Chapter 169: Was this the Reason?

Under normal circumstances, anyone would want to collaborate with Benjamin. After all, working with him meant a win-win situation and stability. There would be no chance of incurring losses because he never allowed that to happen. But Alejandro chose to refuse, going against common sense and playing by his own rules. "Forget it. The reason I wanted to discuss collaboration with Miss Martinez was just to bring along my troublesome young sister and work together. Now that you said so, let's talk about it another day." Alejandro said it confidently, leaving no room for criticism. It seemed like his thoughts were genuinely that way. However, at this moment, Elena keenly sensed that something was not right. It felt as if the two men were in a battlefield. These two men—one was her brother, and the other was her bestie's boyfriend. Could it be that there was some grudge between them? Of course, Elena could only keep these thoughts to herself or she would only make things worse. Even if she did reveal her suspicions, what could she change? Subconsciously, Elena tugged at Alejandro's sleeve, just to prevent the two men from exchanging glances. Did they really want to compete and determine a winner? Was that necessary? "Alejandro, let's go home. I feel a bit uncomfortable, and I think I might throw up." Elena made an excuse to avoid the possible confrontation between the two men. Perhaps seeing that Elena was genuinely feeling unwell, Alejandro didn't insist further. He just smiled and glanced at Martina, saying, "We'll talk more next time when we have the chance." Martina agreed, "Sure, whenever you are available, feel free to discuss the collaboration with me." No matter the reason, since Alejandro had already mentioned the possibility of collaboration, it was a business opportunity for them. She saw no reason to refuse and thought it would be better to see how things unfolded. It was much better than remaining stagnant and achieving nothing. At least, that was how she truly felt, without any hesitation. As for how others viewed it, it didn't matter much to her. After saying their goodbyes, Martina pulled Benjamin back into the car, afraid that if these two men met, something unpleasant might happen. However, as soon as they got into the car, Benjamin's demeanor suddenly turned cold, emanating an intense aura that seemed impossible to soothe, no matter how one tried. Martina gave Benjamin a few more glances and asked, "What's wrong? Are you angry? I was just discussing collaboration with Alejandro, as you heard. There's no reason to get angry, right?" In Martina's view, there was genuinely no reason to be pissed off. They should simply do what needed to be done, right? But Benjamin's thoughts were different. He could clearly sense that Alejandro had ulterior motives. Trying to get closer under the pretext of collaboration seemed suspicious. He had long known that the woman he was interested in had great charm, but he never imagined that her charm could reach such a level. However, Benjamin suppressed his complaint. He couldn't just confess his jealousy and impulsively want to change everything just because of this feeling, could he? In the end, he could only mutter, "I'm not angry." Even though he said that, Martina couldn't possibly believe it and simply gave him another doubt-filled glance. After pondering for a moment, she said, "If you're really not angry, then I'll take a nap for a while. Let's talk about it when we get home." With that, Martina closed her eyes as if she really wanted to sleep, seemingly not caring about what Benjamin thought. This attitude thoroughly frustrated him. It's like talking to a brick wall or trying to reason with a stubborn person; no matter how much she said, it was all ineffective. Looking at Martina sitting beside him, Benjamin's thoughts were getting more and more tangled. It felt like a mess that he couldn't untangle no matter how hard he tried. ... After they got back home, Benjamin didn't stop Martina and let her go to her room to rest. He headed straight to the study without looking back. Fortunately, Leslie could handle himself in a fight, so he wasn't seriously affected. At most, he had some bruises on his face, but it wasn't too severe. He had been accidentally bumped and squeezed by others, but he believed he would be fine in a couple of days. "Come to the study," Benjamin ordered. Upon hearing these words, Leslie was immediately terrified. He knew that his boss must have something to say; otherwise, he wouldn't treat him this way. Still, he hurriedly followed Benjamin into the study, standing there like a well-behaved child, waiting for Benjamin to initiate the conversation. Benjamin's cold gaze fell on Leslie, not because he was genuinely angry at Leslie, but simply because he was very displeased. Perhaps it was because Benjamin's eyes were just too terrifying, Leslie couldn't bear it any longer and took the initiative to speak, "Boss, do you have something to ask me?" Benjamin sat behind his desk, his large hand tapping on the tabletop, creating a faint sound that made Simon, who had just entered the room, feel a shiver down his spine. In a very indifferent tone, as if devoid of any emotion, Benjamin said, "Tell me about what happened just now." Leslie froze in place. How could he have expected Benjamin to ask such a question? What was there to say about what happened just now? Didn't the boss witness it with his own eyes? Due to Benjamin's identity, Leslie didn't dare to conceal anything and had to describe the previous events in detail, making sure not to omit any details to avoid angering Benjamin. Leslie recounted what happened between him and Elena, including some delicate aspects. With each word, his face turned redder, clearly embarrassed. Simon finally understood what had happened before he arrived and why Leslie reacted that way upon seeing Elena. He couldn't believe that Miss Rodríguez, who was drunk, had engaged in such wild behavior. If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn't have believed it. This audacious woman was truly unparalleled. Even Miss Martinez must have been shocked when she witnessed the scene. However, what Benjamin wanted to know wasn't about that. Impatiently, he urged, "I want to know about the people involved in the incident."