"Mr. Grey! Why weren't you answering your phone?" said a voice that Blortus recognized immediately.
"Oh, Leo. Sorry, I ran out of battery," Blortus explained as he turned around. This was a lie.
The truth was that Blortus had turned off his phone while talking with Sheila so that his other contacts wouldn't bother him.
Leo, who knew Blortus well as his personal assistant, had bought him a sturdy phone with a very good battery.
It was no exaggeration to say that Blortus's phone resembled a small tank.
"Didn't you charge your phone last night?" Leo asked, trying to understand the reason.
"No," Blortus responded naturally.
"And why are you so... sweaty?" Leo asked, puzzled.
Blortus hadn't realized it, but his clothes were a mess. Not knowing what to say, he decided to stay silent.
Letting out a long sigh, Leo said:
"Mr. Grey, seriously... you had me worried. I thought something had gone wrong with your flight, so I was about to call security."
"Come on, don't be so alarmist."
Blortus followed Leo to a rather luxurious red car parked in a sheltered area out of the rain.
"How did the negotiations go?"
"They were useless."
Once they got into the car, Leo handed Blortus a USB to charge his phone.
"Thanks."
"At your service. And sir... how did you fail?"
This was an expected outcome, but Leo still hoped that Blortus could do something. After all, many considered him a business genius who had helped his family maintain a strong position as market leaders, leaving even the Longs behind.
"You know... that doctor never leaves that facility no matter the sum offered. It was like talking to a wall. Besides... I couldn't see her face to face."
The reason Blortus had traveled was to meet with a doctor rumored to be able to perform any type of operation successfully, but to his bad luck, he only spoke with a man in a suit who seemed expert at rejecting people like him.
Knowing it was useless to convince him, Blortus decided to return home to plan another strategy.
"If only we could bring your father..."
"Don't worry, Leo. We'll find a way."
Blortus's father was sick. Holding such an important position in the family, he couldn't afford to travel due to his poor condition, especially without officially announcing who his next successor would be.
Blortus's goal was to bring the doctor, but... he had failed.
Leo admired how Blortus remained upbeat despite this dire situation.
"By the way... did you see that invitation?"
By the way Leo emphasized those words, Blortus was surprised.
It seemed like Leo was mocking him.
"Well... I receive a lot of invitations. Which one are you talking about?"
Blortus wasn't being egocentric. As one of the elder sons of the Grey Family, he often received invitations from many families on his phone to attend parties or business meetings.
It was common among large families to receive relevant messages through their assistants, as they were likely to be buried with less relevant invitations from less powerful families.
For Leo, his assistant, to mention this invitation, it was probably important.
Starting the car, Leo said the following words:
"It's funny, but the Longs have invited us to a party where they will announce the wedding of one of their children."