Peter and Lea Quinton were peacefully enjoying their breakfast in Chef Marcel's private outdoor dining area when Owen, Amanda and Derek walked in to rejoin them for their breakfast.
"That must have been an interesting situation outside." Peter commented.
"It's fine, Dad. We took care of the situation." replied Derek.
"Honey, do you think our son needs extra security?" asked Lea. "Barely two hours here in Brighton and someone is already looking for trouble with him."
"Do as you see fit, mum. I'm ok either way. I'm actually enjoying this trip. It feels good dealing with two parts of my past." replied Derek.
"Two, son?" asked Peter.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Before the whole fiasco with Carmen, I ran into my ex-colleague, Desmond. Owen, do you remember the day I got fired from my last job? Desmond was one of the employees there. It turns out he's working as a janitor here now."
"Oh. How did that happen?" asked Owen.
"Long story, Owen; but for now, let him continue working here. I have a more important task for you."
"Name it, Young Quinton." Owen requested.
"When we get back to Townsville, I need you to assemble a team to spy on that company I was fired from. According to Desmond, my ex-boss seems to be dealing with some underground gangs in Townsville. I need eyes on his every move. Keep me updated when you find anything." instructed Derek.
"I'll get it done, Young Quinton. You can count on me." replied Owen confidently.
"Thank you. Now to get to the real point of this breakfast." said Derek.
"Yes son, you've been keeping us in the dark about that. What seems to be the issue?" asked Peter.
"Well, yesterday, Amanda and I went to Starb*cks cafe after doing some site research on BDT mall. We chanced upon meeting Madison Smith, my adopt cousin there." said Derek.
"That is a surprise. What was she doing there?" asked Lea.
"Apparently Mrs. Quinton, she is hiding from her family." replied Amanda.
"How so?" enquired Lea.
"From what we gathered from Madison, Madam Louise ordered her not to take part in our mall and resort design bidding. Evidently, Madison was unhappy about it." replied Derek.
Amanda continued, "So she decided to take a stand, by taking part in our bidding war behind their backs. Apparently, the Smiths do not know about her intentions. I must say, she is quick and creative. She already submitted her designs by the end of yesterday."
"Wait, she's done already? How do you know that?" asked a surprised Derek.
"Apart from submitting her proposals online through our company portal, she sent me a copy as well. Here, have a look." Amanda replied and took her phone to show Derek.
Derek took a look at Madison's designs on Amanda's phone for a brief moment before returning the phone to Amanda.
"I knew she can stand on her own. Looks like she is feeling that too." said Derek with a sense of pride.
"Young Quinton, pardon me for being blunt; but if anyone else knows that Amanda has a copy of Ms. Madison's proposals, there may be a potential conflict of interest." advised Owen.
"Owen's right, son." concurred Peter. "We must be fair to all who takes part, including the Smiths."
"I understand, Dad. Therefore, this is what we will do." replied Derek before turning to Amanda.
"Amanda, when we go back to the office on Monday, check with our team if Madison has indeed submitted her proposals through our company portal. Once you have confirmed that, delete the copy on your phone, discreetly." instructed Derek.
"Understood." replied Amanda.
"How do you intend to solve Madison's potential problem, though? If her designs are chosen, the Smiths will not take it easy on her." Peter asked with concern.
"We will have to speed up our takeover of the condominium we mentioned back in my office." replied Derek.
"I'm working on that with our legal team. My plan once we complete the takeover is to share an apartment with Ms. Madison." confirmed Amanda.
"That's very sweet and thoughtful of you Amanda. You have done a lot for this family. I know Ms. Madison will be happy with this arrangement." Owen complimented.
"Speaking of chosen designs, can I ask you both...when is the submission deadline?" asked Lea.
Amanda replied, "We have set the deadline to a couple of weeks from today. After which, we will sit with our advisory team over a month to decide whose proposal we will accept."
"We will announce the winner at the end of all that. Most likely, we will organize a dinner party to celebrate the winner." confirmed Derek.
"Wow. Talk about perfect timing!" exclaimed Lea excitedly.
"Errr... perfect timing, mum?" Derek was puzzled.
"Son, that day you will be announcing the winner.... that's your birthday!" Peter replied.
Owen continued, "We intended to throw a dinner party at our Quinton Hotel in Townsville; but with this latest update from you and Amanda, I think we can kill two birds with one stone."
"Oooookaaaayy.....not the expression I would use Owen; but I understand your point. So how do we organize this?" asked Derek.
"Since you're not ready to reveal your identity yet, let's have a private birthday brunch at our Townsville hotel. In the evening, we can throw that dinner party you spoke of at the Townsville Exhibition Center to announce our new partners from your bidding contest. How does that sound?" suggest Peter.
"That works for me, dad. It's settled then." replied Derek.
Everyone on the table finished their breakfast on a high note. Overall, Derek was happy to share another meal with his parents again.
As they made their way back to the private jet and took their seats, Derek leaned over to Amanda and whispered to her.
"I saw Madison's message to you on your phone earlier. Perhaps, after we announce who wins the bid to rebuild BDT mall and our new resort, maybe we can go on that date? Consider it my way of thanking you for all your hard work."
Amanda's eyes lit up as she blushed. Her dream had come true.
"That will be nice. It's a date then." Amanda sweetly replied as the plane took off, back to Townsville.