Chapter 159: Thanks to Adrian Grant’s Fame

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Thanks to Adrian Grant’s Fame

...

When Adrian Grant introduced her, a crowd of people swarmed over. They all wanted a word, so Caroline Whitman took the opportunity to slip away from the bustling area.

Just as she found herself alone,

Luna Lynn approached, greeting Caroline Whitman in a soft, gentle voice:

"President Whitman, I wasn’t able to schedule a meeting with you last time. Since we’ve run into each other here, would you be interested in gracing me with your company for a drink?"

She raised her glass with a slight smile.

Caroline wanted to see what she was up to, but before going over, she made sure to prepare.

Her gaze shifted casually, and she suddenly spotted Lily Young in a corner, stuffing her face.

"..."

’She knew her cousin wouldn’t miss an event like this.’

’Speaking of which, Lily Young is definitely a super-powered background NPC in this book.’

Caroline looked away and replied politely, "Of course. But if you’re not in a hurry, Miss Lynch, could you wait a moment?"

Luna Lynn: "Please, President Whitman, go ahead."

Caroline gave a slight nod and turned toward the corner.

Lily Young was engrossed in a plate of small cakes, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster hoarding food.

"Lily." Caroline stopped in front of her.

Lily Young looked up, a dab of cream on the corner of her mouth. Her eyes lit up when she saw Caroline. "Sis! You’re here too!"

She had come with a classmate today to score some free food and drinks, and to see a bit of the high-life.

She had been so focused on eating that she hadn’t noticed Caroline and Adrian Grant arriving together.

"I need you to do me a favor in a bit."

The moment Lily heard "mission," she immediately put down her cake plate, her expression turning serious. "Sis, I’m listening."

"I’m going to chat with Luna Lynn in a minute," Caroline said, her voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. "I need you to find an inconspicuous spot and record us."

Lily blinked. She didn’t ask why, just nodded solemnly. "Okay."

After a pause, she asked, "Should I record the audio too?"

Caroline gave her a look. "Do you even have to ask?"

Lily chuckled. "Heh heh, I was just reminding you, sis."

If she was recording video from too far away, she wouldn’t capture the sound. But if Caroline was also prepared to record audio, having both would prevent any potential disputes later.

She was a little excited; it was her first time doing something like this.

Caroline patted her shoulder. "Just don’t get caught."

Lily gave her an "okay" look, pushed aside her half-eaten plate of cake, and pulled her phone out of her purse to figure out the best camera angle.

After giving Lily her instructions, Caroline made small talk with a few old business partners for a while before finally heading straight for Luna Lynn.

Luna Lynn stood by a railing on one side of the banquet hall. Her dark green dress accentuated her slender figure, and with a half-full glass of champagne in her hand, she exuded an air of elegance and composure.

’I have to admit, she has the aura of a movie star. That much is undeniable.’

Seeing Caroline approach, she smiled slightly and raised her glass. "I’m so glad you could grace me with your presence, President Whitman."

Caroline plucked a glass of juice from a passing waiter’s tray and clinked it against Luna’s. The smile didn’t reach her eyes. "You’re too kind, Miss Lynch."

In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of Lily, who had already moved to an inconspicuous booth diagonally behind them.

Her phone was propped up behind a vase on the table, the lens aimed perfectly in their direction.

Caroline looked away, her expression perfectly composed.

"What did you want to talk about, Miss Lynch?"

Luna Lynn didn’t jump right into her main topic. Her gaze drifted toward Adrian Grant. "I never expected you and Adrian Grant would get together."

Caroline said nothing, just offered a faint smile.

"Adrian Grant and I have been trending online together a few times, did you know?"

Luna Lynn’s tone was flat, betraying no emotion.

’At least, Caroline couldn’t detect any hint of provocation for now.’

Luna Lynn chuckled and continued, "I was treated quite unfairly during those trending incidents. To think that the person actually caught up in romance rumors with Adrian Grant was you. In the parking lot in Marinus, the one with Adrian Grant was you, wasn’t it?"

Caroline remained impassive, raising an eyebrow. "Is this what you brought me here to talk about, Miss Lynch?"

"Or are you here to discuss compensation? If so, you’re talking to the wrong person. You should find whoever got you trending in the first place."

"And besides, if you went to all this trouble just to discuss such trivial matters, I’m afraid I can’t stay and chat."

Luna Lynn: "There’s no need to be so aggressive, President Whitman. The trending topics did affect my life in various ways.

Adrian Grant is certainly famous. Even though our rumored relationship was based on nothing—we’d never even met—many people still paved the way for me because of it."

In this respect, compared to Vincent Fuller, Adrian Grant actually had the upper hand.

After all, she hadn’t had any of Adrian’s romantic entanglements come looking for trouble, unlike with Vincent Fuller...

This was the first time Caroline had a proper conversation with Luna Lynn.

’Just a moment ago, she was thinking that there had to be a reason Luna Lynn was so unpopular.’

’And it also seemed there was a reason she was always surrounded by vicious, face-slapping supporting characters like Wanda Sutton.’

’This woman... it was really hard not to respond to what she was saying with sarcasm.’

Caroline suppressed her emotions, remained silent, and waited for her to continue.

As expected, Luna Lynn continued, "Thanks to Adrian Grant’s fame, I’ve gained a bit of status in the Lynch Family these past few days."

At this, Luna Lynn found it laughable.

’They actually think I can get Adrian Grant to proactively seek a partnership with the Lynch Family.’

’Hah. Even if I had that kind of power, I wouldn’t let them get what they want.’

Caroline remained silent, continuing to listen.

"If I recall correctly, the Lynch Family has a few business dealings with the Whitman Group, don’t they?"

As soon as she said this, the Lynch Family’s collaborative projects flashed through Caroline’s mind.

She had personally handled most of the group’s ongoing projects, while other shareholders managed the rest.

There were indeed two ongoing contractual projects with the Lynch Family.

There were so many powerful figures in Kingsport with the surname Lynch. At the time, Luna Lynn hadn’t yet been officially recognized by her family, so even with all her knowledge of the plot, Caroline had no idea who her ancestors were.

It was only after Luna Lynn rejoined her family that Caroline, while organizing company files recently, noticed that in its early days, the Whitman Group had, by a strange twist of fate, collaborated with a subsidiary of the Lynch Family.

When she realized this, Caroline broke out in a cold sweat.

’She knew that later in the story, after Vincent Fuller’s "Dragon King’s return," he would wipe out the Lynch Family’s businesses in one fell swoop.’

’Thankfully, the contracted partnership was set to end in two months.’

Caroline: "You’ve said so much, Miss Lynch. Are you trying to...?"

Luna Lynn: "I’d like to ask you for a favor, President Whitman. If the Lynch Family proposes any future collaborations, please have the Whitman Group refuse them."

"..."

A slight twitch in Caroline’s brow.

’So you spent all that time building up to *this*?’

’Damn.’

’Should have just said so from the start.’

However, Caroline said, "Miss Lynch, you’re part of the Lynch Family, aren’t you? How does this benefit you? And why should I agree to sacrifice my company’s interests for your sake?"