Shirley Miller and Carson Flores weren’t displaying excessive intimacy, but their every word and gesture betrayed a deep familiarity. A furrow of the brow, a smile, or even a glance, all radiated with natural ease.
Having known Shirley Miller quite well, Santino Vasquez could tell that familiarity was genuine, not feigned.
The pair were truly married, possibly still in the stage of adjusting emotionally.
Get into bed first, then nurture the emotions.
The woman he swore to have had already become another man’s wife.
Thinking of Carson Flores plucking at Shirley Miller every evening in diverse ways twisted Santino Vasquez’s insides, his smile turning unnatural.
Seeing Santino Vasquez’s forced expression, Shirley Miller suddenly realized that choosing to share selective truths today with Carson Flores, without any deliberate acting, had surprisingly effective results.
It was evident that Santino Vasquez was convinced.
He must be stewing in frustration.
Had he completely given up hope by now?
Shirley Miller breathed a sigh of relief and deliberately changed the subject, "Did you come here this time to discuss a business collaboration?"
Now that Santino Vasquez was convinced, they could casually talk about something else, and getting through this meal would mean mission accomplished.
Santino Vasquez didn’t want to delve further into the marriage between Shirley Miller and Carson Flores either. The more he talked about it, the more he knew, and the more it hurt him, especially since Carson Flores, the "freeloader," kept uttering shameless things, and Shirley Miller defended him in every possible way, stoking the flames of jealousy in his heart!
"My company is in communications. This trip is aimed at discussing Polgel business with Boston Browning’s company."
Santino Vasquez explained, "Boston Browning’s company practically monopolizes the entire Polgel communications sector, they’re number one in the industry. If the collaboration is successful, my company’s products will enter the whole of Polgel. The negotiations are nearly finalized."
Shirley Miller smiled, "That’s a big business deal."
Santino Vasquez laughed modestly, "It’s not that big. Our family started out in communications. Among the three giants in the national communication industry, the Vasquez Family is one of them. I’m just riding on my family’s coattails, dealing in communication equipment. Having the family connection, others give me face, and the equipment business is quite straightforward."
One of the three giants in the national communications industry?
Carson Flores was slightly surprised. This Santino Vasquez had quite the background.
Shirley Miller’s expression remained unchanged, as she was already aware of this, "Even with family ties, being able to expand the business to such extent shows remarkable capability."
Santino Vasquez responded humbly, "It’s not that big. I started my own business after graduation, and it took a few years, but now my company’s total assets don’t even exceed three billion. That’s nothing compared to you, running such a large corporation, very impressive!"
Carson Flores just smiled, not engaging. After all, his mission here was to let Santino Vasquez know that Shirley Miller was married. As for Santino Vasquez showing off his family’s success, that was irrelevant.
He’s bragging with his mouth, but his heart is probably bleeding.
After all, in his eyes, this man he saw as a freeloader had married the woman he desired...
While the three were chatting, a man and a woman walked through the restaurant and suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Santino Vasquez looked up, his expression showing slight surprise, "Mr. Browning, what a coincidence?"
The man approached with his female companion, smiling, "I came here to have dinner with a friend and didn’t expect to run into Mr. Vasquez. If I knew earlier, I would have arranged it, and we could have all dined together."
Santino Vasquez responded with a laugh, "You’re too kind, Mr. Browning. I’m just having dinner with a classmate."
The man expressed his surprise, "Mr. Vasquez has classmates in Polgel?"
Santino Vasquez introduced them, "Shirley Miller, my college classmate, currently the president of the Miller Group. You might have heard of her, Mr. Browning..."
The man’s glance shifted momentarily in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled, "Of course, the beautiful president of the Miller Group, I never imagined she’d be Mr. Vasquez’s college classmate. It’s a small world, indeed."
Santino Vasquez then introduced the other, "This is Boston Browning, vice president of the Browning Group. I’ve come to discuss business with him."
Shirley Miller greeted him with a smile and introduced Carson Flores, "This is my husband, Carson Flores."
Boston Browning looked surprised, "Ms. Miller is married?"
Shirley Miller smiled, "Yes, we haven’t been married long."
Boston Browning’s surprise faded, replaced by a smile, "Congratulations, you two are truly a perfect match."
After exchanging pleasantries, Boston Browning excused himself and left.
Once outside the restaurant, Boston Browning asked his female companion to get the car while he took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Big brother, I just ran into Shirley Miller dining with Santino Vasquez. She and Santino are actually college classmates. It’s obvious that Santino likes her, but there’s another man with Shirley, whom she introduced as her husband, named Carson Flores..."
"Shirley Miller got married? It’s not in the reports. What’s her husband’s background?"
Boston Browning shook his head, "It’s not wise to ask directly, but maybe we can ask Santino Vasquez."
After a few seconds of contemplation, the man on the phone said, "Contact Santino Vasquez and ask. If the husband has no significant background, then lay low for now. I’ll send someone over, and later we’ll just take action—kidnap them both..."