Hearing the commotion, Janelle stood up.
"Is Mr. Aleen truly unavailable?" Janelle asked coldly.
The assistant recognized her as the notorious Miss Rovella. Seeing Janelle's icy gaze, she felt afraid. But the General Manager had explicitly ordered her to block Miss Rovella. So, terrified as she was, she had to hold her ground.
"Mr. Aleen really is unavailable, Miss Rovella. Please, just go back. Don't make things difficult for someone like me."
"I'm making things difficult for you?"
If Janelle didn't understand what was happening by now, she'd have wasted her twenty years.
"Miss Rovella, I'm just an employee. Mr. Aleen truly has no time."
"Is that so? In that case, I'll just have to go in and see for myself." Janelle pushed the assistant aside.
The assistant grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. Mr. Aleen had no idea they were even in the building; he was currently relaxing with tea in his office! If he found out she'd let them through, her job was likely toast.
"Miss Rovella, if you persist, I'll have to call security," the assistant threatened. "Mr. Aleen hates it when people force their way into his office."
"What's going on here?"
A young male voice cut through the tension. The assistant turned and saw Bruce Aleen, the young master of the Aleen family.
"Young Mr. Aleen! Mr. Aleen is busy, but they insist on barging in!" The assistant liked Bruce Aleen and immediately adopted a helpless tone. "I can't hold them back! Young Mr. Aleen, please help me!"
Bruce Aleen walked over to Janelle. What was she doing here? Since last night, her fierce image had been replaying in his mind. He'd thought of her all night, unable to sleep. His father had dragged him to the office today, which had infuriated him – until now. Seeing her here was an unexpected surprise.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" The words slipped out before Bruce realized it. Everyone stared at him in shock, especially the assistant. What was wrong with the young master? Did he know Janelle?
"..."
Janelle remembered the young man – the one she'd raced. What was his connection to Mr. Aleen?
"Young Mr. Aleen, she's—"
"Enough! Shut up," Bruce cut the assistant off sharply. "My father is drinking tea in his office! How is he 'unavailable'?" Bruce showed her no respect.
Turning back to Janelle, his demeanor softened, becoming almost shy. "Come on. I'll take you in."
"Young Mr. Aleen—" The assistant tried again, but Bruce silenced her with a look.
"Miss Rovella, this way."
After last night at Nightfall, he'd heard plenty about her. But he didn't believe a single rumor. A girl as cool as Janelle couldn't possibly do those things! People must be slandering her. He knew from her racing style she was a genuinely good person.
Bruce Aleen personally opened the door for Janelle. Seeing this, the assistant could only rush off to find the General Manager. She'd failed the task he assigned; her future looked bleak now.
Bruce led them inside. Mr. Aleen, expecting only his troublesome son, started cursing before he even looked up.
"You little bastard—"
He cut himself off mid-insult, seeing people behind Bruce. Bruce shot his father a glare, furious he'd start swearing in front of the girl he liked.
If there weren't outsiders, Mr. Aleen would have lashed out physically. Why did he have such a disobedient son?
"Father, this is Miss Janelle Rovella from Blue Whale Co., Ltd.," Bruce introduced them formally.
Hearing "Blue Whale Co., Ltd.," Mr. Aleen frowned. They had approached before, wanting to bid on the project. While Blue Whale had a solid local reputation in Graham City, their previous proposal had been utterly unimpressive. He hadn't expected them to persist, let alone show up.
"Mr. Aleen, I'm Janelle Rovella from Blue Whale Co., Ltd. If you grant us an opportunity, I believe my project team will exceed your expectations." Janelle spoke confidently and persuasively.
"Miss Rovella, your company submitted a proposal before. Frankly, it fell far short of my requirements," Mr. Aleen stated bluntly. This project was the Aleen Group's major launch into Graham City; it had to make a splash.
"I understand the importance Aleen Group places on this project. I'm not here demanding cooperation, only asking you to review the proposal I've prepared." The proposal spoke for itself. The previous one was garbage because she didn't make it.
"Dad, just look at it! It won't take much time," Bruce interjected impatiently. He was literally just sitting there drinking tea!
"..."
Mr. Aleen truly wanted to spank him. He barely showed up for work, and now he dared to give orders?
"Mr. Aleen, trust me, you won't be disappointed." Janelle gave Linda a signal.
Linda immediately opened the project proposal and placed it before Mr. Aleen.
Initially, Mr. Aleen had zero faith that a twenty-year-old girl could produce anything worthwhile. But after just glancing at the first few pages, he was completely captivated. Her project aligned perfectly with his own ideal vision. If he hadn't kept his specific plans completely confidential, he'd suspect she had cheated.
Janelle waited patiently as Mr. Aleen read, confident in her work. Linda also breathed a sigh of relief. If Mr. Aleen was willing to look, they still had a chance – and a good one.
Sure enough, after finishing, Mr. Aleen immediately gestured for them to sit. "Bruce, tell the assistant to bring in some coffee." He had questions about the project that needed clarification.
"Okay!" Bruce hurried out, only to find the assistant and the General Manager, Manager Xue, approaching outside. Seeing them, Bruce frowned. So the assistant had acted on Manager Xue's orders.
"Young Mr. Aleen, I need to speak with Mr. Aleen about something urgent," Manager Xue said.
"Mr. Aleen is busy. You'll have to wait," Bruce replied coldly. He dared to make things difficult for Janelle? Now he could taste his own medicine.
Manager Xue tried to protest. "But—"
"Manager Xue," Bruce interrupted icily, "the Aleen Group hired you to serve its interests. If your loyalties lie elsewhere, feel free to join another company."
"Young Mr. Aleen, there must be some misunderstanding?" Manager Xue attempted to explain.
"A misunderstanding? I think the assistant knows exactly what you did," Bruce retorted. He might dislike corporate affairs, but he was no fool. "Wait here. Mr. Aleen is currently discussing cooperation with Miss Rovella."
Hearing that Mr. Aleen was talking business with Janelle, Manager Xue panicked. He'd promised Westin he'd block her, and he'd failed.
Bruce personally prepared coffee for Janelle. Unsure of her preference, he brewed several varieties.