Chapter 84 Caught by Alex
Katherine's face suddenly became tense as she stood up from her chair. "Frank, go out and stall him for a bit. I'll find a chance to slip out. He can't know I'm here," she then said.
"Got it!" Frank answered quickly.
Frank immediately put away his casual smile and went out to handle the situation.
Katherine followed Frank to the office door and observed the situation outside through a small crack.
She saw Alex stepping out of the elevator, followed by Leander Nelson.
Frank walked up with a smile and said, "Mr. Melville, it's an honor to have you here. I'm sorry for not greeting you sooner."
Alex nodded slightly, and then answered, "No need for formalities."
Frank naturally stepped aside to lead the way, and then added, "I heard from our Ms. Hawthorne that Mr. Melville is very interested in the architectural style of Crescent Tower. How about I give you a tour of the interior structure?"
Alex raised his hand to decline politely. "No need. I already checked out the lower floors before coming up. I just need to meet Ms. Hawthorne and the designer of Crescent Tower, Moon."
Frank apologized, "I'm sorry, but Ms. Hawthorne is currently in a meeting that will take a while to finish. Mr. Melville, why don't you come with me to the top floor? The internal structure there is quite different from the lower floors, and you can also get a panoramic view of the city center."
Alex's expression remained unchanged. "No need. I can wait for Ms. Hawthorne in the reception room."
Seeing that Alex was unmoved, Frank knew that continuing to persuade would only arouse more suspicion. He glanced at the CEO's office, indicating his helplessness, and politely said, "Alright then, Mr. Melville, please follow me this way."
Watching Frank lead Alex into the reception room, Katherine frowned. Now she couldn't leave.
The reception room was on the only path from the CEO's office to the elevator and stairwell, and it had glass walls on all sides.
If she walked past, Alex would almost certainly see her.
But it wouldn't be appropriate for Ambrosia to meet Alex directly in the reception room either.
After all, he was a major client offering a billion dollars. It wouldn't make sense not to invite him into the office for a proper reception.
Ambrosia suggested, "Katherine, you should hide in the small lounge at the back. Mr. Melville seems to be in a hurry; he probably won't stay long."
Katherine nodded. "That's the only option."
She grabbed a couple of snacks that Frank had just given her and hid in the small lounge at the back of the office.
Then, Ambrosia instructed Mia to invite Alex in.
"Mr. Melville, please have a seat," Ambrosia said lightly.
Alex sat down gracefully, and Mia quickly brought in the coffee.
After exchanging a few polite remarks, they began discussing business.
Alex's sharp gaze swept around Ambrosia's desk. "Ms. Hawthorne, where is Crescent Group's chief designer, Moon?" he then questioned.
Ambrosia smiled apologetically, "Mr. Melville, I'm sorry, but Moon is not in the office today. You can leave your ideas and requirements for the new building with me, and I'll pass them on to Moon. Once the initial design draft is complete, we'll send it to the Melville Group for your review."
Alex leisurely picked up the coffee on the table and raised an eyebrow. "So, Ms. Hawthorne, you're saying I paid one million dollars in design fees, but I can't even meet Moon?" he then added.
Ambrosia adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and maintained her smile. "That's not what I meant. It's just that Moon really isn't in the office today," she said.
Alex squinted. "Is that so? Then why did I hear that she came in today?"
Ambrosia was stunned for a moment but quickly returned to normal. "Oh? May I ask who told you that, Mr. Melville?"
Alex took a sip of his coffee. "Just now downstairs, the receptionists at Crescent Group were talking about Moon, saying she rarely comes to the office but did today."
Ambrosia felt a bit awkward.
The situation was not good.
Although Katherine was the founder of Crescent Group, the employees all thought she was just a contracted designer named Moon.
When Katherine came in with Sherry earlier, the receptionists downstairs saw them. Those receptionists tended to gossip whenever they had free time.
Ambrosia said helplessly, "Since Mr. Melville already knows, I won't hide it from you. Moon did come to the office today, but she's not available to meet clients right now. I hope you can understand, Mr. Melville."
Alex's expression turned cold, and then questioned, "Give me a reason."
Ambrosia replied, "That's Moon's privacy, and I'm not at liberty to disclose it."
Alex let out a cold laugh and then snorted, "It seems the Crescent Group isn't sincere about taking on the Melville Group's project. In that case, I won't force it."
With that, Alex put down his coffee and stood up decisively.
Katherine heard everything clearly from the lounge. Alex's tone already showed significant displeasure, and she knew that Alex was not known for his patience.
If he left today, the hundred-million-dollar deal would be gone.
As she was thinking of a solution, Katherine suddenly noticed a pile of equipment that Frank had bought in the corner of the lounge, including something that looked like a gas mask.
"Mr. Melville, please wait!" Katherine called out.
Alex, who had already reached the office door, stopped and slowly turned his head, his sharp eyes narrowing.
Ambrosia also turned her head at the sound and was genuinely stunned.
As for Katherine's appearance... she had changed into Ambrosia's clothes in the lounge and came out wearing a gas mask.
She walked straight to Alex, altering her voice. "Mr. Melville, I am Moon, the person you wanted to meet."
Alex slightly frowned at her, his eyes filled with doubt.
Leander, standing nearby, looked surprised. Why was Moon dressed like this? Was she afraid of Mr. Melville?
Katherine quickly explained, "I'm sorry, Mr. Melville. I've recently had a severe skin allergy, and my face is somewhat ulcerated. I didn't want to scare anyone, so I had to wear this. Ms. Hawthorne said I wasn't fit to meet clients because of this. Do you mind discussing work with me like this, Mr. Melville?"
Alex nodded slightly, his voice calm. "That's fine. I'm not interested in the appearance of the designer."
Katherine bowed politely, then said, "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Melville."
Ambrosia smiled and walked over. "Since Moon is here, Mr. Melville, please have a seat again. It was all a misunderstanding earlier. Now let Crescent Group show our sincerity."
Alex sat down again.
Katherine took a seat between the two executives.
Alex didn't waste any time and directly asked, "Ms. Moon, I'm curious about the inspiration behind your design for Crescent Tower."
The exterior of Crescent Tower was actually oval-shaped, but the color of the exterior glass created the illusion of a three-dimensional crescent moon, making the entire building appear crescent-shaped from any direction or angle. It was a very beautiful and unforgettable structure.
Katherine explained, "I love the moon in the sky, and the moon represents new beginnings. The start of everything, and symbolizes the future and development..."
As Alex listened to Moon passionately talk about her creative inspiration, he felt a subtle sensation, his deep gaze becoming more scrutinizing and inquisitive.
After she finished, Alex pondered and asked, "Ms. Moon, have we met somewhere before?"
Katherine felt a moment of guilt but quickly denied it. "Of course not. A man as handsome and extraordinary as Mr. Melville, how could I forget if we had met?"
Alex stared at her eyes behind the gas mask, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Katherine, feeling flustered under his gaze, quickly changed the subject. "Mr. Melville, do you have any specific ideas for the design of the new office building?"
Alex collected his thoughts and said, "I won't set any constraints. You have creative freedom, but the design must be unique."
Katherine nodded and then remarked, "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Melville. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."
With the discussion nearly over, Alex checked his watch and stood up to leave.
Katherine finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ambrosia got up to see Alex out, but as soon as the office door opened, they saw Sherry in the act of knocking.
Sherry's eyes lit up when she saw Alex. "Mr. Melville, what are you doing here?"
Seeing Sherry, Alex first glanced behind her to see if Katherine was there. Not seeing her, he coldly asked, "What are you doing here?"
Sherry replied sweetly, "Crescent Group asked me to endorse their new product. I just went to learn about it. But Katherine was kept in the office by Ms. Hawthorne for some tasks, so I came back to find her."
Alex's sharp eyes narrowed. Katherine was here?
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