Chapter 18

Heading to Sarah's Dad's Office

The next morning, "Ugh," Samantha woke up. Slowly, she opened her eyes and "huh," because of the angle, Sarah's face was right in front of hers. She immediately sat bolt upright, even though her mind was still foggy and she hadn't fully recovered from the sudden wake-up. She turned to look at Sarah, who was sleeping next to her, rubbing her eyes.

"Wait... why is she sleeping in my bed? Oh... right,"

Samantha remembered last night's events. She and Sarah had talked late into the night on the bed and then fallen asleep. They covered many topics, from college and their majors—Sarah, it turned out, was studying psychology because she wanted to be an HR professional, and they ended up talking about psychology; she also planned to go into management, law, and business. After that, they discussed their favorite foods, movies they were watching, and so on.

"Everything feels so easy... This is the first time I've ever talked to a woman one-on-one, even sleeping next to me... first time in my life... and I'm not even scared of having a seizure," Samantha thought to herself, looking at Sarah's sleeping face.

[But currently, you are a woman, so she appears vulnerable in front of you. What's on your mind doesn't count, sir.]

"Grrrrr... why do you always have to ruin my fantasies?" Samantha grumbled in her head.

******

Several hours later, "Vrooooom," a black BMW i8 sports car sped through the city, heading toward the business district where Sarah's father's office was located.

"Um... sis, why are we going to Dad's office first?" Sarah asked Samantha, who was dressed formally with sunglasses perched on her head.

"Because we need to pay off your dad's debt to my dad's company first. After that, we'll expose your professor and those five scammers from yesterday," Samantha replied.

"What's the goal?" Sarah asked again.

"So your dad knows about it before the police do," Samantha answered.

"But Dad won't disown me, right?" Sarah asked nervously.

"Hopefully not," Samantha replied.

"Why 'hopefully'? Why aren't you sure about this?" Sarah asked, starting to panic.

"Just relax, don't be so chatty," Samantha replied.

Sarah was silent, but her legs and fingers couldn't keep still; she looked extremely nervous and worried. Finally, they arrived at a not-too-tall building with "Thompson Building Corporation" on its facade.

"Wait, you said your dad is in real estate?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, they build commercial housing and sell it through their in-house agents," Sarah replied.

"That's construction and real estate. No wonder your dad was Carlos's target last night," Samantha replied.

Sarah was speechless, her face flushed red. Samantha drove into the basement parking lot to park her car. After that, she took the elevator up like any regular employee. While in the elevator, Sarah looked at Samantha, who was wearing a business dress, complete with a blazer and her sunglasses. Feeling observed as she opened her skill screen, Samantha turned her head.

"What's up?" she asked Sarah.

"Nothing, you just really look like a businesswoman," Sarah replied.

"Oh, there's a reason for that," Samantha said with a smile, putting on her sunglasses.

"Ding," as they reached the top floor, Samantha and Sarah immediately exited. They walked through the office, and of course, the employees looked confused seeing Sarah arrive with a woman who seemed to be on the same level as their CEO. After entering the CEO's office, where Sarah's father was, they saw a man around 60 years old, with white hair and glasses, busy behind his desk, looking at what appeared to be building blueprints.

"Dad?" Sarah asked.

The man looked up, then lowered his glasses. He immediately stood up and walked out from behind his desk.

"You're here, Sarah? What's going on?" her father asked.

"Um... there's something I need to talk to you about, Dad. It's pretty serious," Sarah replied.

"Oh, who is she?" her father asked, glancing at Samantha.

"Hello, Uncle. My name is Samantha Whitmore, Robert Harrison's daughter, and Derek's older sister," Samantha said, extending her hand and smiling sweetly.

"Ah... my name is Richard Thompson. Please, have a seat," Richard invited, shaking Samantha's hand, then motioning for Samantha and Sarah to sit on the sofa.

Richard briefly went to the mini-bar to get drinks, then returned with a tray holding three glasses of sparkling water. After placing the tray on the table, he sat next to Sarah, across from Samantha.

"What brings you to my office?" Richard asked Samantha.

"Before that, Sarah needs to tell you something, Uncle Richard," Samantha replied, glancing at Sarah.

"S-so, it's like this, Dad,"

Though trembling, Sarah recounted everything from beginning to end until she couldn't hold back her emotions and started crying. Richard's jaw tightened, but his face remained calm, and he didn't seem to show his emotions. After Sarah finished speaking, Richard was silent for a moment.

"Alright, I understand. You don't have to be involved with that Derek anymore. After all, they were the ones who asked permission to propose to you, for the professor, I will complaint to university board," Richard said, but then he turned to Samantha, "I'm sorry, Samantha," Richard said.

"It's okay, Uncle. So, Uncle, for you and Sarah to cut ties with my father, it's best to settle your credit issue first," Samantha said, pushing a check for $250,000 across the table. "Please accept it, Uncle."

Richard was surprised. He stared at Samantha in front of him, studying her movements to see if there was a hidden motive. His eyes returned to the check on the table, then he picked it up and returned it.

"I'm sorry, but I can pay off my own debts from my business and don't need your help, Samantha," Richard said.

"Sorry, Uncle, but this isn't charity. I intend to invest in your company. If the amount isn't enough, I'm willing to add more," Samantha replied, activating her Manipulation skill.

"You mean, you want to be an investor in my company?" Richard asked.

"Exactly, Uncle. That's my intention," Samantha replied.

"But why? You don't have any other motives, do you?" Richard asked, as he couldn't read Samantha.

"Of course not, Uncle. I'm genuinely interested in your business because I'm also involved in the construction world (that's right, I'm like a foreman, I know how to calculate material costs, worker ethics, manage and meet completion targets, anticipate risks on-site, and even ensure the building design matches the blueprint. Sometimes I even advise the architect, hehe)," Samantha replied.

"Oh, I see. Do you have a portfolio of projects you've worked on?" Richard asked.

"Hmm, not at the moment, but may I see the blueprint you were just looking at?" Samantha asked.

Richard stood up, grabbed the blueprint from his desk, and unrolled it on the table. Samantha immediately demonstrated her expertise, pointing out all the necessary components for construction based on the blueprint. She even corrected a few factors and gave Richard insights into what it would look like once construction began. Richard listened in admiration, a faint smile appearing on his face without him realizing it.

"Alright, I understand. So, this check is your investment? What about the profit sharing, and do you want shares in my company?" Richard asked.

"10% shares of your company, Uncle, and I'll add another $250,000 for operations. Please draw up the contract according to legal regulations," Samantha replied.

"Alright, I agree," Richard said, extending his hand.

Samantha shook Richard's hand firmly. After that, they discussed the points in the contract that would be drawn up. Meanwhile, Sarah stared at Samantha with a questioning look, but this time, besides admiration, there was something else in her eyes : respect.