Chapter 011: Clear and Pure

J-H Entertainment Building, Top Floor, CEO’s Office.

Solas Sterling was engrossed in work when his phone on the desk suddenly rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he tapped a few more keys on the keyboard to complete a data set in his file before picking up.

"What is it?"

As soon as he spoke, Harvey Zale’s excited voice erupted from the other end: "Solas, guess who I just ran into at the mall?"

"If you have nothing important to say, I’m hanging up." Holding the phone to his ear with one hand and his mouse with the other, his eyes remained fixed on the computer screen.

He was wearing a white shirt, but not in the usual formal manner; he wore no tie, the top two buttons were undone, and his sleeves were rolled up mid-way. He possessed an extraordinary countenance and a cold, sharp aura. He should have looked like the embodiment of a refreshing breeze, yet he possessed a pair of "peach blossom" eyes. With the slight tilt of his eye corners, a hint of wild, rebellious charm seemed to radiate from his very bones. These contrasting temperaments coexisted in him without any discord, making him all the more captivating.

"Wait, wait! Don't hang up! I saw the eldest Miss Pierce!"

Solas’s slender finger, which had been scrolling the mouse, froze. His grip on the phone tightened involuntarily. After a moment of silence, his voice was cool: "What are you trying to say?"

"What do you mean 'what am I trying to say'? Solas, Miss Pierce is someone you’ve actually been on a blind date with, and she’s so exceptional—are you truly not interested at all? Knowing my relationship with you, plenty of socialites have begged me to create opportunities for them, and I’ve never agreed. Miss Pierce is the first one I’m actually willing to play matchmaker for. Trust your brother; my eye for people is never wrong!"

Solas’s face remained expressionless, his thin lips slightly pursed. "So, what exactly are you trying to say? Or rather, what did you see?"

On the other end, Harvey’s eyes lit up.

Aha! He didn't hang up immediately, which means there’s hope!

Solas clearly had a decent impression of Miss Pierce; in the past, if Harvey had called about such things, Solas would have hung up long ago.

However, Solas was Solas; he had caught the key point instantly.

"I saw Miss Pierce shopping with my cousin. I often hear Zelda mention her and I’ve had some dealings with Miss Pierce myself, so I know a bit about her. She’s the textbook definition of a well-bred lady—usually staying home except for work. Seeing her at the mall today was a surprise... but anyway, back to the point."

"Miss Pierce ran into a group of women just now. You wouldn't know most of them, so I won't bother naming them, but one of them seemed to be that popular actress from your company, Gillian Gong. The one who had a scandal with you a while back..."

Harvey was speaking enthusiastically when Solas interrupted him: "When was there a scandal?"

His tone was unexpectedly stern. Harvey was slightly startled and confused. "Does that matter? I said it was just a rumor. Besides, your PR department probably handled it immediately. It’s not a big deal, right?"

How could it not be a big deal? What if she misunderstands...

"Continue," Solas said.

Harvey blanked for a second before realizing Solas wanted him to go on. He became even more animated.

"Right! So, when these socialites get together, there’s bound to be some hidden rivalry. Miss Pierce is too prominent, so it’s inevitable people get jealous and pick fights. Just now, someone brought up your blind date with her. The rumor in our circle is that she rejected you, but from Miss Pierce’s reaction, that doesn't seem to be the case at all..."

At these words, Solas’s body suddenly tensed, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Solas, do you think Miss Pierce has actually taken a liking to you? That she regrets rejecting you at the blind date?"

"Solas? You listening? Why is it quiet? I ditched a beauty and hid in this corner just to give you this intel. If you’ve just put the phone aside and left me talking to myself, that’s really cold..."

"What was her reaction?" Solas asked. "Or rather, what did she say?"

Seeing that Solas was interested, Harvey eagerly recounted the entire incident.

After hanging up, Solas sat in silence for a long time. Eventually, he set the phone down, lowered his gaze, and the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile. His "rebellious" eyes were hidden, and as the sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling window flooded the office and rested upon him, that subtle smile appeared exceptionally clear and pure.

"Tina, why didn't you leave with them?"

After encountering Seraphina and hearing her pointed words, the group of women had lost the mood to shop and left one by one with various excuses. Their expressions were complicated. Some, like Jade Foster who had always disliked Seraphina, were barely suppressing their rage.

After the group split up, Tina Wu had followed Gillian Gong. This was Gillian’s question to her.

Tina gave a shy smile. "You know me, I’m not much of a talker. Although my family is a second-tier family in Seahaven and our status isn't bad compared to theirs, I don't really click with them. I feel more comfortable with you."

With her timid personality, baby-faced features, and soft-spoken manner, even Gillian—who harbored resentment toward socialites due to her own background—couldn't bring herself to dislike Tina. Usually, those girls only invited Gillian along as a decorative accessory and looked down on her; Tina was the only one who treated her as an equal.

"But if you act like this, they might get angry. They might trip you up at the next gathering," Gillian said, frowning.

Tina gave a "naive" smile. "It’s fine. I have a very low profile; no one notices me. Don't worry." She slowed her pace and asked, "By the way, do you have work today?"

"No, why?" Gillian’s manager had cleared her schedule because of Jade Foster’s invitation. To those rich girls, shopping was trivial, but to Gillian, it was a high-priority task her manager insisted on. She hated having to suck up to them, yet she had to play along.

"I was thinking, if you aren't busy, maybe we could find a place to sit and chat?"

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Let's just find a nearby cafe. You’re a big star; if we stay outside too long and you get recognized, it’ll cause a scene." Anyone else saying this might have sounded sarcastic, but Gillian didn't feel that way coming from Tina. Tina’s expression and tone were sincere; she seemed too simple to be mocking anyone.

The two found a cafe nearby. After ordering, Tina asked, "By the way, is that thing they said at the mall today true?"

"What thing?"

"About the blind date between Sera and your CEO. I was abroad with my mom and only got back yesterday, so I’m not clear on recent events. I’m not trying to pry, but I am a fan of Sera’s, so I’m naturally curious. I just happened to think of it, so I thought I’d ask."