Chapter 193: Adam's Call

It wasn't until Alejandro actually appeared that Elena had to admit that her brother wasn't joking with her; he genuinely wanted to be here. Alejandro smiled slightly and affectionately ruffled Elena's hair, saying, "If I said I was coming, then I definitely meant it. Why would I play such a joke on you?" A smile appeared on Elena's face as well, and she quickly led Alejandro inside. Martina was somewhat surprised when she saw Alejandro and couldn't help but think back to what Benjamin had said to her the previous night. But now that they were face to face, Martina didn't want to stay silent. She awkwardly greeted Alejandro, "Hey, Alejandro. I'll go get you some coffee." Even Elena observed that Martina appeared somewhat out of the ordinary today. Why was she serving him coffee personally when there was a receptionist assigned for the task? With this thought in mind, Elena grabbed Martina and said, "Stay here. Let the receptionist do it. We should sit here and chat for a while." "By the way, about the upcoming plans, my brother mentioned something about it. It seems there's something important to discuss today." Now that Elena had started this topic, Martina had to stop, or she might seem unnatural. She didn't want to seem like she was avoiding something, even though she was. However, she couldn't reveal herself so easily. Anyway, Martina still found it somewhat strange. Wasn't Leslie supposed to be on guard outside? Why had Alejandro suddenly arrived here with no prior notice? Normally, Martina figured Leslie would be the first to come over to remind her or even try to cause some disruption. It wasn't until the receptionist came over with a few glasses of coffee and chatted with Martina for a while that she found out Leslie had fallen asleep. It made sense that they had worked late into the night yesterday, and now Leslie was probably exhausted. It was perfectly normal to fall asleep. Martina wondered if Benjamin was in a similar situation. The difference was that he seemed to have left quite early in the morning. It was clear that there was a significant gap between different individuals. Martina admired Benjamin the most, especially when it came to work. He was like a person who didn't care about his life at all. He always consistently took on impossible challenges to ensure that he could complete the work arrangements as quickly as possible, Hardly anyone could emulate him, whether it was working through the night for days or getting so engrossed in work that they forgot to eat and sleep. Even Martina believed she couldn't do it, yet Benjamin had persisted for years. Perhaps that was the reason for Benjamin's inevitable success. Faced with someone like this workaholic machine, anyone else would pale in comparison. As Martina thought about it, she couldn't help but shake her head. What's going on? Why did she keep thinking about Benjamin's presence from time to time? At that very moment, Alejandro and Elena were still in the midst of discussing their collaboration. Upon noticing Martina shaking her head, they misinterpreted her actions. Elena leaned in and whispered, "What's the matter, Martina? You don't think my brother's proposal is suitable, do you?" In truth, Elena found the proposal acceptable. Both the collaboration and its demands didn't seem too demanding for their studio. With Martina as a partner, the task would likely be straightforward, possibly taking only a few days. The key was that there was also a substantial income to be had; this was simply an opportunity too good to pass up. After all, her brother always had to hire professionals for this work, so why not turn to them? After all, it was best to keep the profits in the family. Martina gradually came back to her senses upon hearing their voices. She felt that the siblings had misunderstood her intentions and quickly explained, "No, it's not that. I was just thinking about something else. Sorry, I got a bit distracted." Alejandro noticed Martina's reaction and if he guessed correctly, she was probably thinking about Benjamin. However, he didn't reveal it and maintained his composed demeanor. "It's okay. Since you haven't quite grasped it yet, I'll explain it again. We still have plenty of time." Elena nodded awkwardly and said, "I'm really sorry." In the time that followed, Alejandro provided a brief overview of his requirements and various aspects of the collaboration, making it sound relatively uncomplicated. Martina thought that even if she wanted to reduce her contact with Alejandro, work-related matters were a different story, especially since he was Elena's brother. Furthermore, she had already made it clear yesterday that she wasn't going to follow Benjamin's instructions. She could always keep things from him. Some things required maintaining social connections, even if she didn't intend for anything more with Alejandro. With this in mind and under the expectant gaze of Elena, Martina found it hard to refuse. "Alright, let's proceed as per Alejandro's suggestion. We'll go sign the contract now." Cooperation contracts were a basic necessity in any business partnership, even when it involved siblings. Upon seeing Martina's businesslike demeanor, Alejandro chuckled, "Alright, we'll handle it your way. After signing the contract, I'll treat you both to a meal." Martina was about to respond when she noticed an incoming call on her phone from an unknown number. Without much thought, she answered it because there weren't many people who knew her number. Apart from Benjamin's people, there were only her father and a few close acquaintances. However, this time, Martina was taken by surprise. Both Elena and her brother remained silent, displaying great understanding. Martina quietly answered the phone, "Hello?" It was Adam on the other end. He replied, "It's me! Your phone was quite hard to track down. Is there a debt collector calling you?" Upon hearing the voice on the other end, Martina's entire demeanor changed. She shouldn't have been so polite! Her expression turned colder as she responded, "It's you." Elena keenly sensed that Martina's emotions had shifted because of this call and whispered, "Martina, what's wrong? Who's calling?" Martina shook her head, not wanting to worry Elena. She gestured as if she needed to take the call and then left the room. "Why are you calling me? Got nothing better to do? If you're free, go find somewhere else to fool around and stop bothering me!" Martina replied, her tone icy.