Sidell looked at Evelyn, who was now smiling, but didn't realize what was wrong. "That depends on them. As their parents, we won't interfere." As expected, Sheffield didn't disappoint him. He had a long-term view. Even if they could make Evelyn lower the price of this batch of medicines in this round of negotiations, in the long run, they wouldn't benefit from it as much as they would from their cooperation with ZL Group in the next batch of medicines.
Sheffield sat back in his seat. Evelyn said, "Congratulations, Dr. Tang. You're going to be Mr. Xiang's son-in-law. I'll get in touch with Mr. Xiang again when the next batch of medicines are ready. Consider this as a wedding gift."
She picked up the bowl of soup, blew on it a few times, and drank it gracefully.
The negotiation went on smoothly and they signed the contract at the end of the lunch as per Evelyn's quotation.
"How about I ask Sheffield to talk about our deal with you from now on, Miss Huo?" Sidell asked.
She didn't think it was a good idea. "Let's talk about that later. The vice general manager who was in charge of this deal quit his job. So, right now, there is no one specifically in charge of this project. That's why I am here. ZL Group cannot let just anyone take over such an important project. We can decide about further communications after we find a more suitable person to take charge."
Ignoring everything she had just said, Sheffield raised his glass and proposed a toast. "Thank you for your understanding and trust, Mr. Xiang. I will definitely work hard, along with Miss Huo. I won't fail you."
Evelyn glared at him, but didn't say anything.
They had reached an agreement. Sidell invited Evelyn to play golf with him, but she turned him down. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xiang. I have an important meeting this afternoon. Why don't we take a rain check?"
"Well, that's fine. I have something private to discuss with you."
Evelyn knew what he wanted to talk about. She got straight to the point. "Mr. Xiang, this is about Dollie, isn't it? I shouldn't get involved in your family affairs. But since Savannah is my best friend, I have to tell you this. Savannah and Dollie are both your daughters. But you sent Savannah abroad and neglected her, just because she is disabled. Dollie, on the other hand… I didn't ask her to pay for the dress and our loss because she is Savannah's sister. I've also only stated that she's not fit for ZL Group, but didn't shut her out of the modelling circle. So, you don't have to dwell on that issue. But, you should really pay more attention to your kind-hearted elder daughter."
Sidell couldn't say a word. He didn't even have a chance to put in a good word for his younger daughter. With an apologetic smile, he said, "Miss Huo, you're right. We did send Savannah away. But that was not because she was disabled; we had to do that because she is a stubborn girl. Her mother and I had no choice." Sidell was too passive at this point. He would not have mentioned anything related to Dollie if he had known the whole thing would turn out like this.
"Savannah is my best friend. Even though she hides some things from me, I know what kind of life she has lived abroad. Anyway, Mr. Xiang, we will only talk about business from this point onward. I have no interest in dealing with parents like you. But if you think that there's something wrong with the way I do things, you can choose another business partner. I don't care if you choose not to work with ZL Group."
Sheffield was so impressed that he wanted to clap for her. Evelyn had a retort for everything Sidell said. She even threatened him with the deal, but Sidell couldn't dare show his anger.
Anyone with a discerning eye would know not to give up a deal with ZL Group.
Sidell smiled awkwardly. "Oh, Miss Huo, I didn't know that you were Savannah's friend. Of course, I don't want to mix my business and personal affairs either. But Miss Huo, please rest assured. Savannah's mom and I will pay more attention to her. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back to the hospital."
It seemed that Sidell had had enough of her.
Evelyn didn't move. "Please go ahead."
To avoid any further embarrassment, Sidell left the Orchid Private Club with his assistant and Sheffield.
After they had left, Nadia cautiously reminded her, "Miss Huo, you don't have to raise the price any further. And about Mr. Xiang's family…" Evelyn's way of doing things didn't seem right to her.
Evelyn nodded, "I know." She was just angry at that moment.
In fact, if someone else had come to talk about the deal, the atmosphere would not have been so tense. But the other party had been a member of the Xiang family.
Seeing that Evelyn wasn't angry anymore, Nadia continued, "The hospital affairs and their kickbacks are not our concern. Sidell is not as simple as he seems to be. Miss Huo, you'd better keep a safe distance from him in the future."
"All right."
She didn't know what kind of person Sidell was either; she just wanted to fight for a better life for Savannah.
Evelyn didn't fawn over people. She thought that people like Sidell didn't deserve to be a father, and that she didn't need to please him. Out of anger, she had blurted out everything on her mind.
She took out her cell phone and dialed Savannah's number. When she heard the click, she said, "Savannah."
"Hi, Evelyn!"
"How are you? What are you doing?"
Nadia and the assistant left the room, leaving Evelyn alone.
"I'm fine. What about you? Are you taking care of yourself or working too hard?"
"Working too hard," Evelyn said with a smile. "I met with your father just now."
"Oh." There was a short pause. "Did he look well?"
After brief consideration, Evelyn answered, "He is fine. Dollie is getting married. He brought his future son-in-law to our meeting today."
"I heard from Dollie that she has an amazing boyfriend. He is working on some research project, I heard. He seems like an excellent man." Savannah was happy for her sister.
Evelyn's smile froze on her face. "He is a doctor… and he is good-looking too."
"He is very handsome, isn't he? It sounded like Dollie cares a lot for him. You saw him, right? Tell me, what does he look like?" asked Savannah curiously.
'What is he like?' Evelyn thought. "Handsome… but, annoying."
Savannah was confused. "Annoying? What happened? Did he do something wrong?"
Evelyn quickly came back to her senses and said, "No, it's nothing." She changed the subject. "I'm going on a blind date the day after tomorrow. If only you were here with me. He might fall for you instead."
Her words amused Savannah. She mocked, "Your Highness, it's your blind date, not mine. Besides, I'm disabled. Who would fall for me?"
"What nonsense! You're the prettiest girl in the world. Come back, Savannah. Let's live together here. I'll take good care of you."
Savannah's eyes brimmed with tears, but she tried to smile. "We live together? We would just turn our place into a junkyard."
