Love's Wild Card

The early morning sunlight, though filtered by the curtains, still managed to find its way onto Alex's face, a harsh intrusion to his sleep.

"Mmm..." Alex shifted, turning over to glance at the clock on the wall. Still early, only 8:30 AM!

"Huh? 8:30?" Alex sat bolt upright, rubbing his sleep-crusted eyes as he leaned closer to the clock, ensuring he wasn't mistaken.

"Damn it, I'm going to be late again!" In one fluid movement, Alex was out of bed and pulling on clothes from his closet.

"Emma, you lazy bum! All you do is sleep! Having a housekeeper like you, I might as well... Huh?" As Alex yelled towards what he assumed was the closed door to Emma's room, he caught sight of Emma Winter sprawled out on the living room sofa, apparently still asleep.

*This woman didn't leave last night?*

Alex walked over and nudged her shoulder a couple of times.

"Mmm...! Go away...!" Emma Winter swatted away his hand, then turned over, continuing to sleep, her eyes stubbornly shut.

"Who are you telling to go away? Get up! It's 8:30. You're going to be late!" Alex's voice boomed near her ear.

"Ah? 8:30?" Emma Winter sat up abruptly, as if a switch had been flipped.

"Why are you calling me so late? Wait a minute. Why are you in my apartment?" She looked at Alex, suddenly bewildered.

"You should be asking yourself where you are right now," Alex retorted, still annoyed from the previous night's drama with the two sisters. He was looking forward to a peaceful morning, but now... he felt the urge to grab a weapon.

Ignoring her, Alex quickly washed up and checked the time: 8:35 AM. Okay, a cab should still get him there on time.

"Keep dreaming, then. I'm heading out," Alex said to Emma Winter, who still seemed to be in a daze on the sofa.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm coming with you!" Emma Winter finally seemed to snap out of it, quickly following Alex as he left.

"Being around you two sisters is seriously the most unlucky thing ever. My life has become a complete mess," Alex complained once they were in a taxi, looking at Emma Winter beside him.

"What do you mean? I think meeting you is my misfortune," she shot back, not one to back down.

"Oh, come on, stop pretending. You're the CEO's daughter, working in your own company. You're just here to stir things up, aren't you?" Alex asked, giving her a pointed look.

"Who... who's stirring things up... and you know the reason why!" Emma Winter felt a surge of frustration hearing Alex's words. She had always maintained a low profile at the company, never acting like a privileged daughter. She did her share of the work, never slacking off, yet this man... why did he have to say such things? She pursed her lips, remaining silent. She had her pride too. Being accused like this made her feel as though she was intentionally playing the "wolf in sheep's clothing" game, implying she looked down on ordinary employees. Her nose twitched, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up.

Alex was gazing out the window when he suddenly heard sniffling. He turned to see Emma Winter with her head down, her nose twitching, tears threatening to spill.

*What the... did I say something wrong?* Alex wondered. He quickly fished out a tissue and handed it to her. Emma Winter just turned her head away, continuing to sniffle, a single tear escaping and rolling down her cheek.

*Seriously? She was all tough and bossy last night, and now she's crying? Who is she trying to fool?* Alex decided to ignore her theatrics and turned back to the window, watching the buildings fly by.

*What kind of person is he? Doesn't he know how to comfort a girl? Doesn't he know girls need to be coaxed?* Emma Winter thought, glancing at Alex from the corner of her eye, feeling increasingly wronged.

"Are you thinking I should hand this to you again?" Alex suddenly turned to her and asked.

Startled by his sudden question, and perhaps because he had guessed her thoughts, Emma Winter quickly turned her head away, flustered.

"I know girls like to be coaxed. I'll hand it to you one last time. Take it if you want, or I'm putting it back in my pocket!" Alex held the tissue out to her.

"Who do you think you are to order me around?" Emma Winter snatched the tissue and dabbed at her eyes.

"Those who are fierce on the battlefield but gentle as a lake can be great generals! Those who know women's hearts but pretend to be clueless are great men!" Alex said, seeing her reaction.

"You're just twisting words to bully people!" Emma Winter looked at Alex, pouting her small mouth.

"If you're not afraid of being bullied, then why are you still here? Arguably, those who bully are superior!" Alex retorted, refusing to back down.

"Hmph, just wait and see who'll have the last laugh!" Emma Winter said, glaring at him.

"Laughing is beside the point," Alex said, looking her up and down. "Are you really going to work dressed like that?"

"Huh?" Emma Winter looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a simple T-shirt, tight jeans, and sneakers.

"Oh no, why didn't you say so earlier? I'm going to be late, and I haven't even put on makeup. How am I supposed to face anyone?" Emma Winter said anxiously.

"Hmm? You can't face people without makeup?" Alex asked, finding her reaction amusing.

"You're the one who can't face people!" Emma Winter glared back. "I just want to show my best side to everyone!"

"You look fine now. Except for not washing your face, not combing your hair, and not changing your clothes, everything else is passable," Alex said.

"You... you're still making snide remarks at a time like this. Driver, could you please turn the car around?" Emma Winter said to the driver.

"Are you crazy? We're almost at the office, and you want to turn around? Driver, ignore her, keep going," Alex said, giving Emma Winter a dirty look.

"You... I'd rather be late than not look my best! Driver, listen to me, turn around!" Emma Winter said, glancing at Alex.

"You can go back if you want. I still have to work. Unlike some people, I don't have endless money. I have a job and a family to support," Alex retorted.

"Ladies, who should I listen to?" the driver asked from the front.

"Listen to me!" Emma Winter said quickly, then turned to give Alex a triumphant look.

"If you think you can afford the fare, then go ahead. Otherwise, just sit tight!" Alex said.

"Who says I can't afford it...!" Emma Winter started to retort, but then realized she hadn't brought her purse and had no money. She looked at Alex's smug expression and lowered her head.

"Money talks, doesn't it? You were so full of yourself a moment ago, but now you're like a deflated balloon. But don't worry, even if you are a balloon, you're still a fighter jet among balloons!" Alex said, smiling at her.

"You're the balloon!" Emma Winter punched Alex's arm.

"You are a fighter jet!" Alex retorted, rubbing his arm.

They arrived at the office precisely on time, and Alex couldn't help but admire his own time management skills.

"Huh? Emma, why the change in style?" Grace asked, looking at Emma Winter, who had followed Alex into the office, trying to hide.

"Heh... hehe, just casual, casual!" Emma Winter said, smiling awkwardly, her face twitching slightly.

"It is quite casual. Oh? A natural look? You're quite confident!" Grace said, smiling.

*Yeah, she hasn't even washed her face!* Alex thought.

"Haha, not really, I'm still far behind you, Grace!" Emma Winter replied, her expression extremely unnatural.

"Hehe, I like that. But if you went to meet clients dressed like this, wouldn't it be a bit...?"

"I'm still in the learning phase with Alex. The higher-ups haven't given me any assignments yet, so I don't need to meet clients," Emma Winter explained.

"Is that so? That's great then. Unlike us, who have to work so hard, rain or shine!" Grace said, sitting down and starting to complain.

"How can you say that when you get your bonus?" Alex asked, looking at her.

"My bonus is directly proportional to my hard work! Do you have a problem with that?" Grace glared at him.

"You're proportional, but the inverse proportion is on me!" Alex said in a bad mood.

"Hehe, who told you you're the trump card?" Grace smiled smugly. If the bonus was really based on the work done, she might have to give half of it to Alex.

"Gwen, the auction information is out. Here's the list they released this morning. Look, our company's name is on it too!" At this moment, Gwen came over to Alex and handed him the documents.

"So many companies? Is that piece of land really that good?" Alex asked, looking at the list of participating companies.

"In Beijing, any piece of land is highly sought after. Only eight companies is actually quite low!" Gwen said.

"Did they announce the reserve price? How much?" Alex asked, flipping through the document.

"Twenty million, which is much lower than the market value. It's designed to create more room for bidding," Gwen explained.

"Five acres? Not that big, but it is cheap!" Alex said, looking at the information. "What did Mr. Han say?"

"The market value is around forty million. With an auction, it could go up to fifty million or more, depending on whether there's a dark horse. Mr. Han only gave us thirty million to work with. He said if we go over the market price, there won't be much profit, and the company that hired us to bid doesn't seem willing to pay too much over the market price either," Gwen explained to Alex.

"Thirty million? That's tight! What did Mr. Han say about what happens if we get it for less? What happens to the remaining money?" Alex asked Gwen.

"He didn't say. But according to our department's policy, we get 0.5% of the profit as a bonus. So, the lower the price we get it for, the higher the profit when we resell it, and the bigger our 0.5% will be," Gwen said excitedly.

"Gwen, don't get too excited. Do you really think you can get that land? Okay, let's say you get it for thirty million. How much do you think the company that hired you can offer? The market value is forty million, remember? At most, you'll get a few thousand each. Is it worth it to work so hard for two weeks for just a few thousand? And that's assuming you even get it," Grace said, looking at Gwen and Alex.

"I'd be happy with a few thousand. Besides, I'm still worried we won't get it at all," Gwen said, deflating a little.

"Don't listen to Grace's negativity. We're definitely getting this land, and the bonus will be substantial!" Alex patted Gwen's head comfortingly.

"Gwen, go get me a list of all the CEOs of these companies, with their contact information, as quickly as possible," Alex said seriously.

"Alex, what are you planning?" Gwen asked, puzzled.

"Just do as I say!" Alex said with a smile.

"Alex, are you up to your old tricks again?" Grace leaned in, smiling mischievously. She knew him too well after five years of working together.

"What tricks? I'm a respectable businessman!" Alex pushed her face away, feigning seriousness.

"You? Respectable? Who are you trying to fool?" Grace scoffed.

"Hehe, I didn't say you had to believe me!" Alex said with a grin.

*Tricks? Schemes? Life's a gamble. If you can't win fair and square, you bend the rules! And besides, this time I'm dealing with an asshole I really don't like.*

Gwen's efficiency was impressive. By the afternoon, she had compiled all the contact information for the CEOs participating in the auction. Some entries even included their home addresses.

Alex looked at the list and saw that he knew about half of them. It seemed his father was a significant figure in Beijing's business circles, and Alex, of course, had his own connections.

"Emma, tell your sister I have to go out tonight and might be back late!" Alex whispered to Emma Carter, worried that if others found out, especially Grace, things would get complicated.

"Hmph!" Emma Carter huffed, but Alex knew she'd agreed.

"Sue, I have a client meeting, so I'm heading out. I won't be coming back to the office!" Alex said to Sue before leaving.

"It's almost closing time anyway. We wouldn't be here if you did come back," Sue said with a smile.

"Hehe, see you later then!" Alex said, waving goodbye to his colleagues before leaving the office.