Nancy hesitated. She seldom consumed alcohol, and she had no idea what sort of drunk personality she would exhibit later. She examined the red liquid in the wine glass in front of her, her mind a tangled mess.
Jory could easily see through her thoughts. He arched his eyebrows at her as he spoke, “Don’t worry, I ordered wine with low alcohol content. Just go ahead and drink.”
Since he said that, she could not possibly refuse. She proceeded to take a sip of the wine. A spicy and bitter taste instantly exploded in her mouth. Ew, how can anyone drink this stuff? And even be addicted to it!
“You don’t really drink, do you? Then, we shouldn’t come here next time.” Jory observed the indescribable expression on her face. Her cheekiness had left the building. In its place was dismay.
Nancy coughed a few times. “Don’t mind me. I’ve always imagined that the next time we meet, we’ll either start a fight or verbal warfare. It’s never crossed my mind that we’ll be here, sitting at a table in a bar, having drinks and a lovely chat.”
Jory continued to sip on his wine while maintaining a rather elegant posture, like one of those members of nobility in one of those eighteenth-century oil paintings.
Nancy was not a seasoned drinker, and she had no plans to force herself. Sitting opposite Jory, she simply put down her glass and, resting her chin on her hands, watched him as he drank.
“By the way, what business do you have with my father? I saw you in the elevator this morning and there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you…” Nancy began. After careful consideration, she supposed she should not pass up such a good opportunity to dig up some answers. She might possibly be able to help Joan find out the truth behind the acquisition of Norton Corporation’s branches.
Jory had his eyes closed as he savored the sensation of alcohol exciting his taste buds. “Ask away.”
“Why does Alpire Group want to acquire the five branches of Norton Corporation?” Nancy asked as she blinked quizzically at him, keenly anticipating his response.
“For the money.” Jory had always answered questions in a simple and concise manner. His three-word reply was clear-cut and irrefutable because he had just laid out a bare fact. The fundamental purpose of mergers and acquisitions between companies was, ultimately, money-motivated!
Those three words completely stumped Nancy. She feigned calmness and took another sip of her drink, only to cover her mouth again as more coughing ensued.
Jory poured her a glass of plain water from the jug next to him. Between her coughs, it was strenuous for Nancy to express her gratitude. It took some time for her to recover and utter her thanks, however faintly it turned out.
“Of course, it’s for the money. I didn’t think it was a secret. As I said, a large part of a company’s growth has always been done through the acquisition of other companies and reaping the gains from their stocks in order to keep growing. You should know that, don’t you?”
Nancy nodded. She understood that acquisitions were performed with a financial motive, but that was not what she was asking at all. In her subconscious mind, she believed that Alpire Group’s repetitive moves to acquire Norton Corporation’s branches were essentially an attempt to gradually destroy the said company. Furthermore, Alpire Group’s greed did not come to an end when profits had been made. Instead, it intensified. Their plans were still being carried out progressively, while Norton Corporation was slowly being devoured by the giant.
Nancy knew the reason for the whole venture had to be beyond monetary gains, but she had no clue how to go about questioning Jory. To him, she was the woman who turned down the engagement and brought him much humiliation.
If she had been the one who had been divorced, she would probably remember it for the rest of her life and might not forgive the other person. Therefore, she could totally empathize with Jory’s current mood. She could not imagine how much it must have taken for the man to confront her, to let go of the past completely, and to let his guard down around her.
She held the glass of plain water that Jory had poured for her. The lukewarm temperature was similar to general feeling Jory rubbed off on her—gentle and approachable. But she refused to trust him so easily. She could not be sure if his gentlemanly appearance was a farce he put up just to confuse her. She could not be sure if the person before her was as gentle and elegant as the plain water in the glass, without a trace of danger.
