Coddled Hearts

Chapter 6

Dayu Construction's refusal was outright and final, leaving Emma Hamilton utterly astonished. Oliver Bennett didn't offer much in the way of explanation, simply laughing it off before bidding her goodbye. When Emma Hamilton tried to call again, intending to persuade him, Oliver Bennett claimed he had to assist his wife in washing her feet and promptly hung up.

Emma Hamilton remained speechless...

How could such a fool exist in this world?

To spurn the proverbial meat delivered right to his mouth?

Picking up the contract that had been prepared on his desk, he sighed deeply and tucked it away into a drawer. After preparing a fresh pot of tea, he brought it into Michael Smith, broaching the subject with diplomatic caution.

Michael Smith, without lifting his gaze, his look piercing and detached, said, "Find a way."

"Why?" she wondered silently.

Why insist on purchasing that dilapidated building?

Riddled with doubts yet wary of asking, Emma considered the eccentric Oliver Bennett and concluded that enduring a rebuff from her boss was preferable to dealing with Bennett.

"Mr. Smith, that building has no distinguishing features other than its age. If you favor that architectural style, I could..."

"I want it."

Michael Smith's voice was low and inscrutable. Despite the absence of any discernable emotion, Emma, having been by his side for so long, understood him well. When he says he wants something, it must be procured, or else.

"Mr. Smith..."

"If you can't do it, you might as well go home and farm sweet potatoes."

“……”

Emma Hamilton began to suspect she might need to start preparing sweet potato seeds.

Oliver Bennett was utterly impenetrable.

To everyone he met, he presented a smile like a living Bodhisattva, his flattery could lift one to the heavens. He expressed profuse gratitude towards the favor shown by the Shengtian Group, yet when it came to concrete collaboration, he refused.

Emma Hamilton used every argument, kind or unkind, but Oliver Bennett ultimately revealed the true reason for his noncooperation: Large corporations are bound by too many rules, they exert too much pressure, and this could potentially disrupt his contented domestic life—washing his wife's socks, playing games with his daughter, and the occasional bouts of ennui leading to light-hearted scuffles with his son.

Emma Hamilton was at a loss...

She had delivered the proverbial money to their doorstep, nearly on her knees, only to be spurned.

"This man is an oddity indeed."

Emma relayed her recent experiences to Michael Smith, feeling powerless against her own "incompetence." Michael Smith didn't say much, merely offering a smile devoid of any mirth.

"Is that all?"

"Isn't it over?"

Michael Smith raised an eyebrow, looked at her, his lips curling coldly. He said nothing, but Emma Hamilton read the message as "You might as well go back to planting sweet potatoes."

No, no, Emma felt there might still be a chance for redemption.

"Mr. Smith, it’s not entirely hopeless. That girl, she's Oliver Bennett's daughter. Bennett dotes on her, and she seems... quite taken with you."

Indeed, Lily Montgomery had pretended to be an assistant that day, bustling about with water and wiping the floor in the lounge—it was all an act they’d seen right through.

However, Emma Hamilton wouldn't dare to strategize with her boss until pushed to the brink of desperation.

Then Michael Smith suddenly chuckled.

"Emma Hamilton, I've underestimated you."

Her heart skipped a beat; she felt as good as dead, her frantic mind questioning: For what one eagerly needs, mustn't there be a price to pay?

"Mr. Smith, I've also heard that the Ethan family has circulated intentions to oust Dayu Construction from Shencheng. Many have heard the rumors and have ceased collaboration. I believe Dayu Construction won’t last much longer before they come to us of their own accord..."

"The Ethan family..." Michael Smith chuckled again.

Emma Hamilton felt a chill to her scalp, seeing his indifferent demeanor, his eyes not only devoid of mirth but seemingly ready to send her back to the sweet potato fields.

"That young girl is Oliver Bennett's daughter?"

"Ah???" Emma Hamilton looked flabbergasted at Michael Smith.

With the boss not sticking to any predictable pattern, how was he to discern his intentions?