Carlton's tone was calm, but his face was devoid of any smile, even carrying a hint of displeasure as if he hadn't just signed a cooperation agreement, but had been forced to accept some unequal treaty.
Douglas took the contract, said nothing, merely gave Carlton a cold look, and then handed the contract to me.
Carlton also stared coldly at Douglas, then called his assistant to show us out.
Ignoring their expressions, I gratefully thanked both of them, thinking about finding another opportunity to apologize to Carlton.
Before leaving, the assistant handed me a check for 20,000 dollars, saying it was a down payment, but our contract didn't have a clause for a down payment.
At this moment, Douglas's face became even grimmer; he felt increasingly that something was wrong with Carlton.
I
