Chapter 20
With that, he turned on his heel and strode into the private room without a moment’s
hesitation.
Aubree stood still, her fingertips trembling slightly. A mix of affection and grievance ebbed and flowed within her, surging up and receding again, causing her an unbearable
discomfort.
She took out her phone and sent a message to Brielle, knowing she didn’t want to see her, and she left first.
After watching Andrew enter the private room, Brielle felt uneasy all over. Andrew acted as if he had completely forgotten the awkward moment just before, deftly snuffing out his cigarette in the ashtray, ignoring Brielle’s presence as if she were invisible.
Women, in his opinion, were like monsters. You could treat them like dogs, beat them until your hand ached, but in the end, they would still love you. He had always been the golden. boy, never giving much thought to the sort of affection that came running at a beckon.
To him, women could spend all day dreaming of love, but for men, it was all about those few peak seconds.
Andrew took out another cigarette and finally broached the topic of the evening. “Breaking into that foreign market is like gnawing on a tough bone. I’ve been circling for half a year to secure mining rights for three ore sites, and the rest are monopolized by Infinity Brilliance. They guard against me like I’m a wolf.”
Max chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair and pushing a glass of juice towards Brielle, “Aren’t you a wolf?”
Brielle considered leaving, but knowing Andrew’s temper, she couldn’t predict how he might react. Fortunately, with Aubree gone, she had time to cool down and put her thoughts in order.
Andrew clenched the cigarette between his teeth as if he was biting down on the jugular of an enemy,
“If I had been born a few years earlier, what would those bastards matter? If it weren’t for their control over ninety percent of the global diamond mining resources, I wouldn’t bother dealing with those savages who point guns at your head at the drop of a hat. This time, securing the mining rights for those three mines nearly cost me my life.”
Brielle listened to their conversation, her thoughts slowly settling.
The Clements family was renowned in the jewelry business, with the two most famous brands in the region under their banner. But with scarce mineral resources at home, and South Africa being rich in them, decades ago, some shrewd investors had bought up a large portion of the South African mining rights.
The Clements had managed to procure a few mines, which laid the foundation for their
16:06
fortune. However, with Andrew’s generation, the opposing company had resorted to gun-to-the-head tactics, trying to force him to relinquish his mining rights.
Andrew’s nature would never allow him to submit, but the current leader of Infinity Brilliance was as relentless as Max.
Max’s gaze was calm, “Doesn’t the director of Infinity Brilliance, Mr. Lynch have a fatal
weakness?”
The director and his wife were deeply in love, but while on al
e years s business trip, his wife gave birth to a daughter. Due to the old generation’s monopoly in the diamond industry, they had made many enemies worldwide.
Their daughter went missing. A young lady, who should have been born to the finest resources, was now lost without a trace. Each year, their people would send someone to look for the daughter.
Andrew smirked, extinguishing another cigarette in the ashtray, “I know what you’re getting at, but that child disappeared just after birth twenty years ago. Who knows where she could have been trafficked to by now.”
“With Mrs. Lynch’s level of concern for her daughter, you could negotiate.”
The domestic turf belonged to the four great families. If the Clements family were willing to help find the child, a small business concession would surely be acceptable to Mrs. Lynch.
Andrew narrowed his eyes, nodding as he considered the strategy. His gaze shifted to Brielle, and his lips curved into a sly smile, “Little Canary, what gem do you desire? Consider it a gift upon our meeting.” Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.
Brielle detested his tone. “There’s no need for Mr. Clements to go to any expense.” She spoke with an air of indifference.
Andrew’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his lips thinning like a blade.
Brielle believed that if Max weren’t present, this man would not hesitate to put a gun to her head. In his eyes, a human life was but a piece of pretentious paper.
After a while, Andrew rose to his feet, “Aubree’s waiting for me at the villa. I’ll be off then. Little Canary, we’ll meet again.”