Chapter 51: Another Strange Elevator Scene
Caroline Whitman’s mouth twitched. "Heh, in that case, you can sleep by yourself tonight."
Ryan Grant immediately backpedaled. "Mommy, I was wrong! You and Daddy should come back early, okay? I’ll be waiting for you at home with Grandpa and Grandma."
Caroline Whitman finally figured it out. ’So, the little guy feels secure because he’s at my parents’ house.’
Tiny felt secure, but she didn’t. She was worried that while she was away, the little guy might spill the beans about his relationship with Adrian Grant.
If not for the fact that the boy wasn’t legally registered, and that Southedge was too far away, she would have definitely taken him with her on this business trip.
"Then it’s a deal. You absolutely cannot say anything you shouldn’t in front of Grandpa and Grandma."
"I know, Godmother. I won’t say anything I’m not supposed to." Ryan Grant nodded obediently, even remembering to call her "Godmother" to prove he’d behave.
"..."
Caroline Whitman smiled helplessly and tapped his head. "You clever little rascal."
Adrian Grant found out about her trip to Floria that same evening.
He didn’t say anything about the child staying at her parents’ house, not that he could.
After all, since he was away, he had no say in matters of childcare.
"Are your accommodations arranged?"
Adrian Grant asked from the other side of the video call.
Caroline Whitman: "The company has already arranged it."
Adrian Grant: "Mm, send me your location when you arrive."
Caroline Whitman gave him a strange look. ’I’m going for work, not a date. Why would I send him my location?’
Just then, the little guy chimed in, "Mommy, when you get to Floria, remember to call me with Daddy, okay?"
Caroline Whitman arrived in Floria at nine the next morning.
She didn’t send her location to Adrian Grant.
To be precise, she had thought about sending it, but then she remembered how Adrian Grant had repeatedly brought up their agreement. So, Caroline Whitman held back and decided not to send it at all.
’I’m on a business trip, not a date.’
’Having to check in with him like this, whether our son was around or not, was just strange.’
After getting off the plane in the morning, Caroline Whitman had her assistant take her luggage to the hotel while she went directly to the client’s company.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Chase Ford in the reception area.
Their eyes met, both of them a little surprised.
"Miss Whitman?" Chase Ford raised an eyebrow, voicing his surprise.
Caroline Whitman glanced around and asked instinctively, "President Ford? Is this your company?"
Chase Ford smiled slightly. "No, I’m here to discuss a partnership. It seems we’re destined to run into each other."
Caroline Whitman smiled back. "Quite destined, indeed."
She hadn’t expected the client to have two potential partners come in at the same time. ’Are they planning to make us bid against each other at the same table?’
Before long, a man and a woman entered the reception room.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they got down to the business of bidding.
In the end, Caroline Whitman won the contract with a lower bid.
While waiting for the elevator, Chase Ford remarked with a sigh and a smile, "Your company really went all out this time. You won this deal. I’m afraid it’s going to be hard for me to explain this back at my company."
Caroline Whitman feigned ignorance of his underlying meaning and smiled. "If there’s a profit to be made, we’ll do it."
Chase Ford chuckled. "There’s a reason the Whitman Group has been so successful these past few years."
The elevator doors slowly opened.
A tall, imposing figure was the first thing that came into view. Caroline Whitman’s gaze slowly traveled up, and she froze for a moment when she recognized the familiar face.
Adrian Grant also paused, his gaze lingering on her for a fleeting moment.
Chase Ford was the first to react, his tone laced with surprise. "President Grant, what a coincidence. Are you going up or down?"
"Up."
Chase Ford let out a laugh, a hint of regret in his voice. "Unfortunate. We’re going down."
Caroline Whitman stared at the man in the elevator, wondering if she should greet him. But on second thought, Adrian Grant hadn’t taken the initiative to say hello to her. He probably didn’t want to be seen interacting with her in public.
As the thoughts spun in her mind, the elevator doors began to close.
Just then, Chase Ford turned to Caroline Whitman with a gentle smile. "I heard there’s a great specialty restaurant in Floria, right nearby. Would you like to go try it together?"
The words had barely left his lips when the elevator doors shut completely, sealing Caroline Whitman’s unspoken reply outside.
Adrian Grant stared expressionlessly at the closed elevator doors as a random thought flashed through his mind: the messages he’d received today.
Caroline Whitman... she hadn’t sent him any messages today.
DING—
The elevator reached his floor.
The doors opened again.
"President Grant, this way, please," his secretary reminded him softly.
Adrian Grant snapped out of his reverie and strode out of the elevator.
At one in the afternoon, the long meeting finally ended.
Adrian Grant walked out of the company building and casually checked his phone. It was filled with work-related messages, but none from her.
At five in the afternoon, the factory inspection was complete.
The chat window remained silent. Still no message from Caroline Whitman.
At seven in the evening, he was at a dinner with the general manager of a partner company.
At eight-thirty, he stepped out of the private room to wait for the elevator.
The moment the elevator doors dinged open, he saw Caroline Whitman inside, laughing and chatting happily with a young man, her eyes filled with relaxed amusement.
Caroline Whitman looked up, her gaze crashing into the deep stare of the man outside the elevator. Her smile froze.
"..."
’What the hell?! How did I run into Adrian Grant here too?’
’Another weird elevator encounter.’
’Are the two of us fated to meet in elevators or something?’
Adrian Grant’s gaze swept coolly past her, landing on the unfamiliar man with the brilliant smile beside her.
’It wasn’t Chase Ford.’
"We’re here. It’s not every day you come to Floria, so this is my treat. Order whatever you want," the man said in a familiar and enthusiastic tone.
Adrian Grant’s gaze slowly returned to Caroline Whitman. His thin lips were pressed into a line, and he said nothing. He made no move to greet her, instead looking as if he were silently waiting for her to speak first.
For some reason, meeting his gaze made Caroline Whitman feel inexplicably guilty, like she’d just been caught doing something wrong.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to greet her, she simply lowered her eyes, avoided his gaze, and quickly walked out of the elevator.
Just as she and the man were walking out of the elevator side-by-side, Adrian Grant suddenly strode forward, forcing his way between them to step into the elevator.
He watched their departing backs until the elevator doors closed.
"Cousin, how long are you in Floria for this time?" Leo Carson asked curiously.
"My work is done, so I should be heading back tomorrow or the day after," Caroline Whitman said.
It wasn’t often she came to Floria.
Caroline Whitman had thought of her cousin who was starting his own business here, and since they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, she had asked him out for a meal to catch up.
"So soon? Rushing back to work?"
"Yeah, signing the contract went surprisingly smoothly, so things wrapped up early."
"You’re too dedicated, Cousin. You’re not even taking advantage of this business trip to relax a little. You’re finally here, but you still haven’t been to the lounge I opened. Want to go check it out later?"
"Sure."
Caroline Whitman was interested.
She had heard that Leo Carson had opened a bar here and that business was booming. Since she was here, she had to go show her support.
Besides, she had already video-called her son before coming to dinner.
When Ryan Grant asked if she had seen his daddy, she explained that they had different jobs and hadn’t seen each other yet today.
Although the little guy was young, he was undeniably considerate. Or perhaps, feeling secure at his grandparents’ house, he didn’t press the issue.
And Caroline Whitman was happy for the break.
’Finally, no more check-ups.’