So Close

Catching the hint of sarcasm in Vanessa’s tone, Beatriz's eyes flickered with anger.

"Well, I’m quite looking forward to seeing what President Saxon can come up with that’s better than Ness’s proposal."

Her tone seemed calm, but internally, Beatriz was burning with rage.

"Next, please."

Vanessa prepared her materials, stood up, and walked to the front.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Vanessa Saxon from Cortex Group." She pulled up her PowerPoint presentation and continued, "Everyone, please take a look. This is the design draft we created after our company conducted a field investigation..."

Before she could finish, she was interrupted: "I thought President Saxon's design draft would be something fresh. There's nothing innovative at all; it’s overly complicated. If we proceed with your proposal, it will be costly without any appealing features. Isn’t that just a facade?"

Vanessa smiled slightly, "But compared to other companies, we place greater emphasis on the building's value retention, rather than chasing after a plastic aesthetic like Ness Corp. The rationality and diversity of the architectural structure can ensure its longevity, so I believe the term 'facade' is more suited for Ness Corp."

Beatriz clenched her hands tightly, watching Vanessa on stage, her charming smile making Beatriz want to rush up and slap her twice!

Suppressing her anger with great effort, she forced a polite smile and said, "It’s just painting a big pie, saying pretty words without being able to present anything substantial."

Vanessa calmly pressed ‘next page.’ "These are the projects I’ve personally led over the years, and along with my team, we’ve restored several ancient buildings. This is my capability."

At the end, she displayed a comparison of Cortex Group's and Ness Corp's data.

"The data speaks for itself; Cortex is indeed superior to Ness."

The crowd's gaze turned to the PowerPoint, and Cortex's data was indeed impressive.

An invisible slap landed on Beatriz's face. Looking at the scornful eyes of those around her, she could only maintain her smile, her hands clenched tightly as she secretly ground her teeth.

‘Vanessa Saxon! Just wait!’

The bidding ended at six in the evening.

Once in the car, Vanessa handed her assistant a business card.

"Look into this person and see if you can set up a meeting."

"Mariah Hutchson from VH? Are you planning to poach her, boss?"

"The company is newly established; we need to recruit talent."

...

Back at the company, Vanessa hadn’t even settled into her seat when her assistant brought her some materials.

"Boss, it was reported a few days ago that Mariah Hutchson is suspected of leaking commercial secrets. It’s said that the police have set up a related investigation team, and her home has been searched."

Leaking commercial secrets?

Vanessa opened the documents and read through them carefully, feeling something was off.

From her understanding of Mariah, she didn’t seem like the type to do something like this.

The materials indicated that a press conference had recently been held regarding a new type of special drug, and the project lead for the new energy development had been announced.

She had heard a bit about both projects while abroad and had previously been told there hadn’t been much progress. Now, they had seemingly been successfully developed.

Vanessa squinted and pondered, "Look into the person in charge of the new special drug."

The assistant gave an ‘OK’ gesture.

"Also, send the address of the new energy warehouse to my phone."

"Understood."

After leaving the company, she followed the navigation in her car, arriving at the destination after dark.

The location was on the outskirts of the city, surrounded only by a solitary warehouse, enveloped in darkness, seemingly deserted.

Vanessa parked in the shadows, cautiously approached with her phone, and wary of surveillance, decided to sneak around to the back of the wall, planning to climb over and take a look inside.

The wall wasn’t too high; with Vanessa’s agility, it was a breeze to scale it. She landed steadily and, using the faint light, saw a pair of leather shoes right in front of her.

"What a coincidence."

A familiar voice entered her ears, and Vanessa looked up in disbelief to find Luca’s face, smirking slightly.

"Mr. Kensington, long time no see."

The two locked eyes, each confirming the purpose of the other’s visit.

But Vanessa didn’t want to accompany him, so she turned and headed into the back yard.

She opened a window that wasn’t locked and, shining her flashlight inside the warehouse—

Empty!

Vanessa's gaze darkened as she pondered.

Just as she suspected, the new energy project was nothing but a gimmick.

She pulled out her phone to record a video and was just about to leave when she suddenly noticed faint footsteps approaching her. Timing it perfectly, she turned and swung a punch, only to have it firmly caught in Luca's broad hand.

Vanessa instinctively retracted her hand as if it had been electrocuted. Just as she was about to speak, the sound of a key unlocking the door echoed from outside, followed by several people laughing as they walked in.

Luca's expression changed; he quickly pulled Vanessa into the narrow space between the walls.

The newcomers turned on the lights and sat down diagonally across from them, starting to play cards and drink.

Vanessa cursed inwardly and then realized just how close she was to Luca... so close that they were almost touching!

Their breaths mingled, and an unusual sensation surged between them.

Luca scanned the surroundings, gently patted Vanessa’s head, and motioned for her to look straight ahead.

There, half-hidden, was a small door.

Vanessa understood his intent and nodded.

The man prepared to count down using his lips, but his gaze suddenly caught sight of a large dog sniffing around, approaching them.

Vanessa saw it too, her heart leaping to her throat, hoping that the dog wouldn’t have a keen sense of smell.

In the next moment—"Woof woof!"

Without hesitation, Luca grabbed Vanessa's hand and dashed toward the small door like the wind.

The others noticed and rushed out with clubs and hammers in hand.

The two ran for their lives, with Vanessa allowing herself to be pulled by Luca, not slowing down for a second.

***