Chapter 29
1646 Words
“What is it you want to know more than my marriage troubles?” Sander addressed the issue right away as soon as their drinks were laid down on the tabletop. He reached for the mocktail glass and sipped from it before gazing back at the man sitting right across him. “If it’s about a business proposal, you know we can discuss that over a formal meeting, right?”
Lowell Sebastian smirked and shook his head. His brows furrowed upon scanning the non-alcoholic drink in his hand. When their eyes connected again, his face flashed a hint of mockery.
“Yeah, I can’t drink alcohol now,” he explained before the man opened his mouth to ask him.
“That’s a shame, but I’m not surprised. This talk will be more boring than I expected, then.”
“Does it have to be entertaining?” Sander’s gaze circled around the empty resto-bar. This place was a business chain co-managed by Sydney and Lowell. “Is the business closed due to pandemic, or did you deliberately empty this place just to interrogate me?”
“You think I’ll let my business lose money for some gossip?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I don’t know. You have this reputation of closing down half of an amusement park just to surprise your girlfriend.”
“I don’t hold you in the same standard as Wednesday,” The SMU Publishing CEO took a shot of vodka on rocks. “If I’m Sydney, that’s not impossible. She’d try to close even the subways if it meant she can talk you.”
The mention of her sister’s name brought grimness back to his visage. How could he forget? This man seated in front of him was Sydney’s closest confidant and business partner. If he didn’t know that the younger Mortel had feelings for Lowell in the past, he would’ve dubbed them as best friends.
“So, this is what it’s about? She wanted you to tell me something?”
“I wouldn’t say that she wanted me to tell you. I just thought you ought to know.”
“If she’s whining about Primrose, I don’t want to hear it.”
The slow nodding of his head gave Sander a hint that he was baited into revealing some context of his conflict with Primrose. He pursed his lips in defeat and took another sip from the glass. The man wanted to deny it, but his thoughts were constantly filled with what happened three days ago. It was fortunate that he was swamped with work, or else he would’ve turned to his old drinking habits again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to drink?” Unlike his sarcastic tone earlier, Lowell sounded more friendly now. When he shook his head to decline, he shrugged both shoulders. “Anyway, it’s nothing about that. No need to get cranky with me.”
“What is it, then?”
“Two days ago, she asked me to look into something. It’s about the charity auction for Children’s Day hosted by Winter Galleria.”
There was a slight heaviness emerging from his stomach upon hearing that. Seeing the stern look at Lowell’s face was enough warning that the next news he’d bring wouldn’t please his ears.
“Did you find out anything?”
The SMU Publishing CEO nodded his head and reached a hand to his nape. “It was an enticing event to participate in. We even considered accepting their invitation to be added to their roster of sponsors. Unfortunately, my assistant, Alexiel, is really good at his job. And we caught wind of some information that I thought you should know.”
“Did you tell this to Sydney yet, or I’m the first one to hear this?”
“I meant to tell her yesterday, but I can’t reach her phone. After what I heard from you, I’m sure she’s locking herself in a room sulking and making everyone worry.”
“It’s scary how well you know Sydney,” he exclaimed in disbelief. “So, what did you find out about the charity auction?”
“There was a pre-launch of the donation drive for the event, which is a bit odd. When we looked into it, some backdoor deals were going on.”
Sander’s jaw tightened. “Backdoor deals?”
“Yes, Alexiel is currently gathering pieces of evidence.” Lowell heaved a deep sigh. "According to our sources, it was actually a greenbelt land bidding in the guise of a charity event."
"Where did your secretary hear this information?"
"An insider working at Winter Galleria," the man seated across him pressed fingers to his temple and leaned closer to continue speaking. "The reason why I wanted you to know this is because Wilson Dia is involved in it as well."
Sander slowly blinked until what he said sank in his head. He almost became dazed, but he managed to keep himself together and glance back at the SMU Publishing CEO.
"More than your company's participation, the most concerning thing is the fact that you and Primrose are donating a painting for that auction."
"Are the deals you mentioned made through painting purchases?" he asked, but he didn't need to hear his answer. The man's narrow eyes and gathered eyebrows were already a resounding confirmation. "Is the Galleria deeply involved with this as well?"
"Looks like it. With everything uncertain because of the restrictions, it's not surprising that they'd resort to this to make money."
It was surprising for him. Despite not ending on a good note with Cecilia, he never saw her as someone who could agree to such things. Even at a young age back then, she was really passionate about art, and she envisioned doing this all her life.
“I’ll have to look into this first,” he managed to answer amid the doubts rumbling inside his head. “About the greenbelt lands, is Wilson Dia directly involved in lifting the development limitations?”
“Most probably, because it’s within the borders of the city. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s someone high up backing this all up,” Lowell replied. From his firm tone, he could tell that the man was confident with every information from his mouth. “If this gets exposed, it would hurt you and Primrose more than Wilson Dia himself. Considering how they’re fronting your names for the upcoming event.”
His gaze shifted down the glass he was holding. In the end, his father was right. Letting Primrose and Cecilia in such close proximity wasn’t the best idea out there.
“I just can’t catch a break, can I?”
“Yeah. That’s rough,” Lowell agreed and took another sip of alcohol before glancing back at him. “If you need anything, let me know. Since I already have Alexiel on it, we may as well continue digging about it.”
“No, you’ve been involved enough. Thank you for the information, though. I can take it from here.”
“That’s so arrogant of you, Mr. Mortel.” An unfamiliar voice from the entrance made both men glance over their shoulder. When they looked, a man was walking up to them with Alexiel following behind. “Sorry for being late.”
Sander threw a confused stare at Lowell as his brows furrowed. “Who’s this?”
“This is the insider I was talking about,” the SMU Publishing CEO nodded at his secretary to leave the guest with them. “Pollen Mcgregor, a resident curator at the Winter Galleria. Pollen, this is Messi Sander Mortel. I’m sure you heard of him already.”
“Pleasure to finally meet you,” Pollen spread a palm to the front of him for a handshake. “I’ve been so ecstatic to see the lucky man who married the beautiful Primrose Dia for a long time now.”
“You know my wife?”
Instead of accepting his hand, the former Mortel Malls President probed an intense eye contact. When Pollen noticed his unwelcoming demeanor, he clapped his palms together to save himself from embarrassment.
“Yes, we loaned her painting once, so we got the meet.”
Sander smirked, “Oh, so you met her once.”
“Well, she’s intriguing enough to get my attention that fast.”
He scoffed and painted a hard smile on his face to dismiss the irritation stirring inside him. When his gaze connected with Lowell, the SMU Publishing CEO seemed to be frowning as well. Who wouldn’t? If it was Wednesday, there was no doubt a fist would be flying on this arrogant man’s face.
“How credible is this man?” Sander turned to Lowell, dismissing the remark Pollen had made. Mean-spritted as it was, he couldn’t let his smug personality distract them from the current issue.
“I’ve been working with the Galleria for years,” the man intervened before the SMU Publishing CEO opened his mouth to answer. “And I’m also in the industry since I was a teen. I like what I do for a living, and I don’t want it to be tainted by some shady backdoor deals.”
“How heroic of you. Does your boss know you're throwing them under the bus?”
“I don’t know. Does she?” Pollen snapped back as the tip of his mouth twitched up. “You know Cecilia better than I do.”
“Enough of this showdown. Let’s nip this commotion in the bud and focus, shall we?” Lowell Sebastian weighed in and signaled the guest to sit. When he did, the man reverted his attention to the pissed-off gentleman. “You know how we work. I wouldn’t bring him here if he’s not credible.”
“Fine, let’s hear it then.”
- Writer
