Chapter 200 The Testing Dinner 1
Colin pressed the intercom and asked his secretary to come in.
"Go pick out a starry-themed diamond necklace and a diamond bracelet for me, and have them delivered to White Bay Restaurant tomorrow night."
The secretary, hearing Colin's request, assumed it was for some actress or another lady and said nothing. She calmly walked out.
Anna didn't expect Colin to follow through so quickly, immediately arranging a necklace for her. Thinking about this, she felt she couldn't let Colin down.
Although she didn't want to see Caleb, she still found Caleb's number and invited him to the gathering the next evening.
Anna, following Colin's instructions, didn't say it was him who invited Caleb but instead invited Caleb in her own name. Caleb readily agreed.
Anna had a vague feeling that something was up, but she couldn't figure it out, so she decided to stop thinking about it.
The next evening, Colin ordered Anna not to wear a dress. Anna didn't know what he was up to, but for the sake of the necklace, she complied.
When she and Colin arrived, Caleb was already waiting in the private room. Caleb was happy to see Anna, but his smile quickly faded when he saw Colin behind her.
Colin, however, acted as if they were old friends and said, "Mr. Hayes, good evening. I asked Anna to arrange this meeting with you tonight. I hope it's convenient for you to join us for dinner?"
Although Colin's words were polite, his actions spoke volumes as he unceremoniously sat down.
Colin acted as if he owned the place, sitting down without caring whether Caleb agreed or not.
Anna couldn't help but complain inwardly about Colin's rudeness.
Caleb naturally knew Colin but didn't expect Anna to be working under him.
Caleb maintained a polite smile, still looking every bit the gentleman. "Mr. Rivera, you're too kind."
Caleb then took his seat.
Caleb glanced at Anna, showing no sign of blaming her for secretly arranging the meeting with Colin. He even had a faint smile.
Seeing Caleb, Anna felt a bit uncomfortable but instinctively explained, "Colin is my boss. He wants to discuss a collaboration with you."
Caleb looked at her quietly without saying a word.
But Colin suddenly said, "Come here, sit down."
The familiar and intimate tone made Anna wary, sensing that Colin was up to something tonight.
But in front of Caleb, she couldn't embarrass Colin. Although she didn't understand why Colin was speaking to her in such a doting tone, she glared at him and walked over.
Colin naturally pulled out a chair for Anna and then said to Caleb, "Mr. Hayes, I heard your IA technology has been doing well since you returned to the country. I wonder if I have the honor of collaborating with you for a win-win future?"
Colin looked like he was genuinely discussing business. Caleb, unsure of Colin's intentions, could only respond, "Of course, it would be my honor to collaborate with you, Mr. Rivera."
Colin showed great interest. "Really? Then why don't you tell me where the honor lies, Mr. Hayes?"
Anna immediately glared at him. Was he here to discuss a collaboration or to cause trouble?
Colin didn't spare Anna a glance, smiling at Caleb across the table.
Under the table, Anna pinched Colin to remind him to watch his tone.
Colin maintained his smile, but under the table, he accurately grabbed Anna's hand.
Caleb was momentarily stunned by Colin's words but quickly recovered.
"In Harborvale, besides the Windsor family, there's the Rivera family. Collaborating with the Rivera family is an honor for any entrepreneur, and I'm no exception," Caleb said with poise.
Colin continued, "Is that so? Then, Mr. Hayes, do you know Mr. Windsor?"
Caleb paused in the middle of pouring wine but quickly resumed, saying, "Mr. Windsor often appears in financial news. It's not surprising that I know him, right?"
Colin nodded. "True, that guy does show up a lot. So, Mr. Hayes, would you prefer to collaborate with me or with Sterling?"
Caleb didn't answer Colin's question, just smiled and passed the wine to Colin.
"Whether we collaborate or not doesn't matter. I wonder how well Mr. Rivera can hold your liquor?" Caleb smiled at Colin.
Colin saw Caleb changing the subject and glanced at the wine in front of him. He instantly understood Caleb's intention and looked at Anna, who had been silent since they arrived.
An evil thought suddenly crossed Colin's mind. He leaned back in his chair and said, "What a coincidence, I took some medicine for a cold before coming. How about my assistant Anna drinks for me tonight?"
Colin pushed the wine glass in front of Anna. Anna immediately glared at him, thinking, 'Do you think I don't know if you took medicine? Liar.'
Colin pretended not to see Anna's accusing look and affectionately stroked her hair. "What, you don't want to drink?"
Others might hear Colin's affectionate tone, but Anna heard the threat. If she didn't drink tonight, the necklace would be returned immediately.
Anna's face stiffened. She didn't know what Colin was up to or why he wanted her to drink, but she forced a smile and said, "I'll drink."
She then picked up the wine glass and said to Caleb, "Mr. Hayes, I'll drink this on behalf of Mr. Rivera."
Anna downed the wine in one gulp, the strong liquor making her cough violently.
Colin immediately handed her a glass of water and patted her back, lightly scolding, "Drink slowly, no one's rushing you."
Caleb watched their intimate interaction, his hand clenching, but he maintained a concerned facade.
"Mr. Rivera, you invited me to discuss a collaboration but let your assistant drink for you. Isn't that against the rules?"
Colin smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Rules? You're talking to me about rules? In Harborvale, my word is the rule."
Colin's smile was polite, but his tone was arrogant and threatening, which Caleb understood perfectly.
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