Maryann frowned and asked, "Who's the lucky lady? I should have guessed, of course. You're very handsome in that outfit."
Her eyes had lost some of their sparkle. She knew she had said things that could not be taken back.
"You can tear up the asset agreement," Alex said, getting up to leave.
"Why are you always so cold?" Maryann asked. "Didn't you say you were my friend? Friends are loyal to each other, aren't they? Besides, I've already announced it to the board of directors, so don't make me look bad. What's the point of me being chairperson if I can't make decisions like this?"
"Okay, okay," Alex said with a smile. "I've never seen you like this. Since you've already transferred all your assets to my name, I'll accept them."
Alex opened the curtains and saw that the temperature in the crowd was still rising. He was sure they would have to do something before things got out of hand. "Tell me," he said. "What's really going on outside?"
"You can go," Maryann said. "I didn't expect you to be so suspicious. I just wanted to buy you clothes. It's not a small matter. It's a matter of principle, and I won't compromise."
Maryann's face had disappointment written all over it, and it was obvious that she had been hurt to realize how much Alex loved his girlfriend.
"Are you still sulking about that?" he asked, fed up with her attitude. "Look, I'll help you. Otherwise, why would I take half of everything? We made a deal, and profits are important. I've been doing this a long time, you know, and I know how this works."
"Okay," she sighed. "It seems that I'll be spending my life with that stupid oil baron. Why did that idiot have to fall in love with me? I was happy. Why can't I ever attract the right people? I made you my friend and gave you half my company, and you don't even care about me."
"Didn't I say I'd help you?" Alex asked. "What are you complaining about?" He laughed. "But the oil baron is your own business. That has nothing to do with me."
"You could help me with that," Maryann said, pursing her lips. "There is a way. You just refuse to agree to it. Anyway, apparently, we're not close friends."
"Stop talking nonsense," Alex said. "How can I help you?" He found it very strange that she was still talking about the oil baron.
"It's very simple," she explained, getting straight to the point. "If I marry you, then everything will be solved. I don't need you to give me money; I can support myself. What do you say?"
Alex had had enough. "Forget it," he said. "If you continue to wind me up like this, I really will get rid of you as a friend. Friendships don't have to be for life, do they?"
He hadn't expected that this seemingly decisive female CEO would end up being so clingy. Others may have fallen in love with her, but not him. There was no reciprocation of feeling there at all.
He just felt sorry for her. She was being bullied by her family and ruthless competitors, and she was afraid of marrying someone she didn't love. She wasn't greedy, but her only way out of her fate was through business, and she was determined to succeed.
It reminded him of when he had chosen to be expelled from the family rather than give up Debbie, so he felt a sort of kinship with Maryann.
"All right," he said. "Enough of your bullshit. Your destiny doesn't depend on which man you marry; it depends on you. Your most urgent task now is to save the business. When you're richer than the oil baron, then your father won't force you to marry him."
Maryann wasn't encouraged at all. "Well, I do admire you," she said. "Much more than the oil baron. But this time, you're wrong. You don't know my family."
He could see the sadness in her eyes, but she wished she could describe the loneliness in her heart. The people who loved her and the people she loved were always out of reach.
"Well, enough talk. Let's get down to business," Maryann said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"The Murdoch's Blue Bottle Winery has basically closed down," she explained. "And it has been subject to several investigations. However, they still refuse to go quietly. Frankly, they can't afford to give up. Now I'm just letting them do their worst until I can find an opportunity to stop them for good."
"Do you have a strategy in mind?" Alex asked. "Shouldn't you be more concerned?" His words stung, but he was still quite interested.
"Last time, I fought against Blue Bottle with your encouragement," she said. "As a result, I managed to get the investigation I wanted. And guess what?"
"Get to the point," Alex said, thinking Maryann was deliberately drawing this out. He had known about Blue Bottle for a long time.
"Okay," she continued. "I didn't expect Louisa, as head of the Blue Bottle Winery and the daughter of the famous medical director, to be questioned and refuse to talk. But she was, and she did. And now she's been in prison for a long time."
Alex was surprised. The Murdoch family had a huge influence on the pharmaceutical industry. With Jeremiah gone, Louisa wasn't supposed to have anything to do with it. But then he thought about Brian. Yes, it was Brian's style. He didn't have anything on Jeremiah, but he would still follow the law, which meant trouble for Louisa.
"Yes, Louisa was arrested," Maryann said. "And I was in trouble, too. There are big problems with their company. Our winery follows all the right regulations and is reliable in quality, so naturally we weren't subject to the same kind of scrutiny."
Alex nodded.
"Recently, Louisa was released on bail," Maryann explained. "But her troubles aren't over. I think that she's the only honest one in the family, and I don't believe that she would knowingly break the law. Steven, I'm not so sure about." She shrugged. "After Louisa was released, the skin conditions of the protesters Blue Bottle sent to put us out of business started to deteriorate."