“And you must be Amanda Walker. Such a pleasure to meet you after talking to you on the phone so many times."
Not very many people called me Amanda. It was odd to hear it from him. "It's very nice to meet you Mr. Chen. Thank you for inviting us to dinner."
He led us to a private dining area. "Have you been to Hong Kong before?" he asked.
"I haven't," I said.
"Then this trip must be a treat for you." He motioned for us to sit down at the table and several servers were around us providing water and tea.
"I'm very happy to meet another one of the Strong brothers. I met your brother Carter briefly. Mostly I’ve talked with your grandmother. She’s a formidable businesswoman."
Noah smiled. "She is at that."
Marcus turned and looked at me again, his smile wide. "I must say though, I would have a challenge working around such a beautiful assistant."
I always thought I was immune or could see through flattery that was used to manipulate, and yet I did feel flattered. I wasn't the type of woman that men usually went out of their way to impress. Again, I think it went back to the fact that I was outspoken and wasn't afraid to call them out on their nonsense. Of course, this was a business meeting, so I would be on my best behavior.
"I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty to order for us. These are some of our area's most delicious dishes, and this restaurant is the best at making them."
"I'm looking forward to eating it," Noah said.
For a few minutes, our talk turned to travel and areas of Hong Kong that Marcus felt I should see before I left. He was open, friendly, and I started to see why Margaret and Carter had decided to work with him.
As soon as we were finishing up our dinner, Marcus pushed his plate aside and leaned his forearms on the table. "You know I had to wonder to myself. Out of all the Strong brothers, why she sent you, Noah. It makes me think that perhaps the rumors I've been hearing about issues with the supply chain are true. Perhaps there's been a hack into your system."
That immediately got my attention because we were under the impression that the business problems weren’t common knowledge. I looked over at Noah, who frowned.
"How do you know about that? What have you heard?"
"I don't know anything." He sat back, holding his hands out in surrender. "All I know is that there are a few of the distributors who indicated they had some problems. Having one problem with a supply chain issue, that’s one thing, but having a couple, that seems like there's something wrong with the system. But I know your system, and the only way I can think of that it would be disrupted is if somebody did it on purpose."
Several red flags started going off in my head. Marcus Chen wasn't wrong. Thinking deductively, what he said made sense. Still, I couldn't help but be suspicious. Then again if he was at the center of all this, why would he be asking us to dinner and tipping his hand by telling us he knew about the issue? That didn't make any sense.
"Well, you can tell everyone that the problem is being dealt with and fixed as we speak. We will find out who is behind this as well," Noah said sounding more powerful and authoritative than I'd ever heard him be before.
Marcus smiled. "I have no doubt that you will. And I can tell you that everyone that I have talked to knows you will too. Strong, Incorporated has a very good reputation, and no one is concerned. That's partly why I invited you to this dinner. I wanted you to know that we are on your side and anything that you might need, all you have to do is ask."
"Well, on behalf of my grandmother, I can tell you that we appreciate that." Noah said the words, but I had a sense that underneath them he was suspicious of Marcus too.
We finished dinner and made her way back to the lobby entrance of the restaurant. We were getting ready to exit the door when Marcus took my arm and pulled me to the side.
"It was a pleasure having dinner with you tonight, Ms. Walker. I'm wondering if perhaps you and I can see each other again." He smiled sheepishly. "I felt a connection with you when we would talk on the phone and now having some time with you tonight, I know that it’s something I'd like to explore."
I was so surprised by his request, that for a minute I couldn't say anything. But then when I finally found my voice to decline his offer, Noah's hand was on my other arm tugging me away.
"Can I have my grandmother's assistant back, please," he asked tersely.
Marcus laughed and shrugged. "You can't blame a guy for trying."
Noah shot him a look that said otherwise.
9
Noah
The urge to punch Marcus was strong which was fucking annoying. What did I care if Andi went out with him? Sure, I was attracted to her but that was it, so why was it roiling in my gut to see him put his hand on her? I’d had this intense feeling once before at my brother Ryan's wedding in Thailand when another man was paying a lot of attention to Andi, and she seemed to be responding. It didn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that a part of me was possessive of her, but I would have to get over it, because I didn't have room in my life for Andi. This was just a temporary situation and once I got home, I’d be able to get away from her.
I followed her back into the limo and did my best to keep my mouth shut about Marcus, but as it turned out, that was impossible.