Chapter 281 Finding a Solution
Lauren had never dealt with such a fiery assistant before. From Clara's attitude, it was clear Dylan was a tough nut to crack.
Well, duh. Dylan, the architect, was a big shot. He had every right to be full of himself.
Ethan, though, wasn't ready to throw in the towel. He kept pressing Clara, "When's Mr. Jones gonna be free? Can we at least hang around here?"
Clara scoffed, "Mr. White, why are you making this hard on yourself? Mr. Jones has made it clear he won't meet any candidates to avoid any bias."
Lauren tugged Ethan back, who was about to argue more. "Alright, Ethan, we're not gonna meet Mr. Jones. Let's bounce."
Ethan looked at Lauren, bummed out, then trailed behind her out of the hotel. "If we can't meet Dylan, we can't clear up the plagiarism mess. Are we just gonna give up like this?"
Lauren was just as bummed, but she couldn't quit. She'd been wrongly accused of plagiarism before and knew how crappy it felt. She didn't want Richard and Elodie to go through that. Plus, their situation was way worse than hers had been.
"Ethan, since Dylan doesn't wanna see us, even if we wait, we might not get to say much to him. It could just tick him off more. There's gotta be more people evaluating the company than just him. If this plan flops, we'll try another. We'll hit up the other evaluators. No way Dylan can block everyone from meeting us." Lauren's eyes were set; she was dead set on fixing this.
Ethan nodded. "Thanks, Lauren. Thanks for sticking by me and helping me out."
Lauren gave a soft smile. "Remember how you helped me out back then?"
Ethan looked at Lauren with affection. "Give me a bit more time to sort things out at home. I'll get my parents to accept you."
Lauren's smile faded, and she looked at Ethan seriously. "It's okay. Take your time."
Seeing the gentle and thoughtful Lauren, Ethan felt a pang of affection. He pulled her into his arms, gently kissing her forehead. "Lauren, don't worry. I won't let you down."
Lauren's body stiffened. She nodded, not sure what to say.
Ethan hadn't expected that he wouldn't need to apologize to Lauren for his parents' issues and that she would help him without any resentment. He was over the moon, thinking that Lauren truly loved him this time. She was the kind of wonderful wife he wanted.
"Alright, let's head back to the office. I'll get someone to dig up info on the evaluators." Ethan took Lauren's hand and headed straight to the parking lot.
The info about the other evaluators wasn't a secret, so Ethan easily got the list of names. Luckily, one of them, Grant Parker, had been helped by Joseph before. Even though Ethan didn't want to bug Lauren again, her being Joseph's student could be a big plus.
When Lauren heard about the connection, she was all in.
She took the lead and reached out to Grant. Once he heard she was Joseph's student, he tossed Dylan's no-meetings rule out the window.
Lauren and Ethan rolled up to the reserved restaurant and spotted Grant. The guy wasn't even middle-aged yet, but his hair was already thinning—probably from all the design stress.
Lauren felt a twinge of sympathy, wondering if she'd end up like him. She loved her hair too much to imagine losing it.
Shaking off her random thoughts, Lauren put on a smile and joined Ethan in greeting Grant warmly, "Hello, Mr. Parker! I'm Lauren Walker, and this is our company's president, Ethan White!"
Grant's eyes lingered on Lauren. He nodded thoughtfully and then extended his hand to Ethan. "Hello, Mr. White."
Turing to Lauren, he said, "Hello, Ms. Walker, you are so stunning!"
Grant's smile had a bit of a creepy vibe, which made Lauren feel a bit grossed out, but she kept it cool.
"Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Parker. Seems like you know how to make friends by flattering people!" Lauren replied politely.
Ethan, catching the undertone in Grant's words, stepped between them and invited Grant to sit, positioning himself as a buffer.
"Mr. Parker, I've heard you're a big deal in Pariz. Since you're here in City A, we'd love to learn from your experience!" Ethan said.
Ignoring Ethan, Grant's gaze landed back on Lauren. "I'm no big deal. If anyone is, it's Ms. Walker, a student of the master designer Joseph. I should be learning from you."
Lauren kept her smile and didn't engage further, dodging more interaction with Grant.
Ethan saw right through Grant's intentions. He couldn't stand how quickly Grant zeroed in on Lauren.
"Since we have common interests, we might become good friends. By the way, Mr. Parker, how long are you sticking around in City A?" Ethan asked, setting the trap.
Grant, clueless about Ethan's game, answered without a second thought, "I'll be here for about another month. Once we find the right company, our job's done."
Ethan's face lit up. "That's awesome! Coincidentally, Lauren and I might be tying the knot next month. If you're still in City A, you gotta come to our wedding."
Grant's expression shifted slightly. Being a sly old fox, he kept smiling at Ethan. "I must have missed the memo that you two are a couple! My bad. Let me drink to that."
Ethan laughed heartily, "No worries. Mr. Parker, you're our guest here in City A, so it's our turn to treat you! How about a drink?"
Lauren quickly grabbed her glass. The three of them clinked glasses and drank together.
Ethan and Grant chatted away over drinks. Lauren knew Ethan was trying to shield her, so she sat quietly beside him, staying out of the conversation.
