Chapter 69
On the other end of the line, Malisa exhaled and calmly said, "Cora... relax. You’re overreacting."
There was a pause, then Malisa added thoughtfully, "Okay, what if we do it in this manner — both of us should go together."
At that moment hearing what Malisa just said, Cora’s eyes narrowed. She leaned back into the couch, her fingers tightening slightly around the phone. Her voice was calm but firm, "Malisa, I said I’m not interested. I don’t care how important it sounds. It goes against my principle. I can’t just be seen by anybody simply because they want to see me. That’s not how I live."
She shook her head, her expression now filled with restrained irritation. "Even if what Levi has to say is useful, it’s still against my principle. It feels off, Malisa. It feels like a setup. Something about this just feels... summer to me."
There was silence on the other end for a brief moment before Malisa’s voice came back, more serious this time. "Cora, I understand you have your principles, but don’t let those principles blind you to something that might be a real threat or a real opportunity. I have this strong feeling that whatever Levi has to say is very important. This is James we’re talking about. You know what he’s capable of. It’s better we handle this situation very strongly."
At that moment Malisa nodded "Okay, no problem, I’ll pass the message immediately." Her voice was calm, but her mind was still unsettled. She didn’t want to push Cora too far—not today. Cora had made it clear she wasn’t going to see Lovie, and there was no convincing her beyond this point. So Malisa decided to respect her stance for now and let it go.
But just as she was about to hang up the call, she paused.
A thought struck her—something important, something she had almost forgotten amidst the tension of the last conversation. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her hand tightening around the phone.
"Oh—wait," Malisa said, her voice quickly shifting to a more serious tone, "before I forget, there’s something else... something important that came up. I really need to discuss it with you."
At that moment, upon hearing what Malisa just said, Cora then walked to the couch and lean back on it, a little curious now. Her fingers lightly tapped against the armrest as she asked calmly, "What is it? What did you forget that you really want to discuss?"
Malisa didn’t respond immediately. She exhaled slowly, like someone carefully choosing their words, then said, "Do you still remember JSK?"
The moment Malisa mentioned that name, Cora’s brow lifted. "JSK?" she echoed. "Yes, of course I remember them. Why? What’s going on with them now?"
Malisa’s tone suddenly picked up, mixed with a kind of excitement and disbelief. "Well, this morning, while everything was happening—the rush, the tension—I got a formal proposal from them. It was sent to our corporate inbox. Cora... they’re officially interested in collaborating on the Mega City Project."