~ At Heavenly Star Enterprise ~
Assistant Twig was waiting for Tristan and Matthew when they arrived at the company. He was there to submit the proposal of collaboration with the other company for a new project.
That proposal was subject to the approval and signature of Tristan as the CEO of the company. His signature was the only thing left to seal the deal.
"Oh, right timing, you are both here. I was about to call you, Matt. How is it? Did you fix the problem in the school?" Mr. Twig asked them curiously.
Tristan headed straight to his executive chair while Matthew stood up beside Assistant Twig.
"Yeah, we fixed everything already," Matthew promptly responded to him.
Assistant Twig nodded at him with a smile on his face. He felt relieved now. "Okay, I will ask you the details later. Chairman Lu got worried about you."
When Assistant Twig heard first the complaint from the school against Matthew, he thought they would need Chairman Lu's help but it turned out Matt and Tristan were able to handle things on their own.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Twig. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I hope I didn't give Chairman Lu a burden because of my action," Matthew felt apologetic when he heard that Chairman Lu got worried about him.
Assistant Twig burst out laughing after hearing that. He patted Matthew's shoulder.
"You don't have to worry about that, Matt. Chairman Lu is treating you like a grandson too so it's natural for him to feel concerned about you. Besides, this is nothing compared to the stress Young Master Tristan is giving Chairman Lu before."
"Hey, Mr. Twig. Did you forget that I am here too? I heard that!" Tristan complained while pouting.
Assistant Twig and Matthew chuckled upon seeing his reaction.
"Alright. I'm gonna leave this proposal here. Just call me if you are done reviewing and signing it, Young Master."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAssistant Twig left them after giving the proposal to Tristan. Tristan scanned the documents. After a few seconds, he recalled something.
"Matt, this company is owned by Bancroft Family. Can you check if one of Marcus' friends, John Bancroft is somehow related to this family?"
Matthew complied with his request almost immediately when Tristan mentioned that guy's name. Matthew could still feel the rage inside him just recalling those names. Marcus, John, and Lester were the names he didn't want to hear.
After several minutes, Matthew found out that John was indeed related to the Family Bancroft. He was the third son of the Chairman who owned the company that they were about to have collaborated with the new project.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… if that's the case then I have to reject this proposal." Tristan said while smiling wickedly.
Matthew was taken aback when he heard that.
"Hey, are you sure about that? This collaboration was already approved by the other directors and shareholders. You can't reject it just like that." Matthew said exasperatedly.
But deep inside, Matthew was touched by Tristan's action. He knew he was doing this for him and for Sophia.
"Hmm, I just want to use this as one way of punishing the third son of the Bancroft Family. I want them to know that we are backing out because of the evil deed of their son. I think this is a good way of giving him a lesson. His father should discipline his wicked son."
"Tell Assistant Twig that I will not sign this. That's my final decision. If the Chairman of Bancroft's Company asks the reason why tell them that it's because his third son offended me." Tristan said with conviction.
Matthew just stood there for a few seconds, watching Tristan with amusement.
"Hey Matt, don't look at me like that. You are making me cringe," Tristan teased Matthew.
Matthew let out a soft chuckle. "Thank you, Tris."
"Anything for my best friend… and his so-called girlfriend. Hahaha."
Matthew's face reddened when Tristan started teasing him once again. To hide his embarrassment, Matthew went out to inform Assistant Twig about Tristan's decision.
It did not take long when Grandpa Lu entered Tristan's office with a dark expression on his face. Assistant Twig was following him behind. He gave Tristan and Matthew a questioning gaze.
It seemed that Grandpa Lu became upset when Tristan refused to sign the proposal. Grandpa Lu was holding the documents in his hand as he faced Tristan.
"What is the meaning of this, Tristan? Why are you rejecting this proposal? Are you crazy? What's gotten into you this time?" Grandpa Lu ranted at him.
Matthew looked worriedly at Tristan but he just gave him a reassuring smile as if telling him 'Don't worry. I will handle this.'
Tristan faced his grandpa with a smile. "Grandpa, calm down. Let me explain first before you get mad."
"Yeah, you should explain! Give me a good reason for rejecting this proposal!" Grandpa Lu demanded.
Tristan stood up and guided his grandpa towards the sofa. Assistant Twig and Matthew exchanged meaningful glances with one another. They hoped that the grandfather and grandson duo would not end up fighting again over this matter.
Tristan and Grandpa Lu settled down on the sofa. Grandpa Lu was waiting for Tristan's explanation. He was looking at his grandson with a sharp gaze. His arms were folded over his chest.
Matthew felt anxious about this. He was in doubt whether Grandpa Lu would accept Tristan's reason for rejecting the proposal. Now, he was guilty because he didn't stop Tristan from doing this.
He knew that Tristan was not supposed to do this. Personal feelings should be set aside when doing this business. The company might lose potential revenue for rejecting this collaboration. Bancroft's Company was the most suited company for this new project.
"Grandpa, I'm rejecting this proposal because I don't want to work with the Bancroft's Family. I can't trust them."
"Why do you think so?" Grandpa Lu knitted his brows when he heard that.
Tristan sighed deeply before continuing. "I can't trust them because one of their family members did something wicked. What if they will scheme against our company too?"
'Tristan really knows how to play with words,' Matthew thought to himself.
Tristan was not yet done explaining. He spoke spontaneously while the three men were just silently listening to him.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"They schemed against Sophia. She's my wife's best friend. Last Acquaintance Party, the third son of the Bancroft Family connived with their friends and spiked Sophia's drink. They planned on taking advantage of Lillie's friend."
"Fortunately, Matthew came on time to save Sophia. Matthew beat those guys that's the reason the University of Imperial Knight summoned Matthew today."
"I think the Chairman of the Bancroft's Company should discipline his son first before I could accept this proposal. I can't let this slide, Grandpa. His son just harmed my wife's best friend. My wife is really upset about this. Don't you care about Lillie's feelings, Grandpa?." Tristan said dramatically.
'Wow, Tristan even used Lillie to his advantage because he knew that Chairman Lu dotes on his wife so much,' Matthew smiled inwardly at that thought.
"Oh, one more thing, Grandpa… Sophia is the girl who will become Matthew's girlfriend. So I'm doing this because of my wife and because of my best friend."
Assistant Twig: "..."
Matthew: "..."
The two men didn't expect that last remark from Tristan.
'Argh?! Why did he even mention that?' Matthew's cheeks were burning red from too much embarrassment. He wanted to hide right now. He didn't know if he could still face the Chairman after this.
Assistant Twig also glanced at Matthew, trying his best to contain his laughter. He could see that Matthew felt uncomfortable right now because of Tristan's statement. This was also the first time he saw Matthew blushing like this.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Lu's expression darkened more after hearing Tristan's explanation. The three men were now quiet, anticipating his response.
It did not take long when they heard a tearing sound of papers.
Grandpa Lu tore the documents and crumpled them in his hand.
"That's right! From now on, the Davis Family will not do a collaboration with the Bancroft's Company. Assistant Twig, include that company in the list of Blacklisted Companies. Tell them that they offended the Davis Family."
"Who dares to hurt the person close to my granddaughter-in-law? She's also the future daughter-in-law of the Wilkins Family! I can't let this slide. Who are the other accomplices? What company their family belonged to? Let's all include them in our blacklisted company!!!"
Assistant Twig: "..."
Matthew: "..."
Tristan: *Smiling while nodding his head*