Chapter 336

Sherwood remained rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed as Luis' silhouette dwindled little by little into the distance.

His face darkened, the once easy smile collapsing into a tight frown, each twitch of his lips betraying the storm brewing inside him.

At first, he had believed that a marriage alliance would hoist the Kirk family higher in the business world,harnessing the strength of Sampson Group for his own gain. Yet Luis had remained as unmoved as a mountain,deaf to persuasion. Did Luis truly think he could outmaneuver him? That was nothing short of chasing shadows!

Luis walked out of the golf course and made his way toward the car.

The driver was already stationed close by, and the moment he caught sight of Luis, he hastened forward to open the car door with respectful care.

Luis gave a faint nod of acknowledgment and stepped into the vehicle. The driver handed him a bottle of mineral water and said softly, "Mr. Sampson, please have some water to quench your thirst."

Luis unscrewed the cap,took several measured gulps,and then sealed the bottle once more.

Seeing this, the driver seized the moment to ask, "Mr.Sampson,shall we head home now?"

Before Luis could reply, the shrill tone of his phone suddenly cut through the quiet of the car.

He cast a glance at the screen resting beside him.

Recognizing the caller ID, he flicked his eyes toward the driver, and then said calmly, "Circle the area a couple of times."

He pressed a button, and the partition in the car glided upward,slowly dividing the driver's seat from the rear compartment.

When the divider reached its fulI height, Luis unhurriedly pressed the answer button. His voice sank to a low register, carrying a deliberate distance. "Miss Brown, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to follow up personally-have you reached a decision regarding the proposal we discussed the other day?" Miranda's voice came clear yet clipped, businesslike, as though their last encounter had left no ripple in the polished surface of their professional ties.

Luis' fingers tightened instinctively around the phone.

His eyes narrowed, a glint of frost flashing through them, and his deep voice sank even lower. "Miss Brown, let me say this one last time-Sampson Group has not reached the point where I must trade away my principles for profit."

He paused, and then gave a cold laugh,his tone edged with mockery. "So, Miss Brown, do you have another remarkable tale to amuse me with this time?"

On the other end, Miranda hesitated briefly, swiftly realizing that he had taken her words the wrong way.

She gave a light laugh. "Mr. Sampson, don't take it the wrong way. That's not what I intended. This time, it truly is about business."

As she spoke, she lifted a hand to smooth her hair."It's hard to make myself clear over the phone. If you're not too pressed for time, could you come to the hotel? I'l explain everything properly."

Luis' eyelids flickered, his Adam's apple shifting slightly. For a heartbeat, he couldn't make sense of his own sharp reaction. Perhaps he was too used to steering every current, yet whenever Miranda was involved, he found himself drifting without an anchor.Or perhaps it was simply his refusal to seem like a man so easily toyed with-or perhaps something deeper altogether. A thousand thoughts churned through his mind.

At last, he pressed his lips together and answered somewhat stiffly, "I'm occupied-just finished discussing with Sherwood about my engagement to his daughter."

There was a pause on the other end,broken only by the faint crackle of static.

Just as Luis was about to speak again, Miranda appeared to find amusement in his words.

She stifled a laugh and teased, "You mean Molly Kirk?The very woman you can't even be bothered to converse with? Mr. Sampson, if your aim is to make me jealous, that's a rather worn-out trick."

Her voice carried playful ease, exposing his ploy in an instant.

Luis was momentarily struck dumb, a flush creeping faintly to his face. How could he have resorted to such a clumsy move?

Miranda, having laughed enough, still had traces of amusement in her eyes. She understood well enough that men were proud creatures, so she curbed her laughter in time, cleared her throat, and shifted back to a businesslike tone."Mr. Sampson, the condition I mentioned before was nothing more than a joke. Don't let it weigh on your mind. Two companies cannot build cooperation on trivial banter-mutual benefit must be the cornerstone;that's the essence of real business."

She paused, her fingers drumming lightly on the table as though weighing her next words, and then continued,"Mr. Sampson,I admit I was careless before.Allow me to set things right. Let's meet and speak thoroughly before any decision is made, shall we?"