Chapter 275

"Everyone knows our project is already making waves. I even held a big press conference. He's our competitor. You think no one's keeping an eye on him right now?"

I spoke earnestly, trying to drive my point home.

When it comes to business, I've always had my own perspective, heavily influenced by Gerald.

When Gerald was still alive, he often told me that the business world is full of copycats, but the ones who succeed are those who can do something just a little bit different.

I repeated Gerald's words to Asher, "You gotta believe you won the bid because of your own skills."

Asher slapped his thigh, "You're right. I shouldn't be so worried... otherwise, I'd be letting you all down."

I nodded, "Glad you see it that way. Now, focus on your project. Leave the rest to me. If Alfonso makes any moves, let me know."

Asher agreed and left. Just as he walked out, someone else came in.

Seeing Simon, I was pleasantly surprised, "What brings you to the office?"

Simon usually preferred to meet outside and rarely came to my office. After I managed to regain control of my company, the first thing I wanted to do was invite him over, since he had helped me a lot. But he had been reluctant, only coming after much persuasion.

Simon looked a bit embarrassed, "I have something to discuss with you. Can we talk in your office?"

"Of course."

I asked my assistant to get him a glass of water and closed the door before we started talking.

Simon mentioned he knew about our plan to get a blood test for Joanna. "Royce is pretty busy right now. He's juggling a lot, including trying to win you over."

I felt a bit embarrassed, "Don't say that..."

"He doesn't spend much time on it."

Simon laughed, "Caroline, that's not fair. He spends half an hour just picking out flowers for you every day!"

"Really?" I blurted out.

I had no idea Royce was picking out flowers for me.

Simon chuckled, "Of course. He mentioned it while we were discussing something else."

"I see..."

I glanced at the bouquet on my desk. It had been delivered today. I hadn't been in the office much lately, and when I was, I was too busy to notice the flowers. Now that I looked, the arrangement was indeed elegant and fresh, with some new varieties.

If he was arranging these himself, it must have taken a lot of time. I felt a wave of gratitude.

Simon quickly said, "Caroline, let's not get sidetracked by Royce. I came here to discuss something important."

"Go ahead. Is it about Joanna?" I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say.

Simon nodded, "Yeah. I don't have much going on right now, so I figured I'd help you out with Joanna's situation."

"Really?" I was excited, "With your skills, getting a blood sample for testing should be a walk in the park."

"Don't overestimate me. Joanna isn't just anyone. With her father's status, I can't act recklessly."

We had all been cautious because of this. Ronnie had relied heavily on Joanna's connections. Her father's influence was still significant, even though he was nearing retirement.

We were unsure whether to intervene, fearing it might affect Joanna's family.

Simon said, "But you can trust me with the health check. I'll make some arrangements, but I'll keep it a secret from you to make it more convincing."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. But since this is tricky, Kathy and I will also think of some ideas."

Simon suddenly asked, "Is Kathy still very busy?"

I sensed something unusual in his question, "Why are you suddenly interested in her?"

Simon stammered, unable to say much, his face turning red.

I realized something and laughed, "I didn't know you two had something going on..."

"It's not like that. You're overthinking..." Simon hurriedly explained, "If Kathy finds out, she'll scold me."

I laughed, "Don't worry. I won't tell her until you're sure of your feelings."

"Good..." Simon left after our conversation.

But I couldn't calm down. Simon and Kathy were both good friends. If they got together, it would be great. But after everything that had happened, I felt things weren't that simple.

Still, I trusted Simon.

That evening, I was still thinking about the day's events when I got home. The more I thought, the more I couldn't find a solution, especially for the task Royce had given me. How could we get Joanna to do the test or get a blood sample smoothly?

I sighed deeply and called Kathy.

Surprisingly, she was still awake, "Why are you calling me so late?"

"You're still up? I need to discuss something with you."

Kathy guessed it was about Joanna, "Are you still thinking about the test?"

"You know... you're better at this than I am. I can't come up with a plan."

Kathy quickly said, "I've been thinking about it too. I have a plan now..."

"Tell me."

"Joanna recently opened a new spa. We can go there for a spa day and chat with her... then trick her into going to the hospital for a check-up."

I said, "We just need a blood sample..."

"Are you crazy? Joanna's too smart for that. You think you can leave a needle mark on her?"

Kathy's teasing made me laugh, "You're right. I was oversimplifying it."

"Tomorrow, you set up the appointment with her. We'll bring Isadora along."