One Night Surprise - Season 3 Episode 75

Dressed in a crisp black suit, James bore a strong resemblance to Alexander—be it in his physique or his features. However, the way with which James carried himself was completely different to Alexander.

From a glance, he was far more approachable than Alexander.

However, upon Courtney’s appraisal of him, she had a strong feeling that his affability was merely a show. “There’s no need for that, President Duncan. I must get going if I want to hand over these order sheets to the factory. The sooner I do that, the less chance I have of disappointing Sakura Group.”

“You have a keen sense of duty, Miss Hunter.” James smiled as he spoke in a pleasant voice. “I heard that my cousin is here at the Hunter Group as well. You know, it takes a lot for a proud man like Alexander to accept a job as the head of finance in a medium-sized enterprise. I guess you’re the only person who has the power of persuasion over him.”

Courtney hated it when men spoke with snide implications and she immediately bristled at the tone of his voice. “You won’t get anything out of me,” she snapped irritably. “I suggest that you mind your own business, President Duncan. We wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened the last time, would we? Remember that fateful slip-up? Don’t forget that the higher you are, the harder you will fall.”

Upon hearing that, James narrowed his eyes and remarked pointedly, “It seems that my cousin tells you everything.”

“I would have discovered it anyway even if he didn’t tell me about it. I used to work at Sunhill, so I know a thing or two about the company’s evolution.”

“Is that so?” He scoffed. “Everything that you think you know about Sunhill is just the tip of the iceberg. They don’t publish the truth in the papers, so don’t kid yourself into thinking that you know what’s really going on behind the scenes.”

“I don’t need to know the whole truth to understand that you can always fall a second or third time.”

“What if I say that I have never lost?” James challenged. He lifted his chin as a smug look passed over his face as he retorted. “What if I simply spent the last three years fortifying my foundation—do you really think that constitutes me being the loser? Losing is not part of my vocabulary.”

Courtney frowned. “What do you mean?”

However, he raised a brow in disdain and appeared to have lost interest in their conversation. “I can see that you refuse to extend any form of courtesy toward me, so I won’t force your hand any longer. Until we meet again, Miss Hunter.” With that, he turned on his heels and made his way into the elevator.

Courtney, on the other hand, remained standing in the same spot. She could still hear his voice in her head. ‘Losing is not part of my vocabulary.’ What does he even mean by that?

She could not help but feel that there was something iffy about the way he said those words. Also, what does he mean by ‘fortifying my foundation’?

Even as Courtney left the Sakura Group, the words that James said still echoed in her mind. She had not even realized that a car had pulled in the garage at Hunter Group until Natasha pointed it out. Courtney snapped out of her reverie and looked dazed as she blinked at her assistant.

“Miss Hunter, we’ve arrived. Aren’t you getting down?” Natasha asked.

Courtney finally registered her words. “Here, take these order sheets and documents over to Bill. I have to take care of some things, so I won’t be coming down.”

Natasha hesitated for a moment before she took the paperwork and replied, “Okay.”

After that, Courtney drove out of the garage and sped down the route toward Public Security University.

By the time she arrived, the classes were already ongoing. The university had strict management policies that were different from other institutions and as a result, only bicycles were allowed to enter the campus.

She waited at the campus entrance for close to ten minutes before Oliver cycled out.

“What’s up, Courtney? You sounded anxious over the phone.”

“The incident from three years ago—I think James may have something to do with it.” Courtney did not waste any time as she cut straight to the point. The both of them stood by the entrance while she shared about her encounter with James.

Oliver’s brows were knitted together as he pondered on what James had said. After a while, he lifted his head and patted the backseat of his bicycle. “This isn’t the place to talk,” he said in a low voice. “Get on the bike. You can tell me the details after we find a suitable place on campus.”

“Huh?” Courtney exclaimed as she warily eyed the back of Oliver’s bicycle.

He teased, “What? Is my bicycle not good enough for you? I would have asked you to drive your car, but the school won’t allow it. Not even our headmaster can drive on campus.”

“No, the bicycle is fine. I’ll get on,” she reluctantly replied and perched as gracefully as she could behind him.

She was not offended by the idea of riding around on a bicycle, but she was simply not dressed for the occasion. Clad in a beige-colored woollen long coat which was draped over a bodycon vintage teal dress with lace embellishments, she was decidedly uncomfortable and she tried her best to keep the hem of her dress from riding up past her calves.

Along the way, Courtney tightly held her coat to avoid it from being entangled in the wheels. When they arrived outside the milk tea shop on campus, she heard the sound of tearing fabric as she descended the bicycle. She looked down and saw that her dress was caught by the metal wire on the bicycle, causing a huge rip over the hem.

“Oh, no,” Oliver groaned as he looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Courtney. I didn’t think this through.”

“It’s fine,” Courtney answered with a resigned smile. “I knew this dress would be ruined when I agreed to get on your bicycle.”

“I promise I’ll buy you another one.”

“Do you know how much the dress cost?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll still get you another one.”

They bantered in good humor as she followed him into the only milk tea bar on campus, thereafter staking out a quiet corner. He called out while craning his neck, “Hi, can we get two hot caramel macchiatos here, please?”

Oliver had only just placed his order when a snarky female voice came from the counter, “Do I look stupid to you? No one would drink cold beverages in this kind of weather.”

He bristled before he rolled his eyes at the girl manning the counter. “Are you that narrow-minded? There are plenty of people who drink cold beverages throughout the year, regardless of the season. Why would you discriminate against others and their preferences? I’m going to lodge a complaint to your boss!”

“Go ahead! Let’s see how you like it when I spit in your drink!”

Oliver clicked his tongue impatiently. “Is this how you talk to your customers, Tessa? At this rate, no one’s going to drink anything you make. You better watch your tongue before your mom teaches you a lesson.”

Courtney turned to cast a curious glance at the girl he was bantering with; she looked to be around the same age as Oliver. She looked intelligent with clear skin that acted as a canvas for her delicately-chiseled features and her eyes sparkled with wit. The dark green checkered sweater and the burgundy beret she wore accentuated her femininity.

Upon hearing what he said, the girl glared in their direction. She went still after her gaze fell on Courtney. She blinked and quickly turned away without saying another word.

“Ignore her. She’s so grumpy that it’s going to take forever to marry her off.”

Courtney snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Oliver before she narrated the incident. “I’ve been feeling as though there’s something amiss since my meeting with Harry, the Duncans’ butler. When I bumped into James today, he brought up the incident from three years ago. I started thinking about it on my way here. Then, it clicked.”

“What is it?”

“Well, Harry mentioned that Alexander never made a trip back home during the years when Jordan stayed at the Duncans’ residence—not even for New Year’s. It was only after Jordan’s accident that Alexander returned there, so that he could take the child away from there. If that was the case, how could Sarah be so sure that it was Alexander who asked her to poison the kid when she logically never met him in the first place?

Even if a village woman had the time to watch news on TV, it would be unlikely for her to pay attention to the financial news. Sarah mentioned that she frequently saw Alexander on TV and she was certain that it was him because she had seen him in the Duncans’ residence on several occasions. However, at that point of time, Alexander was not in charge of the entire Sunhill Enterprise, so he could not have appeared in interviews.

Given the timeline of events, Sarah’s narrative simply did not make sense.

“At that point of time, only the Sunhill Enterprise’s director would appear with such frequency on TV interviews.”

Upon hearing that, Oliver was silent and his eyes were fixed on the table as he muttered, “It’s James.”

He lifted his head as his gaze met with Courtney’s. She did not nod, but the look in her eyes told him everything that he needed to know.