Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

With a nod, Simon adjusted his mask and approached the door, knocking softly.

"Hello, I'm here for my appoi-"

His words caught in his throat, and he froze, his eyes widening in shock. Behind the desk, Louis exhaled a puff of smoke as he watched Simon with an amused smirk.

For a moment, Simon's blood ran cold. What the hell was going on? Had he unwittingly crossed some vengeful spirit? How else could he explain this relentless misfortune? How could the chairman of Onley Group be Zedrick's younger brother?

Louis flicked the ashes from his cigarette. "I have an appointment with the founder of Legacy Twine, right? Mr. Fitzgerald, please take a seat."

Louis was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

He and Zedrick had nearly beaten Simon senseless, and now, he was acting like they were meeting for the first time.

Simon's fists tightened. He wanted to turn on his heel and leave this nightmare behind. But where could he go? No matter how much he hated it, he had no choice but to stay and endure.

Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly sat down. "H-Hello, Mr. Jovarek."

Louis pretended not to recognize him. "So, how can I assist Legacy Twine?"

Onley Group was still establishing themselves in Greenfield City. It would be unwise to offend any local businesses-not until they had secured a stronger foothold in the market.

Louis had been trying to get in touch with the National Crochet Union for weeks, but to his surprise, they were completely unreachable. He wasn't sure if they were purposely avoiding Onley Group or if there was another reason.

However, he was well aware of the emerging presence of Legacy Twine, Simon's newly launched company. Perhaps using Simon as a bridge could open doors for him.

"I..." Gathering his confidence, Simon decided to temporarily put aside old grudges. "I was thinking... Onley Group is new to Greenfield City, and you're not very well known here. Meanwhile, Prosper Stitch Group is growing rapidly, putting smaller businesses at risk.

"Onley Group needs a local partner to break into the market, and my company, Legacy Twine, needs a reliable backer."

Simon glanced warily at the door to make sure no bodyguards were listening. Taking a deep breath, he made his pitch. "We could join forces and support each other."

Louis listened, then suddenly burst into laughter. But there was no humor in his eyes-only outright contempt and scorn.

Simon's confidence wavered under the weight of Louis' reaction. "Mr. Jovarek, may I ask what's so funny?"

"Onley Group lacks nothing. Prosper Stitch Group may be my competitor, but they haven't stopped me. If want to make an impact in this industry, I need someone with real influence in the crochet world." noveldrama

Without hesitation, Louis continued, cutting straight to the heart of the matter, "I have two choices-Shirley or Janice. If you can bring me either of them, I'll back Legacy Twine and elevate your company to a mid-sized company." sŵnovel

Legacy Twine was a brand-new company that was barely off the ground. To call it

a small business would be an overstatement.

Louis had already sent Heidi to find Shirley, but he wasn't expecting much. Simon, however, had a long history with Janice. That alone made him more valuable than Heidi.

Simon frowned. "So, do you want Shirley or Janice?"

The truth was, he couldn't deliver either.

Seeing his hesitation, Louis crushed out his cigarette and said, "A business partner has to be useful. If you can't deliver, why would I waste my time with you?"

Simon quickly responded, "Mr. Jovarek, there's no bad blood between us. I came here in good faith. I—"

"Good faith? And what does that get

me?" Louis interrupted. "Legacy Twine has barely made a name for themselves. Do you really think you have the power to shake up Prosper Stitch Group? Forget them. No company even sees Legacy Twine as their competition right now. To be blunt, you have zero value."

With a smirk, he said, "I'm only giving you this chance because we're in the same industry."