Luana brushed away the jumbled thoughts and looked up at Mr. Coburn with a steely gaze.
"Mr. Coburn, I'm all about keeping things professional with our partners. No favorites, no grudges."
"As for what happened five years back, that's ancient history. No use holding onto it."
Whether he'd genuinely lost his memory or was play-acting not to know her was moot.
The past had been washed away by the unforgiving tide of time, leaving no trace behind.
Neither she nor he should dredge up those old stories again.
After Luana finished speaking, she resumed her stride towards the underground parking lot.
Watching her petite and frail figure, Calvert had a fleeting sense that Luana had become someone else entirely.
The girl who once knelt at the Coburns' doorstep, sobbing her heart out, begging for a meeting, seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
Now, she seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, shedding her former naivety and confusion, leaving only a face of indifference and composure.
Calvert instinctively pressed his chest, feeling a void there.
It was as if something crucial had been forgotten, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Calvert had brought a large entourage this trip, too many for a single business van to handle.
So, Luana had to arrange for another business van.
The senior executives left in other vehicles, while Calvert and his bodyguards rode with Luana in the car she'd driven.
During the ride, Luana remained tight-lipped, not engaging Calvert in any conversation, just focusing on driving, taking him straight to the luxurious restaurant.
Inside the extravagant private dining room, Luna and several VPs from Winward Group had been waiting for a while, with only Mr. Moretti yet to show up.
After Runa had seen to it that Calvert and his party were comfortably seated, she quickly stepped out.
She asked Luana, "Did you send the restaurant's address to Cline?"
Luana gave a nod and replied, "Yes."
Although she wasn't sure if Cline had checked the message, she'd done her part in sending the address. Whether he showed up or not was out of her hands.
"Mr. Ortega, I'll take my leave now."
Since she'd successfully picked up and delivered the guests to the restaurant, Luana felt there was no need for her to stick around.
However, as she turned to leave, Runa reached out and stopped her.
"Luana, don't rush off. Book a hotel for Mr. Coburn, and after the dinner, you'll need to take them back to the hotel."
"I..."
Before Luana could refuse, Runa put on a pleading expression and said, "I know you're looking to quit, but until you do, this is part of your job, right? If you can take good care of Mr. Coburn today, I'll approve your resignation the moment we're back, okay?"
Runa's words carried a hint of a threat, but thinking about being able to leave her job smoothly, Luana didn't object in the end.
After getting the identification information from Calvert's assistant, she found a spot outside the private room, sat down, and pulled out her phone to book a hotel.
This dinner was meticulously organized by Winward Group to ease the tension with Coburn Group.
The attendees were naturally important figures like CEOs and executives from various companies.
A junior assistant like her didn't need to make an appearance at such an event. She just needed to wait on standby outside.
After booking the hotel, Luana put down her phone and planned to head to the restroom.
Perhaps due to the sudden movement, she felt a wave of dizziness and lightheadedness, her body swaying precariously, nearly collapsing.
Fortunately, a broad and strong hand reached out from behind in time, firmly supporting her waist and steadying her.
"Ms. Hammond, what's wrong?"
Relying on the support, Luana leaned against him for a moment before looking up at her helper.
Her vision was blurry from the lack of blood flow to her brain, only allowing her to make out a silhouette.
Recognizing Calvert by his build, she quickly pushed him away.
"I'm fine, just a bit of low blood sugar."
She murmured a quiet thank you.
Seeing her face as pale as paper, Calvert couldn't help but frown.
"Are you sick?"
"No."
Luana shook her head, her denial firm.
Calvert, seeing her deliberate distance, didn't press further.
He simply said, "I'm heading to the restroom," and turned away.