America 1982-Chapter 179 - 67: Lies Fill the House_4
Having said that, he bowed slightly to Miller and turned to walk towards the stairs, "A scoundrel has always been a breaker of rules, not someone who assimilates into them, so I’m always pleased when someone calls me a scoundrel because they’re reminding me not to forget what I’m destined to become."
"You refused me, but I can still offer help, a procurement contract worth five million, unrelated to the Navy bid, just to see you kick those bookworms’ asses," Miller called out from behind.
Tommy immediately turned around and hurried back to Miller, bowing deeply, "If you had told me earlier about gifting Actor Corporation five million for free, my impression of you would have been much better, Mr. Miller."
"So you were cursing me in your mind just now," Miller said with a laugh upon seeing Tommy’s reaction.
Tommy spoke honestly, "No, I’m not gay, I was only cursing..."
"Shut up. Don’t give me a heart attack at my age," Miller said as he settled back into his seat, pulling out a business card from beneath the fruit platter:
"I won’t pay the five million, but here’s a card from Perot. He mentioned before that if you’re not a fool who gets dazed by opportunity and throws caution to the wind, you could call him, and he might place an order for some OSS."
Tommy stared at the business card, then at Miller’s smirking face, "You’re really good at acting, Mr. Miller. I have a colleague who’s an assistant to a casting director; would you like to star in a movie? I’d even pay to see you as the leading man."
"Not necessary. Just spare my daughters in your mind, and that’ll do." Miller shook his head, "Though I was lying just now, it’s true that Perot lost the Navy contract."
"Impossible," Tommy said with conviction upon hearing Miller’s words. "No other company can compete with EDS for Navy contracts."
"Wait for the news, or let Perot himself tell you when he’s done flying back home. It’s not really a secret," Miller said, somewhat dispirited:
"I was planning to teach you a lesson, you know? But I didn’t get the chance to discipline you; instead, I got a lesson from you with similar lines. Did you see through some part of my act?"
"No, everything I said before was a lie, except for what I told you at farewell. You’re not a scoundrel, Mr. Miller," Tommy said seriously.
He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Uh, one more thing I need to clear up, I don’t have a girlfriend. Sophia is my legal assistant. I thought you would use a beautiful woman to tempt me, so I brought her along as a reminder not to fall for it. But now, I feel I owe you, your three daughters, and Ottelia a clear explanation. I’m single, and my character is there for all to see..."
"How’s the Fraternity’s secret meeting going? I’ve prepared some food; do you need it brought up?" Ottelia called out loudly from downstairs to the two men on the upper balcony.
"No need, Ottelia, take my three daughters far away. Weren’t you planning to go to New York’s Broadway to watch a musical? Have the driver take you to the airport immediately," Miller replied loudly, then turned to Tommy with a threatening tone, "My daughters will only marry a true gentleman, so you’d better stay away from them, or I’ll have to castrate you."
Tommy raised his hands in a gesture of withdrawal, "That remark almost makes me feel the vigor you must have had as a scoundrel back in the day."
"I didn’t prepare lunch for you here. My lesson today is to teach you one thing: don’t be like a fly that rushes to poop. Think about the consequences. I never expected you to handle it so well." Miller waved him off impatiently, making a shooing gesture:
"What I said wasn’t a lie, just a recounting of my own past experiences. If only I could have resisted the temptation like you did back then, damn, life would have been so much better. Now I can’t even decide whether to take my own company public."
