that she had researched his background before their meeting.
Therefore, Tara remained silent for a moment before sighing. “I’m pleasantly surprised. Not only are you a loving father, but you’re a caring brother as well.
“Well, I can’t sit by and watch while others suffer such misfortune. Although I’m not the only person calling the shots for this new project, I can still offer you a chance to compete against some of the other candidates we’re considering.”
As she said this, she handed an offer letter to John. “Fill in this form. A few days from now, Moore Group will be hosting a public bid where a very important figure that Moore Group hired will take charge of the project. He, like myself, isn’t from Scarnfield City, so he doesn’t have any connections here. Because of that, he’s more likely to value the quality of your work more than anything.
“I’m certain that if you make solid preparations and present your company’s best self forward, you’ll stand a chance of winning the bid.”
John froze, then folded the letter in half and tucked it away as though it was a priceless heirloom. He smiled at Tara and said, “I must say, President Moore, as young as you are, I have a feeling you’ll lead the company to a great future.”
“You think so?”
Tara pursed her lips. “Neither my father nor my cousin agrees. They both think I need much more training than this.”
With that, she handed John her name card and added, “Here is my private phone number. Whether you do end up working alongside Moore Group or not, I hope to get to know you better as friends.
“I’m interested in hearing more about your child and your poor sister. Even if you don’t get the job, I’d like to help you in any way that I can. Please feel free to contact me whenever necessary.”
John paused, then thanked her and kept the name card in his pocket. “Thank you, President Moore, on behalf of my daughter and my…sister.”
“You’re welcome.”
Tara grinned. “Do you mind sharing the details of your sister’s condition with me? Perhaps I might be able to help you find a doctor that can treat her.”
John turned pale at this.
A split second later, he regained his composure and glanced at Tara, smiling. “Well, her condition is a little too complicated to explain right now.
“I already have a doctor looking after her, which is why I’m struggling financially and have to resort to such desperate measures, so I don’t need your help as of now, President Moore. Still, I appreciate your kindness.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get in touch if there’s anything you can help with in the future.”
Tara knew there was no point pursuing this matter anymore, so she smiled and clinked her glass against John’s, toasting him. “Alright, then. Feel free to contact me, night or day, I’ll be here to help.”
John paused, then downed the entire glass of wine. “I have to go now, President Moore. I’ll see you at the bid!”
With that, he put down his glass and left.
Tara watched him leave with a smile, then finally turned around and dialed Brettley’s number.
At this moment, Brettley was in the middle of sketching out a plan with Luke to save Gwen’s father.
He sounded rather panicked when he picked up the call. “
What?”
Tara furrowed her brow when she heard his tone. “Hey, does John have a sister?”
Brettley was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. “Yes, he does, but that information isn’t in his current records. She was adopted by John’s parents, but she left them when she was fifteen after they managed to track her birth parents down. They’ve lost touch ever since.
“This happened when John was seventeen, and since they never contacted each other since then, this information was left out of John’s records.”
With that, Brettley frowned and said, “Why do you ask? Let me remind you, Tara, that you shouldn’t stick your nose into John’s business. He matters a lot to both me and Bethan, and you’re not allowed to cross him. Do you understand?”
Tara rolled her eyes at this. “I know, I know. Tsk! Why are you always so serious? I don’t even know what Bethan sees in you. Nevermind. Bye!”
With that, she hung up without even waiting to hear Brettley’s response.
Despite having hung up, she could not help feeling her heart race.
Brettley was so preoccupied at the moment that he did not have the time nor the energy to check on her, so he had no idea she had met up with John. She wondered what Brettley and John’s reactions would be when they saw each other at the bid.
However, Brettley only said not to cross John. He never mentioned anything about what she should do if John approached her.
Tara pursed her lips at this thought.
What a pity. She thought she had struck the jackpot, but it turned out John was telling the truth after all.
After coming out of the bar, John hailed a taxi back to his rental house in a distant corner of the city. As soon as he opened the door, he stormed into the bathroom to vomit.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.