Next One Is a Babe
Chapter 139

John froze, at a loss as to how Isabelle came into the conversation. His brows creased for a moment before easing. Meanwhile, Sophia glanced at him with mirth etched on her face before she lowered her head and resumed eating.

After breakfast, John went to work, while Sophia leaned back against the sofa and watched television. It was early in the morning, so there wasn't any interesting program. She held the remote in her hand, channel-surfing impatiently.

When John had reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder at Sophia who was dressed casually, leaning back against the sofa with her legs crossed. She's truly laid-back. I won't even consider befriending such a lady, let alone marrying her. He stared at her for a while before leaving and closing the door behind him.

He then drove to the office. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Zack waiting right at the doors of the elevator, and he seemed to be waiting for him in particular. When Zack caught sight of him, he hurried over and exclaimed, "Boss, there's something I need to tell you."

John was a touch surprised since he'd never seen Zack this anxious. He snorted. "Did someone give you a hard time?"

Zack shook his head. "No, no, let's talk in your office." He was fairly bursting at the seams, and as soon as they'd entered John's office, he promptly closed the door. Then, he stared at John anxiously. "The Bailey Family called early in the morning."

John's brows knitted together. "The Bailey Family?"

Zack nodded. "Yes, the Bailey Family, Miss Isabelle Bailey's family, called Young Master William. It sounds as though they're interested in a collaboration of sorts."

John was momentarily taken aback. "Who called?"

Letting out a sigh, Zack answered, "From Young Master William's tone, it sounded as though it was Elder Mr. Bailey who called."

John said nothing, but his expression was rather solemn. Even when the Bailey and Constance Families were planning to be related by marriage back then, the subject of collaborating never came up.

In fact, Mrs. Constance had once brought this up to William in private, saying that the two companies should have business dealings together since they were planning to be related by marriage. Back then, William replied that the Baileys never mentioned this.

Thus, it seemed that Elder Mr. Bailey wasn't in a hurry to associate with the Constance Family in business. He was an extremely cautious person, so he might have worried that the in-law relationship could possibly impede the collaboration.

Now, however, they're suddenly bringing up the subject of collaborating. Could it be that they're convinced that Sophia and I aren't divorced, thus gave up hope on my relationship with Isabelle and planned to become regular business partners instead? After a while, John asked Zack, "What did Young Master William say? Did he give an immediate reply?"

Zack shook his head. "No, but it seems that someone from the Bailey Family will be coming later to take a look at the specific situation here."

John nodded. "Alright, got it. You can go and get busy."

However, Zack was still a tad worried. "If we collaborate with the Bailey Family, will you then always be with Isabelle Bailey?"

John was momentarily taken aback. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Concern was written all over Zack's face. "My beloved boss, you must remember that this is regular collaboration, so you can't allow yourself to be tempted."

John's expression turned frigid. "Leave."

Zack hurriedly left, but he remained standing outside John's office door. Still a touch worried, he swiftly took out his cell phone and texted Sophia. Sophia hadn't been replying to him all this while, but he thought that she'd at least fret after he'd sent this message, but he was wrong. It was as though the message got lost in the vast ocean, for there was no response thereafter. He clutched at his hair before returning to his own office.

Sure enough, Elder Mr. Bailey and Old Mr. Bailey visited the Constance Family's company later in the morning. The two companies were on a similar scale, but one dealt in construction materials while the other in furniture manufacturing. Even with a collaboration, neither was helping or boosting the other since both were evenly matched.

John wasn't part of the team who greeted the Bailey Family. There were still William and his other uncles in the company, so he didn't need to do it.

Restless, Zack went to John's office again. At this time, John was looking at the data on his computer with his brows furrowed. The moment he saw Zack entering, he knew the reason for his visit. "Stop letting your imagination run wild and concentrate on work."

Zack slowly walked over to John's office desk and lowered his voice. "Boss, I just want to ask you a question. Can you please answer me patiently?" John looked up at him without saying a single word. Pursing his lips, Zack asked, "Since you're single now, have you ever considered taking your relationship with Miss Bailey further?"