Semua Bab From Trash to Titan: Bab 191 - Bab 200

Victoria didn't respond to either of them. Her eyes were on Maxwell. She could tell he wasn't finished. “Go on Maxwell,”"But I didn't stop there," Maxwell said. "I tracked down Richard Garcia. The man who built Vertex Systems. He retired a month ago but the new CEO is his daughter. I think he still has influence over Vertex systems.”The room shifted. Julian's smug expression cracked slightly. He didn't like this at all, because he expected Maxwell to fail. But now he spoke with the former CEO?Truthfully, it was a smart move from Maxwell and nobody expected that. Maxwell had been sent to get a meeting with a CEO who wouldn't answer the phone. Instead, he went around her entirely and sat down with the founder of the company. In one afternoon."Richard was very open," Maxwell continued. "He told me the Garcia family already had a board meeting about this. The whole family wants the partnership. They know how big this is for them."Victoria nodded slowly. "Then why is Driana blocking

Maxwell stared at her. There was truly no escaping this woman. Even a new grandchild wasn't enough to distract her from managing his life."One dinner," Maxwell repeated, his voice completely flat. "With Driana Garcia. That is all I am agreeing to."Without waiting for another lecture, he turned and walked out the door."Are you serious right now?"Camille couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stared at Driana with wide eyes, completely forgetting about the iced coffee in her hand.Driana didn't look at her right away. She just sat there tracing the rim of her glass. Her face was calm but it was obvious that something was bothering her deeply."Why do you think I'm risking everything by turning down Victoria Sterling?" Driana asked. Her voice was quiet but there was frustration underneath it. "Do you think I actually want to reject a deal that would double my company's reach? I'm not an idiot, Camille. I know exactly what Vertex needs."Camille was still trying to process everyth

Later that evening, Driana pulled into the driveway of her family's estate. She sat in the car for a moment, staring at the front door.She grabbed her bag, got out, and walked inside.The house was warm and well-lit. The sound of a sports commentator shouting about something came from the living room. And there, sitting in his favorite leather armchair with his feet up and a glass of something dark in his hand, was Richard Garcia. Watching golf. Of course he was watching golf.He looked up when he heard the door close. "Driana! Dear, you finally decided to visit us…."She walked right past him without a single word. She didn't even look at him or slow down. She just kept moving through the living room like he was a piece of furniture she had decided not to acknowledge.Richard watched her go. He opened his mouth to say something else but she was already gone down the hallway.He looked back at the TV. Then he looked at the hallway again. Then he took a sip of his drink and shook his

From Sophia: Hey! Just checking in. Are we still on for our dinner tomorrow night?Maxwell stared at the message. He had completely forgotten about this. He now remembered that he had agreed to go out on a date with Sophia Hawthorne, a week ago. And on top of that he had already canceled on her, for no reason except he was not ready, and they had rescheduled for this Friday. And now he forgot.Between his aunt Victoria's scheming, the board meetings, and the entire Driana situation, his plans with Sophia had slipped his mind. Tomorrow was Friday. The exact same night he was supposed to meet Driana.He let out a heavy sigh and leaned his head back against the seat, staring up at the high ceiling. He actually wanted to see Sophia again. Their lunch at Bistro Laurent had been great, at least until Matthew ruined it.But there was no way he could get out of the dinner Victoria had arranged. The Sterling and Garcia partnership depended on it.He sat forward and typed his reply.Maxwell: I'

Driana paused, the glass halfway to her lips. Was he really saying that he would have preferred if she didn't show up for the date at all? A genuine, surprised laugh escaped her before she could stop it. It was short and completely unpolished. She really hadn't expected him to say that.On her drive over, she had built up a very specific image of Maxwell Sterling in her head. She fully expected an entitled, arrogant guy in a nice suit who would spend the first half of the evening listing his accomplishments, and the second half expecting her to act impressed.She figured he would be deeply offended that she kept him waiting, yet still arrogant enough to assume she was lucky to sit across from him.Instead, he just shot back a dry, sarcastic remark. He actually looked just as annoyed as she felt, and he wasn't even trying to hide it behind a fake smile.Maxwell leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table. “Alright, let's just skip the polite small talk. I have zero interest