Luana thought for a moment. If she left the lounge, she might run into Cline, so she shook her head again.
Calvert gave her a helpless look.
"I'll go get you something to eat."
Without waiting for her to protest, he stood up and left.
Given Calvert's status, Moriarty Group treated him with the highest level of hospitality.
The dining area he went to was the same one where Cline was seated.
Faced with an array of dishes, Calvert wasn't sure what to choose.
He pulled out his phone and called Luana. "What do you like to eat?"
Luana insisted she didn't want anything, but Calvert urged, "You have to eat something. You'll need to take care of me this afternoon."
Reluctantly, she said, "Something easy to digest, then."
Calvert's voice softened. "How about some fish, vegetables, and yogurt? What about a main dish?"
"No, that's enough."
"Alright, wait for me."
Pleased with her compliance, Calvert hung up with a smile and turned to get the food. But a cold voice interrupted him from behind.
"Mr. Coburn, it must be tough attending a bidding meeting while also taking care of your girlfriend."
Calvert turned to see Cline standing nearby.
His tall, imposing figure was on par with Calvert's, but there was an undeniable air of dominance about him—a kind of equal yet superior pressure that made Calvert uneasy.
[$]
Calvert replied calmly, "Mr. Moriarty, you must be joking. I wouldn't bring my girlfriend to a bidding meeting."
Cline raised an eyebrow slightly. "If Miss Hammond isn't your girlfriend, then what is she?"
Calvert didn't appreciate Cline's condescending tone but kept his patience. "We don't have that kind of relationship. It's just—"
"Just what?"
Cline's eagerness puzzled Calvert. "Mr. Moriarty, you seem very interested in my relationship with Miss Hammond."
Cline's expression remained unchanged as he smirked. "I'm just curious how you can stoop to playing with a woman Travis has already had."
He added with a sneer, "Aren't you afraid of catching something?"
Calvert's expression darkened at the insult. "Mr. Moriarty, speaking ill of a woman like that is hardly becoming of a gentleman."
Cline stepped closer, his cold eyes locking onto Calvert's. "Then what do you consider gentlemanly behavior?"
Calvert didn't answer directly. Instead, he studied Cline with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Mr. Moriarty, it seems you've been targeting me."
At the bidding meeting, in the dining area, even during their first encounter—Cline had been hostile toward him.
Calvert had never met Cline before and certainly hadn't offended him. Why was Cline so antagonistic?
Cline's expression flickered briefly before returning to its usual coldness.
"I'm just trying to save you from being deceived."
"You mean Miss Hammond is deceiving me?"
Calvert voiced his suspicion.
Cline didn't respond, his expression tinged with arrogance.
Calvert, however, felt he had hit the mark. "Mr. Moriarty, you must be mistaken. I've known Miss Hammond for years. I know her better than anyone. She would never deceive me."
He emphasized the last sentence, as if trying to convince himself.
In the past, when she had knelt outside the Coburn family home, begging to see him, he had found her annoying.
Later, after uncovering some information, he had thought her scheming and had ignored her.
But after spending time with her recently, he felt Luana wasn't that kind of person.
Calvert's words caused a flicker of anger to surface in Cline's otherwise indifferent expression.
"You've known each other for years?"
Calvert, unaware of Cline's reaction, replied casually, "You could say we've known each other since childhood."
It was just that he had lost his memory and couldn't recall their shared past. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so clueless, like a puzzle missing its pieces.
A sudden surge of hostility rose in Cline's eyes, his cold, piercing gaze seeming to cut through flesh and bone, sending a chill down one's spine.
He opened his thin lips, about to ask more, when Runa walked in.
"Cline, I knew you'd be here!"
Calvert glanced at Runa and then turned back to Cline. "Mr. Moriarty, I won't disturb you and your girlfriend during your meal."
His words carried a hint of sarcasm, a response to Cline's earlier jab about bringing a girlfriend to the bidding meeting.
Although Moriarty Group was the client for this project, Calvert had the confidence to secure the development rights and wasn't afraid of offending Cline.
With that, Calvert turned to get the food.
Runa approached just as Cline's expression turned icy, and he strode out of the dining area without a word.
Runa's face darkened. What was Cline's problem? Ever since she returned to the country, he had been increasingly distant.
When Calvert returned with lunch, Luana was asleep on the sofa.