The menacing chill in the man's eyes subsided slightly, but his expression remained hard.
He turned to Fiona. "Then what's the problem?"
Although the girl was usually cool and aloof, as if she treated everyone that way, she had never been this close to cold with him.
"Sir, in my opinion... Miss Lancaster is the type of girl who warms up slowly. Think about it you gave her clothes, you cooked for her, and you even wanted to connect your rooms, acting like you wanted to live with her forever... You scared her," Fiona analyzed calmly from a woman's perspective. "Girls can be sensitive sometimes. Your actions might have made her feel pressured. You need to find the right balance."
Nathaniel, remembering what he saw in the control room the previous night, nodded emphatically. "Right! Exactly! Sir, think about what you did to Miss Lancaster in the control room last night! Are you sure you two didn't get into a fight?"
Nicholas was speechless.
Fiona shot Nathaniel a glare and pushed him away, signaling him to just shut up.
"Sir, you have to seize the opportunity. You have to charm a girl, or else she'll slip away. And with a personality like Miss Lancaster's, once she's gone, you'll never get her back," Fiona sighed.
The man who ruled the boardroom with an iron fist and never let a single detail slip, the man they called "Mr. Blackwood," now wore the expression of a humble student seeking guidance.
"How do I charm her?"
Fiona earnestly shared her expertise. "Sir, since Miss Lancaster has a cooler personality, you need to be warmer! Be passionate, be shameless, be persistent, and then..."
***
Inside a private room of a high-end restaurant in Vaelion City.
Isabella Lancaster, dressed in a chic, sweet suft with flawless makeup smiled sweetly. In a soft, wheedling tone, she said. Hank, you have to try this foie gras. I hear it's their specialty."
Across from her sat a man in his early thirties, wearing a plaid shirt and gold-rimmed glasses.
The man was clearly flattered by Isabella's warmth and charm.
He glanced around the luxurious private room, then at the hundred-thousand-dollar handbag sitting next to Isabella.
Finally, his eyes landed on the palm-sized dish in front of him, a dish that cost a small fortune.
All of it felt completely out of his league.
People like them, in research, barely made any money all year, let alone dined at such extravagant places.
"Hank, what's wrong? Don't you like it? Well, take a look at the menu. Order whatever you want, anything at all, Isabella said, her beautifully made-up eyes sparkling as she smiled at the man before her.
This man was Mr. Harrison's lead assistant, Hank Davis.
He pushed up his glasses and quickly shook his head. "No, no, I love it. You're too kind, Isabella."
"Hank, don't be so formal with me," Isabella said with a lovely laugh. "Once my thesis is approved by Mr. Harrison, be his official student. Who knows, maybe get to work with you at the institute someday."
Hank blushed and pushed his glasses up again. "With your talent, Isabella, Mr. Harrison will definitely approve you. If you need any help with your thesis, you can always ask me."
Isabella's eyes sparkled as she looked at Hank, and her lips curved into a smile. "Thank you so much, Hank!"