“And now Joseph is still circling like a vulture. This project isn’t suitable to hand to anyone.”
“No matter who else, it must not go to Joseph!” Desmond’s expression darkened instantly.
He looked at Daniel with stern eyes.
“Our boss has no patience for the Hunts. Hold on to this project for now. Miss Walton will eventually open a studio–when she does, give it to her.”
“Alright, I understand.” Daniel didn’t argue.
Still, as long as the project sat idle in his hands, it was losing money.
That thought made him restless.
Noticing, Desmond asked coolly, “If there’s something else, then just say it. Why stand here hemming and hawing? I don’t have time to read your mind.”
Whenever Lucas wasn’t around, Desmond showed his true bluntness.
With men or women, his patience was thin. All his good temper belonged to Lucas alone.
“It’s just that… if I keep holding this project back, it’ll keep bleeding money.”
Daniel scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “You know me, Mr. Desmond. I’m a businessman–I care about profit more than anything.”
“So what exactly are you trying to say?” Desmond gave him a sharp look.
Daniel, usually so slick, wouldn’t have raised this unless it touched directly on his interests.
“Uh… so my losses…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but Desmond had already understood.
“I’ll bring this up with Mr. Carter. Besides, this project was originally under our company’s name.
“You only held the ownership on paper. Even if it loses money, it’s our company’s loss, not yours. What are you panicking for?”
Hearing that, Daniel suddenly realized.
Right, why was he so anxious?
“Wasn’t this the classic case of the servant panicking while the master stayed calm?”
“Alright, I get it now.” Daniel nodded awkwardly.
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He added, “Then in that case, Mr. Desmond, there’s no need to speak on my behalf to Mr. Carter.”
Desmond gave a helpless nod. “Don’t worry. You won’t be the one losing money anyway. In fact, as long as you keep doing your part for Mr. Carter, the benefits won’t be lacking. All you need to do is stay in line.”
Daniel felt a twinge of embarrassment–Desmond had clearly heard of his reputation in the industry, though he had never paid much attention to it before.
Still, he chose to keep his head down, nodding in agreement.
Only then did Desmond take his leave.
Meanwhile, Aurora’s preparations for opening the studio were moving ahead at full speed.
Leonard came by to help as well.
Megan was busy arranging things in the courtyard and hadn’t even noticed when he arrived.
He tapped her lightly on the elbow, startling her so much she quickly turned around.
Setting down the flowerpot she was holding, she patted her chest and exclaimed, “You nearly scared me to death! When did you get here?”
“Just now,” Leonard replied, his smile widening as he noticed the smudges of dirt on her.
He lifted his hand to brush the soil from her cheek and chuckled. “How did you manage to get dirt all over your face? You couldn’t even think to find someone else to give you a hand?”