Chapter 216 Uninvited Guest
"Did you receive the flowers I sent?" the man asked.
Aurelia was taken aback and asked, "What flowers?"
Caleb smiled, "It seems you didn't read the card. No worries. I'm here to deliver my wishes in person."
Aurelia tried to stay calm and said, "You're too kind, sir. We don't know each other well enough for me to accept your gift. How much did the flowers cost? I'll have my assistant transfer the money to you."
Her reaction was within Caleb's expectations.
Caleb paused. "Ms. Semona, I'd like to discuss a business matter with you. Could we speak privately?"
With that, the two observant assistants stepped aside, leaving just the two of them in the hall.
Aurelia kept a stern face. She didn't want any association with anyone from Imperick, especially not this man who was Nathaniel's classmate.
As an adult woman, she knew Caleb's intentions.
She had always believed that many heirs of affluent families tended to be more open-minded, and given Caleb's international education, she assumed he likely had a more adventurous and unsettled nature.
She hadn't expected that after a brief encounter at the baby's banquet, he would come after her again.
Now, she realized that Miss Sinclair, who had ordered jewelry, was most likely his low-profile sister, who rarely appeared in socialite circles.
Aurelia feared that acquaintances would find out she was still alive, but on the cruise, Caleb had kindly warned her to be cautious of Chelsea, for which she was grateful.
Now, with the two assistants gone, the hall was eerily quiet with just the two of them.
Aurelia was torn inside.
Caleb broke the silence first. "Ms. Semona, Sinclair Media has already signed a contract with Mr. Semona. From now on, all business involving endorsements, promotions, or advertisements for the Semona family will be handled by our company. Any promotional business on your end can be directly handed to me. After all, your brother has already paid, so why not make use of it?"
He spoke earnestly about work, not mentioning anything about Imperick.
Aurelia knew this was just a flimsy excuse. Whether she was called Aurelia or Anne, he was after her.
"Mr. Sinclair, I appreciate your effort, but I've agreed with my brother not to use his resources."
Caleb carefully considered her feelings, afraid that one wrong word would make her disappear from his sight again.
In the past, she had been Mrs. Heilbronn, and he had missed his chance. However, now that Anne was single, he desired to seize this opportunity and make his move.
"Ms. Semona, aside from our business relationship, I'm also a jewelry enthusiast. Could you add me on Facebook? I promise not to tell anyone about our connection."
Aurelia understood the underlying message in his words. After a few seconds of silence, she invited him into her office, closed the door, and took a deep breath as if making a difficult decision.
"Caleb, if you came all this way just to find me, I'm telling you now, it's unnecessary."
Caleb felt a surge of nervousness when she called him by his name, no longer pretending to be strangers. He feared she would say anything to reject him. However, now that she was single, he yearned to openly pursue her and make his intentions clear.
If he told her directly that he came specifically to find her, she would be scared off.
"Ms. Semona, I'm on a business trip to Coral Bay for a week and thought I'd drop by to see an old friend."
He used the term "old friend."
The coldness and distance in Aurelia's eyes made him hesitant to say more.
"Caleb, don't come again. I appreciate the order you brought, but as you can see, I don't want any association with Imperick. The Aurelia you knew is dead. The person standing before you is Anne. Please keep our meeting a secret. It would bring me disaster if anyone found out. I hope you understand."
Caleb saw the hurt on her face. He knew that Nathaniel had hurt her deeply. He longed to convey to her that there were still good men in the world, emphasizing that not all men were like Nathaniel.
He raised his hand and hurriedly swore, "I won't tell anyone. I hope you'll give me a chance to have dinner together. You're Anne, I'm Caleb. This is our second meeting, and we've become friends. Can we have a meal together as new friends?"
Caleb added, "And Joe too. The restaurant is already booked, not just the two of us."
He was afraid she wouldn't come, so he mentioned Joe. At this point, it would be too unkind for Aurelia to refuse.
She nodded. "Alright, let's go now. There might be traffic later."
Just a nod made Caleb very happy. Every smile and gesture of the goddess was etched in his heart. He felt he was one step closer to her.
As soon as they left, a man in a suit with a briefcase knocked on the door of Anne Studio. Luna and Aurora hurried to greet him.
"Sir, are you here to order jewelry?"
There had been so many distinguished guests that day, the two assistants naturally assumed this gentleman was there to order jewelry.
Zack handed over a business card, "I'm Zack, the assistant to the president of the Heilbronn Group Jewelry. Our boss has seen your studio's work and would like to meet your designer. If convenient, could we have a meal together?"
The Heilbronn Group Jewelry was a name that ordinary people considered unattainable.
Luna and Aurora looked at the well-dressed, steady man in front of them, feeling nervous. Their studio had just opened, and they had already attracted such a big name in the industry. They couldn't help but praise Anna.
Luna quickly took the business card and invited him in, while Aurora went to get water.
"Zack, I'm sorry, but you came at a bad time. Anna just stepped out and might not have gone far. However, she has an appointment today and might not be able to join your president for dinner. I'll relay the message when she returns."
Zack looked around the small studio, feeling a sense of familiarity.
He went downstairs and returned to the car. Nathaniel, sitting in the back seat, asked, "Did you see her?"
"Mr. Heilbronn, the designer named Anne just stepped out and isn't in the office. Shall we come back tomorrow?"
Nathaniel paused, "Let's go back to the hotel."
A relatively unknown designer wasn't worth the president's time to make two trips. If it weren't for the fact that the designer's last name was also Semona, he wouldn't have thought to have Zack get her contact information.
Zack started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. As he turned, a G-Wagon sped past on his right. Zack glanced at it and felt that the driver looked like the boss's old classmate.
Zack reminded, "Mr. Heilbronn, the car in front seems to belong to Young Mr. Sinclair."
Nathaniel didn't care. Caleb had already severed ties with him, and he didn't want to deal with anything related to him.
"No need to greet him," he said.
Zack acknowledged and turned on the GPS to head to the hotel.
As they drove, the G-Wagon stayed right in front of them. Nathaniel noticed and repeated, "Don't follow him. We're going to the hotel."
Zack explained, "Mr. Heilbronn, this is the way to the hotel. Caleb might be heading there too, so we're on the same route."
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