Your Love Is But a Dream (Clara and Wren)

A flicker of disappointment crossed Katrina's face, but she quickly regained her composure. "Since you're busy, Mr. Wright, let's reschedule for another day."

"Yes. We'll set something up another time"

With that, Albert hastily ushered the person beside him away, almost

Ethat Katrina would press the issue bu

if they lingered even a moment longer.

Watching his obvious eagerness to leave. Katrina wasn't particularly svapaised.

Even though Hayworth Corporation had a few promising projects in hand, most people had at least some idea of the company's internal situation. Thus, a little hesitation on their part was understandab

Still, she wasn't ready to giver just yet. She wore through the banquet hall, seeling out a few business owners who had previously expressed interest in working together.

She wanted to have a more in-depth conversation and solidity some deals. Dat to her surprise, three attempts in a row yielded the same strange response

These were people who had once shown enthusiasm, yet now, before she even had a chance to speak, they were already looking for an excuse to slip away

Some, like Albert, daimed they were about to travel for work, conveniently sidestepping any talk of setting up a meeting

If it had been just one person, she might have chalked it up to coincidence. Perhaps they really were busy or had concerns to consides.

But Tour in a row! If the still couldn't see that something was off, she'd have to be

an

Just then, a familiar middle-aged man appeared ahead, walking toward her.

Katrina seized the opportunity and stepped forward with a smile, "Mr. Collins! What a surprise is

ing into you here!:

"Just the other day, you mentioned being interested in our project and wanted to set up a time to discuss it. Thappen to be tree now. Why don't we step aside for a moment so I can walk you through the detail?"

The hotel had designated quiet areas for guests to strike up business deals, offering the perfect environment for important discussions without unwanted interruptions.

Bruce Collins had just wrapped up a meeting and was briefing his assistant on some contact details when he heard Katrina's voice

He traze for a second, and then his expression grow visibly uneasy upon spotting her approaching

Without missing a beat, he shot his assistant a look, hoping they'd step is to block him from Katrina. At the same time, he turned his heel, aiming to slip away in the opposite direction acting as if he hadn't seen her at all

But after an entire evening of being brushed off, Katrina was done playing along. Whether or not they wanted to work with her, she needed to find out what was going on

"Mr. Collina in raised her voice slightly, closing the distance between them before his assistant could react. "Are you avoiding me?

Bruce hadn't expected his assistant to miss the cue and shot them a brief glace before turning back to her with an easy, practiced smile. "Ah, M. Caldwell! What a coincidence running into you bere!"

feigning irritation, he scolded his assistant, "I wasn't paying attention, and neither were you? Ms. Caldwell called me, and you didn't even alert me? No wonder she got the wrong impression that I was awording her."

The distant, taking the blame without protest, merely promised to be more mindful next time.

Only then did Bruce shift his attention back to Kattina "Ideapologize, Ms. Caldwell I was so lost in thought just now that I didn't hear you. What can I do for you?

Katrina krww full well he was putting on an act, but if she wanted to secure investment, she had no choice but to play along,

She stated her pitch again with a smile, "Mi Collins, are you still interested in the project? If you are, I'm willing to sweeten the deal, How about an extra one percent in your favor on the

His besitation was immediate. The offer had clearly tempted him, but within seconds, he shook his head and declinednoveldrama

"I'm really sorry, Ms. Caldwell. I just finalized a project deal, and our company's funds are already tied up. There's no way we can take on another investment at the moment "I'd suggest you look elsewhere,"