Chapter 290 A Hundred Years of Cooperation
They hopped out of the car and made their way to the court, getting there right on the dot at ten.
Gabriel was already hanging out in the hall and spotted Patrick coming in fast.
"Patrick. Man, finally! I've been dying to set up a game with you."
Aurelia was a bit taken aback that these two knew each other. Seeing Gabriel's eager attitude, she started to get why Patrick had timed his arrival so perfectly.
His status meant he couldn't show up early.
In the business world, his name was already well-known. Tagging along with Aurelia for these minor things was a breeze for him.
Patrick ditched his usual laid-back vibe and formally introduced Gabriel, "Mr. Gray, this is Aurelia, the biggest shareholder of Thompson Enterprises."
Gabriel was floored. He'd always dealt with Norman, who handled all the business stuff with his assistant. He never thought this young-looking woman was the top dog at Thompson Enterprises.
So, Norman, the old guy, had been working for her all these years? You couldn't judge a book by its cover.
Thompson Enterprises wasn't a huge company, and in past deals, Norman had always been the one sucking up to him. Despite their partnership, Gabriel had never really taken Norman seriously.
But this young woman caught his attention. After all, his own daughter, who was about the same age, was still trying to get money from him, while this woman had already become the biggest shareholder of a publicly traded company.
Gabriel politely extended a hand and said, "Ms. Semona, nice to meet you."
"Mr. Gray, you're too kind," she replied.
Gabriel lightly shook Aurelia's fingertips and then let go, saying,
"Patrick, there's someone else who wants to meet you today. Up for it?"
As he spoke, a graceful figure in the distance started to approach.
Aurelia recognized him right away and felt like her face might bring her some trouble.
She didn't have a common face, so why did she keep running into people who looked like her?
Patrick glanced over and then looked back at Aurelia, sensing that things might not be so simple. He leaned in and quietly asked Aurelia,
"Do you know him?"
Aurelia hesitated and said, "Patrick, he might be here for me."
Patrick squinted and immediately got more alert. Whoever it was, he'd handle it.
Marcus was still dressed in a neat light gray suit, with a blue shirt underneath and rimless glasses perched on his nose, giving off a scholarly vibe.
As Marcus walked over, he kept his eyes locked on Aurelia. After the events of the previous night, Aurelia now felt a chill down her spine.
"Aurelia, why'd you leave so quickly this morning without even saying goodbye?"
Aurelia looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.
"I had something to do this morning."
Marcus chuckled softly, "Are you avoiding me?"
"Marcus, I'm not the woman you think I am."
Marcus said with a smile, "I know, you're Aurelia."
Aurelia was stunned and thought to herself, 'Does he have a split personality?'
Patrick, standing by for a while, had already had enough of Marcus. This guy looked decent but had no manners.
Showing up uninvited at someone else's meeting, chatting up a girl right away, and ignoring everyone else. Most annoyingly, the way he called out "Aurelia" was really asking for a beating.
Patrick took a step forward, positioning himself between Aurelia and Marcus. His wary gaze fixed on Marcus, adding a palpable tension to the atmosphere.
Sensing the rising tension, Gabriel quickly stepped in. He couldn't afford to tick off either of these heavyweights; any one of them could ruin him.
"Patrick, this is Mr. Marcus Heilbronn from the Heilbronn Group."
He then turned to Marcus.
"Mr. Heilbronn, this is Patrick from The Semona Group. Funny how we all ended up here today, huh? Haha!"
Gabriel let out a few awkward laughs and then went quiet. He could feel the tension himself.
The two big shots clearly didn't think much of each other, but their good manners kept them from trading harsh words, just intense glances.
Marcus had already done his homework on Patrick on his way over. What he still didn't know was the exact relationship between Aurelia and Patrick. From Patrick's reaction, he could tell that this guy had feelings for Aurelia.
That was something he couldn't stand.
Gabriel had already figured out why these two were at odds, which made him even more polite to Aurelia. If he could win her favor, his future business would be smooth sailing.
"Ms. Semona, would you like something to drink? I can have someone bring it over."
His question also helped to ease the tense atmosphere.
Aurelia smiled slightly, saying, "Just some water, please."
She didn't drink anything from strangers. In fact, she had water in her bag, but saying this avoided making her seem too picky.
"I'll have someone bring it right away. Patrick, Mr. Heilbronn, how about we hit a few balls first?"
Patrick raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "How about a little competition?"
Marcus adjusted his glasses, took off his suit jacket, draped it over a chair, and picked up a golf club.
Without another word, the two men started their match.
Marcus was always good at golf, and Patrick wasn't bad either. They went back and forth, neither one outdoing the other.
Aurelia sat in the pavilion watching for a while, thinking about how to get out of there. Mainly, she was afraid Marcus would go crazy on her again.
Her original plan was to follow Patrick and get to know some business partners. If she had known Marcus would show up, she would've locked herself in her room and become a hermit.
Gabriel took the chance to get closer to Aurelia. He could see that she was now the center of attention for these big shots. If he could secure business with her, he might even get some projects from those two.
They were all sharp in business and quick to seize opportunities.
"Ms. Semona, are you hot? Should I have some chilled fruit brought over?"
Aurelia said with a smile, "That would be nice. They'll definitely need it after their game."
Aurelia thought to herself, 'They needed to cool off.'
"Alright, I'll have it sent over. Ms. Semona, are you back to sort out the mess at Thompson Enterprises?"
Aurelia nodded and said, "In the future, I hope to have your support, Mr. Gray."
"Of course."
Gabriel's face lit up with a smile. With Norman in trouble, Thompson Enterprises was in chaos, and he had been planning to terminate their contract. Suddenly, the largest shareholder appeared, and the two big shots were vying for her favor.
Why would he terminate the contract now? He was eager to maintain the partnership forever!
Aurelia was his golden ticket. Keeping her happy would pave the way for his financial success.
Those two big shots weren't people you could easily connect with. He had been flattered to receive calls from both of them in the past two days.
He was experiencing a windfall.
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