Serena paused slightly.

She exchanged a glance with her assistant, Lily Thompson.

Lily immediately understood and hurriedly went out to stop Owen Lancaster, who had come to settle the score with her.

At this moment, even if Owen Lancaster’s father had jumped out of his grave, Serena would have stopped him, insisting on finishing the contract negotiations first.

“Mr. Grey, this contract has been adjusted according to your requirements. Would you like to review it once more?”

Unfortunately, Mr. Grey had naturally heard the noise from outside the door.

He took the contract, lazily flipped through a few pages, and then tossed it onto the coffee table beside him, his tone flat. “I’m satisfied with the contract, but who gave you the authority to make this decision?”

Serena’s heart sank.

Sure enough, Mr. Grey wasn’t so easy to deal with.

Mr. Grey glanced at her meaningfully. “Miss Harper, your surname is Harper, not Lancaster.”

Serena Harper, at such a young age, was able to hold a high position at LancasterCare. Apart from her talent, she had mostly relied on the support of the Lancaster Family.

She herself was like floating weeds, with no solid foundation. In the past, whenever she attended events, Owen Lancaster would bring her along, and the partners would toast to her, not only honoring her but also acknowledging Owen Lancaster behind her.

Now, with the scandal about Owen Lancaster leaving the family for a girl, and with Mr. Grey having seen it firsthand, Serena Harper’s value to him plummeted.

Once Owen Lancaster left, what would happen to the collaborative projects and the series of business dealings he had been leading? Even if Serena took over, did she really have the ability to move LancasterCare’s resources like Owen had?

The answer was no.

Mr. Grey put down his teacup, coldly shook his suit, and began to walk out.

“Miss Harper, I think we should discuss this cooperation another day.”

No, this business deal being canceled was a small matter, but the collapse of the cooperation project was a big deal. To set up a research team, purchase materials, build laboratories, and factories... LancasterCare had already invested a lot of money. It couldn’t be abandoned halfway.

Serena took a deep breath, but didn’t chase after him. Instead, she spoke from where she stood, “Mr. Grey, Owen Lancaster is Owen Lancaster, but LancasterCare is LancasterCare. I’ve also contributed to LancasterCare’s success over the years. If you would give me this opportunity—”

Mr. Grey snorted with laughter, mocking her.

“Executive Director Harper seems to have forgotten that in this circle, what’s most valuable is not strength, but reputation.”

His gaze swept over Serena Harper’s slender figure, wrapped in a professional suit, his look growing more disdainful. “A woman with some ability, or an entire powerful corporation—guess which one I’ll choose?”

Serena remained silent, looking at him.

Mr. Grey continued to eye her, suddenly finding her more and more intriguing.

The woman’s features were delicate and cold, dressed in a neat professional outfit, with an air of arrogance that made one itch with desire.

Mr. Grey reached out and patted her arm. “I heard Miss Harper is quite good at drinking?”

Serena suddenly curved her lips into a slow smile.

“Just a little, nothing too impressive. If Mr. Grey is willing to give me a chance, we can discuss it over drinks?”

Mr. Grey’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly clapped his hands, laughing heartily, “Good, good, good! Refreshing!”

After a pause, his smile became more subtle. “I’m a man of my word, Miss Harper. If you drink refreshingly, then I’ll make the deal just as refreshingly.”

Mr. Grey stretched out his hand, his fingers moving ambiguously towards Serena Harper’s waist.

Just then, Lily knocked on the door and urgently called out from outside, “Sis Serena, something’s happened. You need to come out quickly.”

“What happened?”

Serena frowned. Lily ran in and whispered something in her ear.

After hearing this, Serena’s tone softened with apology. “Mr. Grey, I’m sorry, something has come up at the company. This drink...”

Mr. Grey waved his hand in irritation. “We’ll talk another day.”

Being interrupted once again, he lost interest. As he left, he cast a dissatisfied glance at the female staff, humming meaningfully.

This seasoned business expert, who had been navigating the commercial world for years, probably saw right through her and Lily’s little performance.

After Mr. Grey left, Serena turned to Lily. “Tell me, what’s going on?”

“Mr. Lancaster insists on seeing you. He even... he even smashed the computers in several departments.”

“If he wants to smash, let him,” Serena replied flatly. “Even if the Lancaster Family is big, it’s just a few dozen computers. If he blows up the whole building, Lancaster Family can still afford it.”

Lily hesitated. “Do you want to meet him?”

“Leave him to stew.” Serena’s expression remained neutral. “Let him cool off. He needs to understand that without LancasterCare, he won’t be the young master who can call the shots anymore.”

In the following days, Mr. Grey made up his mind to teach Serena a lesson. Any orders from LancasterCare, he deliberately dragged them out. He would even pick up the cooperation calls only when he felt like it. When he did answer, his demands were unreasonable, leaving LancasterCare’s staff complaining bitterly.

In the break room, a female employee looked distressed.

“SylvanEdge Technology is clearly deliberately making things difficult. When will this end?”

Another one replied indignantly, “Mr. Grey is only acting like this because Mr. Lancaster isn’t here. If it weren’t for that Emma causing trouble, maybe...”

Before they could finish their conversation, they saw Emma standing behind them, holding her skirt and looking pale. The two employees quickly smiled awkwardly and ran off.

Emma stood there, her head hanging low.

Meanwhile, Serena arrived at SylvanEdge Technology’s building and waited for two full hours. Lucas kept her waiting on purpose but finally decided to show her some mercy and agreed to meet to discuss the cooperation.

“This time, Miss Harper won’t have anything else on her mind, will she?” Lucas asked, his tone mocking.

Serena’s delicate face remained unchanged. She gave a faint smile. “Of course not. My job today is to drink with you until you’re satisfied.”

“Good, good. Since Miss Harper is so considerate, I’ll have someone make arrangements.”

“It’s a small matter, Lucas. I’ve already made the arrangements.”

Lucas hesitated for a moment but quickly relaxed, thinking that Serena, being a woman, couldn’t cause any trouble. He took it as her knowing the ropes and being respectful.

He eyed Serena with a narrowed gaze, secretly impressed. They said she was proud, difficult to approach except by Owen. But now, this proud flower was within his reach.

Lucas’s greasy hand crept onto Serena’s shoulder. This time, Serena didn’t avoid it. She lowered her gaze slightly, and the coldness in her eyes became more apparent.

In the private room, Lucas deliberately tried to make her drink more.

Serena, playing along, drank a few more glasses—red wine, whiskey—the fiery liquid burned her face, making her dizzy.

“Sorry, Lucas, I need to step out for a moment.”

Under his burning gaze, she excused herself and left the room, heading to the restroom, where she ran cold water over her hands. The cool mist on her forehead helped clear her mind.

She slowly pulled a recorder from her bag and tucked it into the collar of her shirt.

This was her specialty.

Just as she was about to turn back to the private room, her eyes stopped when she saw a man leaning against the wall in the corner. His gaze drifted over to her, soft yet piercing.

In the dim light, his delicate features were framed by a hint of lingering illness.

Serena raised an eyebrow, realizing only then.

Oh.

This young master, has he turned into a waiter for love?