Stella Sterling shook her head lightly, gesturing with the mineral water bottle. "Thank you."
Brandon Coleman took the opportunity to chime in, "Miss Sterling, where can we drop you off?"
Stella replied, "Near West Street. You can just stop at the entrance to the pedestrian mall."
Brandon Coleman acknowledged and opened his navigation app.
In moments, the car merged smoothly into the flow of traffic.
Roman Rhodes lowered his gaze back to the documents in his hand and asked casually, "Miss Sterling, how long have you been working at OmniConnect?"
Unsure of his intentions, Stella thought for a moment before answering truthfully, "One month."
Roman Rhodes capped his pen and turned his head to look at her. "Does Rhodes Harbor's acquisition of OmniConnect affect you in any way?"
'It affects me a great deal,' Stella thought, but she replied diplomatically, "It's fine. The impact... isn't significant."
"Not significant?" Roman Rhodes raised an eyebrow, stating it as a fact. "So there is an impact."
Stella was speechless.
'This man's talent for splitting hairs is truly something else.'
Roman didn't miss the fleeting conflict in Stella's eyes. His brow smoothed in understanding. "Why don't you tell me about it? What kind of impact are we talking about?"
Stella pressed her lips together. 'When you talk to a capitalist, every word is a potential trap.'
'Only a fool would tell the truth.'
So, Stella changed tactics, answering his question with one of her own—a classic attempt to fish for information.
"You must be joking, Mr. Rhodes. I only just joined the company, so the change in ownership has a negligible effect on me. You, on the other hand, are placing so much importance on this acquisition that you're personally handling the negotiations. It must be a full acquisition, not... a partial one, right?"
Roman Rhodes stretched his shoulders and leaned back in his seat, his gaze lazily drifting to Stella. "Do you hope for a full acquisition, or a partial one?"
'Which one do *I* hope for?'
Stella met the man's eyes for a second before offering a dry, boilerplate response, "Whichever way is best for the company is the one I hope for."
Roman's lips curved into a smile, his tone ambiguously sincere. "It's rare to see such dedication."
Stella feigned a shy smile. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
'My attempt to get information out of him backfired, and I got played instead.'
'This conversation is going nowhere.'
Stella turned her head to gaze out the window, a fascinating series of expressions flitting across her face.
'No wonder Liam Shelby said Roman Rhodes was unfathomable and hard to read.'
'Now that I've seen him in action, he's certainly living up to Liam's assessment.'
Lost in her thoughts, Stella unconsciously squeezed the mineral water bottle in her hand.
The CRINKLING sound of the plastic was particularly jarring in the quiet car.
At the sound, Roman Rhodes's eyes opened slightly. He glanced over, a flicker of keen interest reappearing in his gaze.
From his angle, he just had to lift his eyes slightly to see the lively play of expressions on Stella's face in the window's reflection.
Her furrowed brow, wrinkled nose, and silently moving lips all pointed to one fact.
'This girl is holding a grudge and letting it out this way... or maybe she's cursing me out in her head.'
Roman Rhodes watched with leisurely amusement, slowly turning the signet ring on his little finger with the pad of his right thumb—a habitual action when he was thinking.
After a long moment, the man spoke. "Miss Sterling."
"Hm?" Stella turned back at the sound of her name, her rich tapestry of micro-expressions instantly vanishing. "Yes, Mr. Rhodes?"
Roman's deep gaze rested on Stella's face—partly scrutinizing, partly probing, with a penetrating force that seemed to see right through her. He stared in silence for a long time.
Under his stare, Stella blinked guiltily and touched her own cheek.
The unconscious little gesture held a hint of naive confusion. "What is it?"
The man's prominent Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he raised his elbow. "Do you mind the smell of smoke?"
Stella's gaze dropped to his hand, where a slim white cigarette had appeared between his fingers at some point. She smiled. "I don't mind. Please, go ahead."
The CLICK of the lighter masked a certain gulping sound.
The car window lowered halfway, and the night breeze, mingled with the city's noise, broke the silence inside.
Holding the cigarette, Roman Rhodes looked out the window. The streetlights, switching on one by one, cast flickering, hazy shadows across his profile.
His expression was unreadable.
After that, no one spoke again.
Stella snuck a few glances at the man. Seeing he had no interest in talking, she stopped trying to force a conversation.
Even though, to her, Roman Rhodes was currently a walking, talking money-printing machine...
...the money-printing machine was far too enigmatic. She couldn't be too aggressive, or she might crash and burn.
About half an hour later, the business van arrived near West Street.
As Calderin's most famous food street, both sides were packed with people after work hours.
Brandon Coleman finally managed to find a temporary stopping point. After thanking him, Stella quickly got up to leave.
The door opened. Just as she set one foot on the ground, the man's deep, resonant voice sounded from behind her. "Miss Sterling, your interpretation during this full acquisition negotiation was excellent."
Stella didn't process it at first. She looked back at Roman Rhodes. "Uh..."
Before she could ask what he meant, the automatic door slid shut in front of her.
Stella stepped back to get out of the way, her expression completely bewildered.
'Why would he praise me right as I was leaving?'
'Was he too shy to say it to my face?'
Stella stared blankly as the van's taillights receded into the distance. After pondering it for a while without understanding, she decided not to waste any more mental energy on it and turned to walk into the pedestrian mall.
She hadn't walked ten meters.
When Stella suddenly froze in place, her eyes sparkling.
'What did Roman Rhodes say?'
—*this full acquisition negotiation.*
'A full acquisition!'
Stella spun around, her heart POUNDING as she stared in the direction the van had long since disappeared.
'He actually told me in such a roundabout way?!'
Stella couldn't help but smile, thinking this big shot was actually quite interesting.
However, her joy lasted all of two seconds before she sighed in frustration.
'I'm screwed.'
'If it were a partial tender offer, I'd still have room to maneuver.'
'But a full tender offer is equivalent to Rhodes Harbor absorbing all of OmniConnect. The thing I wanted to do... is probably dead in the water now.'
'This is a classic case of... extreme joy turning to sorrow.'
Stella wiped her face and, sighing, walked into West Street to buy two braised pork knuckles.
At 7:30 that evening, she took a taxi to the villa where Jewell lived.
At the entrance to the alley on Weyland Road,
Stella got out of the taxi, carrying the pork knuckles.
Passing through the night market at the mouth of the alley, she saw a three-story Western-style building, its willows swaying in the distance, appearing and disappearing in the twilight.
Stella composed herself and rang the doorbell.
The moment the butler, Mr. Hollis, saw her, he broke into a grin that crinkled his eyes shut. "Miss Stella, you're finally here! The old master has been talking about you all afternoon."
Stella handed the pork knuckles to Mr. Hollis and entered the villa, heading straight for the third floor like she owned the place.
Jewell's full name was Preston Jewell.
In his sixties, he was one of the country's foremost masters of ceramic arts, specializing in the appraisal and preservation of pottery.
Due to his renowned reputation, he had been hired as a visiting professor by several domestic universities and often had to travel for lectures and seminars.
The Jewell family and the Sterling family had been friends for generations.
The Sterling sisters had basically grown up under Jewell's watchful eye.
At that moment, Jewell was sipping tea on the balcony, leaning against the railing.
Seeing Stella come up, he deliberately put on a stern face. "You rascal, look at the time. What took you so long?"
"I got held up by something," Stella said, approaching with a grin. "I gave the pork knuckles to Mr. Hollis. He'll bring them up in a bit."
Jewell harrumphed. "That's more like it."
Stella came forward, took the old man's arm, and helped him back inside.
The two of them chatted for a bit before Stella finally asked, "Mr. Jewell, do you have any news about that tea set I asked you about last time?"
When it came to business, Jewell didn't beat around the bush, explaining the situation in a few words.
"That Tea Bowl set is the final work of the late Herman. Your friend certainly has good taste. Of all the things to want, they had to pick a one-of-a-kind piece."
Stella silently said a little prayer for Ian Jarvis.
Judging by what Mr. Jewell was saying, her chances of acquiring this unique piece were slim to none.
But who would have thought—Jewell's next words offered a sudden glimmer of hope.
Jewell said, "That Tea Bowl set is currently in a private museum in Port Vesper. I asked around, and the museum belongs to the Rhodes Family. The Rhodes Family of Port Vesper, you've heard of them, right?"