Free Web NovelChapter 40: A Strategic Dinner Invitation!
"Is there anything specific you would like to eat?" Luca Hale asked casually, one hand resting lightly on the steering wheel as the luxury SUV glided through the city traffic.
Miss Brooks shook her head almost immediately. "I’ll leave the choice entirely to you, Mr. Hale."
"Alright. Then we’ll head straight to the San Fierro Grand Hotel."
His tone was calm, matter-of-fact.
But the destination itself made something in her pause.
A hotel.
Private dining.
Just the two of them.
Her thoughts began to shift before she could fully stop them. A closed space. No staff hovering nearby. A man who already held control over hospitals, and possibly far more than she had managed to confirm.
Her grip on her handbag tightened slightly.
"Uh... I’m not sure that would be appropriate for a first meeting," she said carefully, keeping her voice steady.
Luca glanced at her, genuinely confused rather than offended. "It’s only lunch. The hotel has one of the best kitchens in the city. There’s nothing inappropriate about it."
The sincerity in his voice made the situation feel even stranger.
Miss Brooks didn’t answer right away. Her mind worked through possibilities she didn’t want to admit out loud. ’Is he deliberately pushing boundaries... or is he really this direct?’
She swallowed. "If you insist... I’ll follow your lead."
Luca didn’t press the matter further. He simply adjusted the route.
As they approached the San Fierro Grand Hotel, the traffic thinned and the building soon came into view, towering and refined against the skyline.
At the gate, a security guard straightened instantly and raised a crisp salute.
"Good afternoon, Chairman Hale!"
Luca gave a small nod through the tinted window and drove through without hesitation.
Inside the car, Miss Brooks went still.
Chairman.
Her gaze shifted slowly toward him.
’So it’s not just the hospital...’
She didn’t finish the thought, but the implication settled heavily in her chest all the same.
The car rolled to a smooth stop at the VIP entrance.
General Manager Roman Pierce was already waiting outside.
"Chairman Hale," he said respectfully the moment Luca stepped out.
Behind him, hotel staff stood in disciplined rows before bowing in unison.
"Good afternoon, Chairman Hale!"
Miss Brooks felt her breathing tighten slightly.
This wasn’t standard executive courtesy.
This was structure. Authority. Absolute hierarchy.
Luca stepped out as if this level of reception was routine, then gestured lightly for her to follow.
The hotel interior was even more extravagant than she had imagined. Warm gold accents reflected softly across polished marble floors, and every detail felt deliberately refined rather than excessive.
As they walked toward a private dining suite, Miss Brooks stayed a half-step behind, her mind moving faster than her feet.
’He isn’t just influential... he’s positioned at the top of multiple systems.’
The thought didn’t fully settle, but it had already taken root.
Inside the private suite, the doors closed quietly behind them.
The room was calm, lit by soft ambient lighting. The faint clink of tableware being arranged outside the doors was the only sound that lingered.
The receptionist who had escorted them in hesitated for a moment before leaving.
Her eyes lingered on Miss Brooks just a second too long.
’So this is the kind of woman he brings... mature, composed... she really hit the jackpot.’
She glanced down at herself briefly, a small flicker of reluctant envy passing over her expression before she stepped out.
Luca took his seat and immediately set aside any small talk.
"During the incident at Kanda Hospital, I heard Sebastian Caldwell mention internal conflict within Octaveo Pharmaceutical. Explain it in detail."
Miss Brooks blinked.
That was not what she had prepared herself for.
Throughout the day, she had braced for negotiation tactics, pressure, or something more personal disguised as business. She had mentally prepared responses for all of it.
But none of that came.
Only business.
She exhaled slowly, tension easing slightly, though something else quietly replaced it.
Relief.
And something more complicated she didn’t immediately want to examine too closely.
’So that’s it... he really is just here for the deal.’
A small, reluctant thought followed.
’Strangely... I don’t think I would’ve completely hated it if he was interested.’
She pushed the thought aside before it could linger.
"Mr. Hale," she said, returning fully to professional composure, "it’s exactly as you suspected..."
She continued briefly.
The founder of Octaveo Pharmaceutical had fallen seriously ill and stepped down. His daughter, Vivienne, inherited the chairwoman position.
But the transition had not been smooth.
A faction led by Benjamin Caldwell, the second-largest shareholder, had begun steadily undermining her authority, leveraging influence within the board and exploiting shareholder divisions.
What started as political tension had evolved into calculated internal sabotage.
Most recently, Benjamin had used his influence over procurement channels to push the San Fierro Kanda Hospital into cutting Octaveo’s supply contract.
A deliberate move designed to weaken Vivienne’s standing ahead of the upcoming board review.
"That contract had been stable for over a decade," Miss Brooks added quietly. "Losing it now puts her position at serious risk."
Luca listened without interruption, expression unreadable.
"Was there any issue with product quality or delivery?" he asked.
"None," she replied immediately. "Everything meets specification. The termination is purely administrative pressure."
He leaned back slightly, already piecing the structure together.
"So it’s a controlled choke point," he said calmly.
A brief pause.
"Used to force a leadership collapse before the vote."
"Exactly," Miss Brooks confirmed.
Silence settled between them for a moment.
The meaning of the situation had shifted.
It was no longer just corporate instability.
It was a coordinated power play disguised as business operations.
Luca set his glass down gently.
"Then this is simpler than it looks."
His voice was quiet, but decisive.
Across the table, Miss Brooks realized something with uncomfortable clarity.
Whatever she had expected when she walked into this lunch...
Had been wrong from the start.
He wasn’t here for her.
Not for charm. Not for pressure. Not for anything personal.
Just leverage.
Just structure. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Just control.
And for the first time that day, she looked at him differently.
Not as a threat.
Not as a suitor.
But as something far harder to categorize.
And that uncertainty lingered longer than she expected.
