The luxurious lobby of Hotel Rivers radiated opulence, with chandeliers sparkling overhead.

Elegantly dressed guests mingled about and the overall ambience exuded an air of sophistication.

Jason, impeccably dressed and oozing confidence, strode into the lobby. He was shortly followed by an equally well- dressed Shawn, whose posture displayed assurance and determination.

Their simultaneous entrance and impeccable appearance instantly drew attention.

The corners of Shawn’s mouth rose in a smile as he walked up to Jason. "Brother in-law, it’s such a rare privilege meeting you again." One could not really tell if his smile or greeting was genuine or not.

"I’m flattered President Hudson, but I can’t remember witnessing a wedding between you and my sister," Jason equally threw back in derision as he clasped Shawn’s hand that was extended towards him in a handshake.

The handshake was their very first and a lot of messages were transmitted within that short period of time.

Their interactions, though polite, were laced with an underlying tension that wasn’t evident to those observing the scene.

Led by the Hotel manager, they walked through the lobby. Heads turned as people acknowledged their striking looks and confident demeanor.

Their combined charisma commanded attention and more murmurs and glances followed their path as they made their way towards the VVIP room.

"Did you see those two? Impeccably dressed, like they’ve just stepped off a magazine cover."

"They certainly make an impression. I wonder who they are."

Looking up from her phone, one of them let out a yelp, "That’s the president of Hudson corporations. I can’t believe I am meeting him in person.

"How do you know he is the one?" Another guest asked in disbelief.

It’s not every day one stumbles on the such an important personality like the president of Hudson corporations.

"I just confirmed it on my phone," she answered, showing her phone screen to her companion.

"His appearance is so striking that it is simply impossible to forget, then I remembered that I seem to have seen him in the news."

"That’s true. It’s the same face that has been trending for the past week on every news platform."

"Yes, his news almost shut down social media handles due to so much traffic. But who is that other breathtaking hunk with him?"

Seeing the satisfied smile on Shawn’s face, Jason smirked. "President Hudson, I wonder what your plans are, exposing my sister to the public eyes so blatantly for days. Are you trying to get cheap publicity from this?"

"I can’t help it." Shawn shrugged, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. "If that’s what I need to do to ward off nauseating flies, and at the same time mark my territory, why not?"

"And as for getting cheap publicity, you and I know the authenticity of that statement."

As a matter of fact, Jason knew that Shawn didn’t need anyone to shut down any news outlet with news about him.

His appearance and achievements alone are enough for him to make him stand out anywhere.

"Have you considered how my sister might be feeling with all these?"

"I have," Shawn replied with certainty. "And it’s for our general good. I’m positive she will thank me in the future."

Jason didn’t know what to make of the proud peacock beside him. A pitiful smile appeared on his face as he glanced at Shawn. "That future might never come, you know."

Looking straight ahead, Shawn replied. "That’s not for you to decide."

"I can’t remember saying it was my decision." At this point Jason believed his sister had made the right decision. ’What an arrogant fool.’

With the way they carried themselves with an air of ease and sophistication, they appeared to the onlookers to be engaging in light conversation but only the two of them knew the amount of the fireworks that were sparking between them.

Although they had deferring opinions, they were still professional in the way they diced each other. Not for once did they undermine the ability of the other.

Thus the hotel Manager was highly intrigued by the dynamics between the two men and happily led them until they finally reached the meeting room.

After personally taking their orders, he excused himself, leaving the two bigwigs to themselves.

As soon as the manager left, Shawn’s demeanor changed slightly, becoming more serious. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"What has Kathleen decided about us?"

Jason raised a brow. He thought Shawn would be more concerned about the collaboration than his sister. "That’s not the reason I called for this meeting."

Shawn was not fooled in the least. Why else would he be here? He would be damned if this meeting had nothing to do with Kathleen. Jason was obviously here to carry out Kathleen’s orders.

He even envied the relationship between the siblings. If not that it was affecting him negatively, he would have toasted to it.

But in a way, he was glad that Kathleen had someone other than him watching over her.

"This meeting is purely because of the collaboration," Jason said when Shawn refused to respond to his taunt.

At this point Shawn asked, crossing his legs over each other. "What about the collaboration?"

"Actually, I’ve studied the proposal you sent and from my point of view, everything is perfect and would benefit both sides fairly."

That was no news to Shawn who had put in his best to come up with the proposal.

Considering the company he was dealing with, he had to be smart in order not to be taken advantage of or scare the other party away.

In order to avoid any uncertainties, he had personality prepared the proposal and the contract even though it had cost him sleepless nights.

More so, he needed to get Director Wyatt’s trust now that he was aware of the relationship Director Wyatt shared with Kathleen.

"So can we go on to signing the contracts, since both parties are satisfied with the terms of the collaboration?" Shawn asked, his tone carrying no hint of the apprehension he felt.