One Night Surprise (Courtney and Alexander)
Chapter 277

One Night Surprise Chapter 277

Chapter 277 Alexander’s Fall From Grace

Upon hearing Courtney’s words, Oliver swallowed what he was about to say and looked into herimploring eyes. He could do nothing else but nod in resignation. “Yes, I’m talking about my mom.”

“Better sort it out before it turns into an Oedipus complex or something; girls take it personally whenyou start comparing them to your mother,” Courtney reminded gently and took her purse as she stoodup to leave. “I have to go now. There are some things I need to take care of at the office.”

“I’ll see you off,” he offered and promptly rose from his seat.

“No need.” She brushed him off with a dismissive wave of her hand before jerking her head toward thekitchen. “Didn’t Tessa say she’ll bring out a pizza? Stay here and make sure you thank her for her kindgesture. I can see myself out.” With that, she slung her purse over her shoulder and headed toward thedoor of the milk tea shop.

“Where did your sister go?”

Tessa came out of the kitchen with the piping-hot pizza. The sound of the pizza tray clattering againstthe table made Oliver jump and he glared at her. “What did you do that for? Can’t you act in a femininemanner like you’re supposed to and be gentle in everything you do? You scared the living daylights outof me!”

The smile that was on her face was quickly melted by his snide remark. She shot him a murderous lookand snapped, “Good graces are lost on you. Don’t eat the pizza if you don’t want to—I can always feedit to the dogs around campus.”

“Be careful; this attitude will be the reason why you’re never going to replace a husband.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dream of marrying you even if you’re the last man on the planet.”

Oliver blinked. He thought about what Courtney had said earlier and retracted his head as he smiled tohimself.

“What are you smiling at?” Tessa demanded in an incredulous manner.

He did not reply and kept smiling instead. He bent his head to bite into a slice of pizza, oblivious of howdelicate he looked as he did so. She blushed at the sight before her. She boldly appraised him,wondering how anyone could look that good. He’s better-looking than most of the buffed-up hooligansin the Blue Eagles.

The moment Courtney returned to the office, she immediately looked for Bill. “How’s the order comingalong?”

“We’ve asked the manufacturer to hurry up on the process, but the deadline given to us by SakuraGroup is rather tight—everything must be ready to go within a month. However, I’m concerned aboutthe quality of the finished work. We have to send someone to keep an eye on the manufacturingprocess—day in and day out.”

“It has to be someone who works in fashion, isn’t it?” she asked.

He nodded. “Designers will be arranged for the task.”

She grew worried. “Would you be able to make the necessary arrangements? There is still work to bedone within these couple of days for the design competition.”

In order for Citron’s designing team to make a strong comeback under Bill’s leadership, Citron Apparelhad decided to take part in the upcoming nationwide fashion design competition. As a result, Bill andthe team spent the last two days busy brainstorming for designs for the competition.

He currently appeared to be nonchalant as he answered, “It won’t be a problem. The work that we’redoing for the competition isn’t as difficult as it seems. Not to mention, we don’t have to keep an eye onthe manufacturer 24/7. All we need is to send a couple of designers over to check things out once ortwice a day.”

Seeing that he was confident about the whole process, Courtney did not protest further and simplynodded in agreement. “In that case, you have free rein on the matter—make any decision you deemsuitable.”

Upon hearing that, Bill nodded firmly and he began to make a roster for the designers to visit themanufacturer’s factory to check the work in progress. There was no one in Citron Apparel—not evenCourtney—who could top Bill when it came to being a workaholic.

After she left the design department, Natasha caught up with her and reminded her about the AWBusiness and Trade Cocktail Party that would be held the next evening.

“Miss Hunter, will you be attending the party alone or…” Natasha trailed off with implication.

Courtney eyed her assistant with amusement. “Do you think I’m incapable of replaceing a date?”

Natasha pursed her lips before she slowly responded, “Miss Hunter, perhaps you are planning to bringPresident Duncan as your date for tomorrow evening?”

“Yes.”

“This may be inappropriate of me to say and please don’t be angry with me, but I don’t think you shouldbring President Duncan along.”

Upon hearing that, Courtney stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Natasha in surprise.

A flustered Natasha quickly explained, “Don’t be angry, Miss Hunter. I’m just saying that thecommercial world is filled with those who won’t hesitate to bring you down and there aren’t many goodfolks out who would stand by your side. Given President Duncan’s past business maneuvers and hisquestionable temper, I’m afraid he may have more foes than friends.”

“Go on,” Courtney responded as she wanted to hear more of Natasha’s thoughts on the matter.

Natasha paused as she carefully chose her words. “President Duncan is no longer the director ofSunhill Enterprise, but the head of finance for Hunter Group instead. If he attends an upper-class socialevent like the cocktail party tomorrow, he might run into somebody he knows, like the Radson brotherswho are in charge of AW Group. I heard that they used to be rivals with President Duncan. On onehand, he might have a hard time facing these people and on the other, I’m worried that if you show upwith President Duncan, you might become the victim of vicious gossip. I’m just saying that all of thiscan be easily avoided if you go alone, or if you choose to go with somebody else instead.”

It was apparent that Natasha had given some thought to it and was polite in the way she said it as well.If Courtney were in her shoes, she would have been brutally honest—Alexander’s attendance at theevent would be his downfall. His fall from grace would make him the butt of everyone’s joke.

It was not hard for Courtney to imagine the sneers and jests of those who ran in the business and tradecircle. For a proud man like Alexander, who never experienced a downfall in his entire life, it would bedifficult for him to brace against the taunting crowd at the cocktail event. With all those in mind, shelooked at Natasha with admiration. “I’ll think about it.”

“As long as you aren’t angry about it,” Natasha replied as she let out a breath of relief.

They were heading toward the office when Courtney asked, “How long have you been working inHunter Group?”

“Five years.”

“That long?” Courtney appeared shocked. “But, why are you…” She trailed off in hesitation. She couldnot finish her question without sounding rude, but seeing that she could not think of another way to askit, the unspoken words hung in the air.

Natasha, on the other hand, did not seem to mind at all as she let out a small laugh before she asked,“Do you mean to ask why I am still a secretary despite having worked here for so long?”

Courtney nodded.

“I don’t have excellent academics,” Natasha explained with a sheepish look on her face. “I onlygraduated from middle school and I got a job here because my uncle pulled some strings with Mr.Hunter. While my grandmother is part of the Hunter Family, she is only a distant relative of Mr. Hunter’s.It was good enough for them to arrange a secretarial job for me.”

Upon hearing that, Courtney softened. “You know what they say—you reap what you sow. Good thingscome to those who work hard enough for them.”

When she first started working in Hunter Group, she was given a list of candidates from which shewould select her personal assistant. An assistant’s job was never easy and the pay wasdisproportionate to the workload. Furthermore, she needed someone who was well-rounded, paidattention to detail and had unwavering loyalty. It was a challenge to replace somebody who could fit thatdescription.

The group’s board of directors were worried that Courtney would have immense power over thecompany. In an attempt to rein her in, they decided to add a couple of candidates who were related tothe board members to the list and Natasha Golding happened to be one of them.

“Thank you, Miss Hunter.” Natasha bowed her head. Regardless of what Courtney said to her, she wasalways calm and collected, giving off the impression that she was far older than she looked. For thatreason, and many others, Courtney had picked her out of all the other candidates.

That afternoon, Courtney and Bill made a trip to the manufacturer’s factory. As predicted by Bill, themanufacturing process was less than ideal. The workers were not meticulous and their skills weresubpar at best. As a result, there was a need to rework on the first batch of fabric and he lost histemper on the spot. It wasn’t long before the director of the manufacturing company rushed back tohandle the situation at hand.

“What in the world is going on here?”

“What’s going on?” Bill glared at the director before he threw the scraps of fabric onto the floor. As theylanded before the director’s feet, he pointed at them in disdain and gave the older man an incredulouslook. “See for yourself! Is this the kind of quality that you promised us?”