His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 133: Something Extraordinary

Chapter 133: Something Extraordinary

** Eli **

The past twelve hours had been almost unrealistically sublime ... until the sight of that suitcase guy walking next to Harper ruined it.

Eli never bothered to remember the guy’s name — Walrus? Walnuts? — or rather, he intentionally tried not to remember it, deciding that he’d simply use "the suitcase guy" forever. It was good enough of a label for someone who he saw as nothing but baggage to get rid of.

Damn Harper was right. He was jealous.

The realization had come slowly as an astounding self-discovery. Eli had never thought of himself as a jealous person. In fact, he had always looked down upon the word, believing firmly that such an emotion was outwardly stupid. If a woman he was seeing somehow took interest in another man, he would simply roll his eyes at her loss for missing out on a good package. But the past couple of days had slapped him in the face with that laughable attitude. Harper wasn’t even the slightest interested in this guy ... yet Eli was already writhing in enough anger that he wanted to take care of the nuisance with his own hands, man to man barbarian style.

He was wrestling darkly with that thought when the suitcase guy followed Harper’s gaze, meeting his scrutiny. The guy’s eyes widened instantly, and then he ... blanched. Without any further lingering looks toward Harper, he stepped aside and quickly headed toward the tables on the far end, disappearing behind the buffet station.

... Hmm? Eli wasn’t sure what that was about, but he found the guy’s reaction satisfying.

Harper, now left alone, picked up a plate of preassembled lunch platter and came toward Eli’s table. "Mind if I join you?" She addressed the whole table with a pretty smile.

"I was hoping you would." Eli’s scowl immediately vanished as he pulled the empty chair next to him further out. In Harper’s presence, his mood had swung back to full rainbows and sunshine in the blink of an eye. "Harper, you remember Malcolm Smith?" He gestured at the technical advisor, who he had purposefully chosen to sit across the empty seat from.

"Of course! I’m looking forward to our meeting tomorrow, as I’m sure you’ll have plenty of enlightening questions prepared for me." Harper’s delighted smile was genuine when she exchanged a handshake with Malcolm. Then she turned to a different direction of the table with a respectful nod. "Just like the ones this morning from Nataliya — again, it was such a great pleasure to hear all your valuable feedback."

"The pleasure is all mine." Nataliya, the Consumer Insight director sitting across the table, returned Harper’s greeting appreciatively. "You addressed a lot of my concerns and brought up great suggestions for future consideration. It was a very productive meeting."

Eli almost grinned hearing it. Nataliya was infamous at Sterling Trust for being hard to impress, and it meant a huge deal whenever she gave unreserved praises like that. But Eli wasn’t surprised at all. This was Harper — of course it’d take the sharp-witted girl no time to impress anyone she worked with.

The two women exchanged a few more words before turning their attention back to the rest of the table. Eli took this opportunity to introduce Harper to the remaining group members, all of whom she’d meet soon enough in the upcoming days of presentations and discussion panels. Most of them shook her hand politely with a standard, friendly comment or two. Some regarded her with curiosity, probably wondering how seriously they should consider Malcolm and Nataliya’s endorsements. Yet there were also a few who darted not-so-hidden glances between Harper and Eli, their calculating gazes clearly showing suspicious thoughts that weren’t spoken out loud.

"I heard the two of you knew each other long before this joint venture?" Charles, a senior manager in the finance department, was the first to finally voice those unspoken thoughts. He smiled meaningfully at Harper before turning to Eli. "I wasn’t on site at Miracles to see it, but I was intrigued by the story of your ... how should I put it — surprise reunion — when the board members shared it with the rest of us."

The easy atmosphere around the table subtly stiffened, and all eyes looked in Eli’s direction.

Ah, it was his father’s firm supporters trying to kick up trouble again, probing for juicy secrets to brandish to the big boss. Eli felt slightly guilty for not weeding out the undesirable company ahead of time for Harper, but fortunately, he was always prepared for situations like this. "That’s right," he admitted naturally. "Harper is one of my oldest friends. It’s a shame that we drifted apart during the years I lived on the other side of the country, and I’m glad that we now get to see each other much more often."

Leaning closer to Harper, he picked up the pitcher of sparkling seltzer sitting at the center of the table. "My father asked about you too, by the way," he said to her as he filled up her glass, "after I returned from our visit at Miracles. He was just as surprised to hear you were there."

Eli knew he had achieved his goal when he saw the expression change on Charles’s face. These ass-kissers were well aware of the icy relationship between their company’s current and future CEO, and they never hesitated to show which side they were on. But if Ronald Sterling knew Harper as well ... then the situation would be harder for them to read. Were her capabilities truly so exceptional that she managed to impress both sides of the father-and-son adversaries? Or did she somehow hold favoritism from more than just one party? Either case would be a rare occurrence at Sterling Trust ... and good luck to those suckers trying to figure out which way it was.

What Eli hadn’t quite planned though, was for Harper herself to be caught off guard by the comment as well. "Your father remembers me?" she gasped. "But I’ve only met him ... once, I think?"

Now, the looks around the table all turned incredulous, and Eli almost laughed. He couldn’t have asked for a better response — did Harper realize how shocking the news was that his father would dain to meet any of his friends at all? Just that information alone would be enough to escalate her status to a celebrity in front of everyone seated here.

Not that she would care, since he knew she meant it when she said that the opinions of those gossipers didn’t matter to her. But still, Eli preferred not to drag her into this pointless drama between him and his father, and he wanted even his worst enemies to give her the respect she deserved. So he chuckled at her question and said, "Of course he remembers you. I think his original words were that I’ve done a great job choosing my friends, having picked such a talented one who could impress the whole board. A high praise that I rarely get from him for sure, and I have you to thank for it."

The air around the table shimmered with awe, and Eli was proud of his success when Charles raised his glass at Harper. "It’s an honor to have you here with us then," the man said, his tone already turning flattery. "I’m sure this will be an amazing collaboration. Cheers to the beginning of something extraordinary!"