There were some people around who belonged to the business field. But Thompson wasn't worried
about Alice making an acquaintance with them. Moreover, once he ruminated on the idea, he seemed
pretty certain that it would do more good than harm if she met these people.
Thompson didn't utter a word. But his eyes often went to the door, waiting for Alice's arrival.
"Mr. Thompson, I can tell that you are in good spirits. Let me guess! Is Mrs. Thompson coming?" A
middle-aged man, clad in a decent and expensive suit, broke the silence.
"No, I am a single man. But I am currently chasing after a young lady. I haven't succeeded yet," he
responded jokingly and let out a laugh. He had no regard for these people but believed in putting up a
good front.
"Mr. Thompson, I hope you were kidding because that remark is not true. You are quite young and
handsome. You could never have any difficulty in wooing a woman. If I am not wrong, you are still a
bachelor because of your picky nature. Ordinary people could never manage to attract you,"
another man said. He was in his thirties too. There was something about his tone that indicated he had
no interest in this conversation. But he simply chimed in to break the silence.
Thomas looked at the person who had spoken.
Gently, he responded, "Mr. Joshua, you are a funny man. I am the least picky man you will come
across. On the contrary, these ladies are too picky. They end up not liking me. I am a simple man with
very few requirements. An ordinary girl would be sufficient for me."
It looked like Thompson's personal life would be the hot topic of the day. Most single people would
have been disturbed. Nobody liked it when people spoke about their marital status. But Thompson
wasn't like them. He couldn't care less about what these people had to say.
He was single by choice. He would die alone rather than be tied to someone he didn't like. If he stayed
single, he had no reason whatsoever to consider another person's feelings. But marriage would be
permanent. He would be trapped for life.
Truth be told, Thompson found his single life quite enjoyable. But somewhere in the recesses of his
heart, he knew he had to marry someday.
The problem was, the woman he loved was married to another man. Even if he had feelings for her, it
was of no use. He could never be with her. This was one of his most agonizing thoughts. He told
himself it was fine. Thompson was after all the type of man who enjoyed challenges.
If love was so easy to get, people wouldn't cherish it the way they did. Alice was one such example. He
had her with him but did he cherish her? The answer was no. If she was gone, he doubted he would
even care.
Perhaps he would be a little bothered but that was only because he had to hunt for another beauty. Of
course, Alice wouldn't give a damn if she came to know he considered her disposable.
He didn't cherish or care about her.
But most importantly, Alice didn't desire to be either cherished or cared for. She knew this relationship
was a temporary alliance. And no one would be dumb enough to mistake it for genuine love.
There was another issue that made Thompson less appealing to Alice. She looked down on him for
being still hung up on Sara. However, the fact they were allies had kept them together in spite of these
differences.
She couldn't stop their alliance right now. Instead, they were determined to make their relationship look
genuine to the others. Thompson was a good actor. He made it a point to ease things between them.
He knew how to deal with everything smoothly. As of now, this was enough for him.
"Mr. Thompson, my instinct tells me the girl who will arrive is going to be a beauty. If my hunch turns
out to be right, tonight it will be my treat." Mr. Joshua seemed quite excited. Unable to suppress it, he
pounded the table and stood up.
"Please don't, Mr. Joshua. It's my treat. I thought I had made it clear," Thompson said, deliberately
avoiding this topic.
Every time these men got together, their topics were quite limited. They either spoke about business or
women. It wasn't an easy task for them to come up with an interesting topic. Hence now that they had
one, they were hell-bent on clinging to it.
"Well, if you say so. But I am certain my hunch is right. Let's make another deal. When the beauty
comes, you have to make her drink lots of wine,"
Mr. Joshua said and snickered a little. Thompson forced a smile.
But deep down, his words were beginning to annoy him. He couldn't allow Alice to get drunk. What if
she blurted out something? Besides, she was pregnant. It wouldn't be advisable for her to drink.
As for who was the father of the child, Thompson had no idea. He strictly believed it was her business.
If she wanted to give birth to the baby, then it was fine by him. And if she wished to abort the child, he
wouldn't care.
Thompson didn't have a say in this matter. He was determined to keep himself out of her personal
issues.
However, there was one problem that was eating him up. He couldn't help but wonder what he would
do if Alice threatened him with her child. He racked his brains but not a single solution came to his
mind.
He hadn't had a child for so many years. This remained as a scar in Thompson's heart, but he wasn't
willing to marry.
He was smart enough to know that a woman like Alice could be only trusted as a teammate. He
couldn't envision her as a wife. There was something about her manner that reeked of betrayal.
From what he knew, he could tell she wasn't the kind of woman that could be controlled. This was a
cause of agitation for him.
"Well, well, you have to stop teasing Mr. Thompson. Look at his face, he is blushing already. I didn't
think I would ever get to see him look like a teenage girl."
This comment elicited a peal of laughter from everyone. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Thompson
joined them and laughed along.
"Guys, please don't make such comments once she is here. She can get pissed off easily. I wouldn't
want to chase her all over the city,"
Thomas added, taking a deep big breath. There was something quite different about his expression.
He often put this expression when he was controlling his rage. The people in the business world were
particularly familiar with this look.
They knew fully well his bad temper could be aggravated easily.
As a result, worry began to show on most of their faces. They wouldn't want to face his outburst.
In order to avoid getting into trouble, they stopped discussing his personal life.
"All right, all right. Mr. Thompson is right. We can affirm we will be polite to the new guest. I can't tell
you how excited I am to see the lucky girl who has managed to catch Mr. Thompson's attention,"
Mr. Joshua praised profusely and raised his glass. "Let's toast to Mr. Thompson. I wish our cooperation
continues to succeed."
With his mouth wide open, Mr. Joshua looked at his companions, urging them to lighten the
atmosphere.
Thompson, on the other hand, watched the spectacle before him with some delight. He knew these
men flattered him to get into his good books. Even so, he relished these compliments.
Who could miss an opportunity to be praised? Thompson, in short, had no issue tolerating these men.
He had been in the world of business for many years. As a result, he acquired high tolerance. As long
as he didn't hate someone, he could manage to remain in their company.
After all, one more friend meant one more chance to survive. It was the law of the jungle and he took it
pretty seriously. In short, it would suffice to say Thompson was good at feigning interest.
But there was one exception. It was none other than Jacob. Perhaps he hated that man because he
stole Sara. Perhaps it had something to do with his arrogance. He couldn't tell for sure. All in all, the
bottom line was that Thompson hated Jacob with a passion.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda