Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 448 - 426: Do I Need It?

When Sienna Thornton returned to the hotel, Simon Forrester was standing by the window making a phone call.

In the heated room, he wore a suit with a white shirt and tie, his dark brown hair naturally falling to the side of his forehead.

At this moment, the warm orange light of the sunset streamed in, casting a warm glow on his sharply defined, extraordinarily handsome profile.

He was nearly six-foot-three, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The pricey, custom-tailored suit made him look even more well-built.

At that moment, Sienna Thornton seemed to have developed X-ray vision, her gaze piercing through his white shirt to see his well-defined back muscles, six-pack abs, and the waist-to-hip ratio that nearly made her eyes pop out when the bath towel was yanked off by a dog.

...

She was lost in her thoughts when Simon Forrester looked over and waved at her.

She snapped back to reality, closed the door, changed into slippers, and walked over to him. With the phone in one hand, he extended the other to pull her into his arms.

She heard him speaking to the person on the other end of the call: "Find out who handled the purchase of those batches of carbon steel, and track down the person who took away the scraps. When I return, I want to handle this personally."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Sienna Thornton hugged his waist and looked up to ask, "What happened?"

He tossed the phone back onto the coffee table, held her while sitting down on the single sofa, closed the laptop, and leaned back, causing Sienna Thornton to lie on top of him.

With one arm around her waist and the other gently stroking her tied-up black hair, he pondered, "Last month we discovered that one of The Forresters’ export products had a seven-percentage-point higher material ratio in July than in August. Nolan Kramer claimed it was due to refined craftsmanship and reduced waste, hence the drop in August. I didn’t believe it. I initiated an internal audit of the production department and found that the carbon steel scraps sold in July had cracks."

After thinking for a moment, Sienna Thornton said, "We can almost conclude that those involved received kickbacks leading to the purchase of substandard raw materials, resulting in batch scrap."

Simon Forrester nodded, "I’m just trying to figure out how many people were involved."

"People from procurement and inspection departments certainly can’t escape blame," Sienna Thornton said seriously, "Who ultimately approved the payment for the goods?"

"Me," Simon Forrester said, "I personally oversee the procurement department. All expenses consolidated at the group level exceeding a hundred thousand yuan require my approval for payment."

Sienna Thornton didn’t say much more, kissed the corner of his lips, and helped tighten his slightly loosened tie, "When we return, I’ve got a week off. I’ll go check on The Forresters then."

He smiled, "I was just waiting for you to say that."

Two years ago, when she kicked Bianca Fordham’s division out of The Forresters, he knew that every time she stepped in, The Forresters’ top management would undergo a wave of purges.

That’s a good thing too; bad fruits must be removed from the same basket, or else they’ll ruin the whole basket in the end.

The two of them embraced and cuddled for a while until Wendy Jacobs called to ask if Sienna Thornton wanted to come downstairs. Only then did Sienna Thornton quickly jump off Simon Forrester.

She went to get his suit jacket, "They’re going to a lakeside restaurant for seafood tonight, shall we go together?"

Simon Forrester immediately knew that her negotiation today must have gone well; his previously bothered mood due to The Forresters’ issues lightened up immediately, and he smiled, "Need me to foot the bill?"

"Of course! Why else would I bring you?"

.

When Sienna Thornton brought Simon Forrester downstairs, the group of colleagues were already waiting in the lobby.

Seeing her arm hooked around a handsome and elegant East Asian man, the subordinates who already knew Simon Forrester smirked silently after the initial surprise, while colleagues from other departments joked about how she had snagged a handsome guy in just one day in Valois.

Sienna Thornton wasn’t in a hurry to explain. She raised Simon Forrester’s left hand with her left hand, and the two golden rings flashed blindingly in everyone’s eyes.

Sienna Thornton, holding Simon Forrester’s arm, smiled sweetly and blissfully, "We’re getting married in February next year."

With that, she winked and lowered her voice playfully, "This is the real deal, not a fling!"

Simon Forrester heard it, and his hand on her waist pinched the soft spot at her waist.

The crowd burst into laughter and congratulated them, insisting she must treat them when the time comes.

. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

About ten people hailed three taxis to the lakeside restaurant. Wendy Jacobs and Sienna Thornton were in one car, along with the WTO Affairs Department’s negotiation representative.

In the car, the negotiation representative sitting in the passenger seat chatted amicably with Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester. After the usual pleasantries, he asked Simon Forrester, "Mr. Forrester, what line of work are you in?"

Simon Forrester replied, "I used to dabble in the construction industry; last year, I switched fields and now hold a minor management position at a company."

This sounded like, "I used to work on a construction site; last year work got tough, so I moved into a factory as a line supervisor."

Sienna Thornton heard this and stifled a laugh.

The negotiation representative might not have expected Sienna Thornton’s fiancé to be a small private sector manager, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a sigh, "It’s tough in every industry. People think those of us on the government payroll have it easy, but the pressure is also immense. Just ask Director Thornton."

This sounded like he was comforting Simon Forrester, giving him an exit, but it also carried a subtle hint of superiority?

Simon Forrester chuckled softly and said, "She got so tired a couple of days ago that she got sick, had a fever, and insisted on coming to Valois." As he spoke, he glanced at Sienna Thornton, and the large hand holding her hand tightened slightly, like a punishment for her coming on the trip while sick.

The representative turned to look at Sienna Thornton’s somewhat pale face and smiled, "Mr. Forrester, if not for Director Thornton, we’d be in trouble on this trip. She turned the tables for us today."

Being praised, Sienna Thornton beamed at Simon Forrester as if showing off.

Simon Forrester smiled lightly, "In that case, when she returns, she deserves a long vacation to recharge and recover?"

The representative replied, "Absolutely, when we get back, I’ll make sure to speak with Director-General Linton for a nice long leave for Director Thornton!"

Sienna Thornton, sitting beside, also smiled, "Then I’ll have to trouble you with that."

She truly wanted a long holiday this time. There was so much to do, not only having to tidy up The Fenmore Villa, accompany Melinda Linton to the hospital for a check-up, and have a look at The Forresters, but also to stay with Quentin Thorne for a while.

The first three might be settled within a week’s vacation, but the last one... she knew that staying with Quentin Thorne this time would inevitably mean several rounds with Ian Grant. In such a condition, sticking to work would not only drain her energies but also make her exceptionally exhausted, affecting her performance.

A long holiday would be ideal.

.

The restaurant was quite close, just under ten kilometers from the hotel by the lake.

Although Valois is inland, it boasts numerous seafood restaurants, many of which are by the lake.

The group entered the restaurant, and under the guidance of a waiter, sat at a long table in a corner that could accommodate over ten people.

Simon Forrester helped Sienna Thornton pull out her chair and took off her coat, giving it along with his to the waiter, with utmost gentlemanly manners, making others envious.

Sienna Thornton took her seat and surveyed the entire restaurant.

The restaurant appeared open-air, yet wasn’t cold. Rather, it was warm, as it turned out that the surroundings and roof were made of transparent glass, with heating inside.

Just a slight upward glance would reveal the starry sky through the transparent roof. Bringing the sight back from the roof to the side, the clear lake waters were visible, with the evening breeze gently touching the lake surface, causing a sparkling effect. The water seemed to have absorbed the night sky’s deep, vast blue, as purely blue as the night sky itself.

The restaurant’s decor predominantly featured light and white tones, which only highlighted the blue of the world even more.

Sienna Thornton retracted her gaze and said with a smile, "Who suggested coming here? The setting is beautiful, but is the food just as good?"

"I did." Colleague A beamed brightly, "I saw many people praising this restaurant for its ambiance and food, especially the Alpenberg oysters when I checked online reviews."

At this point, some of the older male colleagues began to joke, "You girls shouldn’t eat the oysters; leave them all for us!" implying that eating oysters was particularly beneficial for men, with knowing grins full of meaning.

With that said, they began counting head counts, presumably to order oysters per person, naturally including Simon Forrester among them.

Simon Forrester casually sipped his water, showing no intention of holding back.

Sienna Thornton noticed and, recalling that she didn’t remember him being particularly fond of oysters, asked softly in his ear, "Why didn’t you tell me men need oysters? I could make them for you regularly."

Simon Forrester chuckled, lowering his gaze to her, scanning from her beautiful eyebrows and eyes to her delicate collarbones, studying her multiple times. Finally, he locked eyes with her and said gently, "Do you think I need it?"