Love Knows No Bounds

Kendall smiled faintly. "Thank you for offering, Mr. Read, but I'm used to doing things myself."

"You're the most independent woman I've ever met, Ms. Parker. It's hard for others to show their concern and consideration for you."

"I did grow up in a small town."

John smiled. He didn't say anything else.

Kendall wanted to sign the contract with Good-Trust Electronics as soon as possible whereas John wanted her to fall in love with him as soon as possible. As it was, he was on the offense as he tried to drag things out while she played defense by keeping her guard up against him.

No one made any progress.

During the ride to the restaurant, Kendall did say that there was no reason to stubbornly try to close the deal with a difficult client. Parker Corporation was an established company that had been in Orapolis for many years now. Their business had always been doing well. Moreover, they had a deal with one of Coleman Empire Holdings' subsidiaries, along with the deal that Mendelson Group insisted on signing with them.

Therefore, Parker Corporation didn't need to sign this contract.

It was quite likely that Kendall was only willing to deal with John because she wanted to gain more experience and produce some results.

Naturally, if he continued dragging things out the way he did now, Kendall could easily set her eyes on a different company. All she wanted was to prove herself to the veterans in the company. She didn't need to work with Good-Trust Electronics to do so.

John understood the situation perfectly well.

She's not as easily won over as Kelly said she is.

Perhaps it was because Kendall had Dylan. No matter how remarkable and accomplished John was, he couldn't compete against Dylan.

John decided against following Kelly's suggestions. He decided to focus on closing the deal with Kendall first. Once the companies signed the contract, he would have more chances to interact with Kendall. Who knows? Maybe she'll fall in love with me someday.

…

At Mendelson Residence.

Amelia had a blast when Frank wasn't around.

Desmond treated her as if she was the lady of the house and would do his best to satisfy all her needs, from food to entertainment.

She was sitting on the couch eating the snacks Desmond brought her. Desmond claimed that Frank had bought the snacks but didn't eat them. No one else did either and it would be a waste to throw everything away, so he asked for her help to finish them off.

A zombie movie, one of Amelia's favorite movie genres, was playing on the television. This one featured Woody Harrelson.

Both Amelia and Kendall enjoyed watching Woody Harrelson's movies as he was often quite comical.

"Oh, dear!"

Desmond came over and sighed.

Amelia looked at him and asked, "Why are you sighing, Mr. Desmond? Is something troubling you? Why don't you tell me about it? I might be able to help you."

Desmond sighed again. "Mr. Mendelson left the house on an empty stomach this morning. I just called Joshua and he told me that Mr. Mendelson is still busy working. It seems as if he doesn't plan on having his lunch either. The rest of them are too afraid to try and convince him. They wouldn't be able to anyway. Mr. Mendelson made a trip to Coleman Empire Holdings before he went to the office. I'm sure he must've fought with Master Dylan. I think Mr. Mendelson must've been so infuriated by Master Dylan that he got an upset stomach and lost all his appetite. He has been having a hard time lately and has become so skinny now. I've known him ever since he was a baby. It pains me to see him like this, but I can't do anything about it."

Desmond kept sighing as he secretly spied to see Amelia's reaction.

Amelia froze briefly before carrying on as usual. She kept munching on the snacks that Frank bought but didn't eat. Why didn't he eat them? They're so good! Why did he buy them if he wasn't planning on eating them?

She couldn't be bothered to figure him out. That unfathomable man.

"He's a grown man in his early thirties, Mr. Desmond. He's not a three-year-old. Even three-year-olds know how to tell an adult when they're hungry or thirsty. If he's not eating, then it means he's not hungry and doesn't want to eat. You don't need to worry so much. You age faster if you worry too much, you know."

Desmond was speechless, but he still had to try. "I'm sure Mr. Mendelson will listen to you, Ms. Taylor. Why don't you bring some food over to him?"

"I'm not doing it."

Amelia refused at once. "He doesn't listen to me anyway. I'm like his mortal enemy. He can't stand letting a day go by without messing with me in some way."

"But if Mr. Mendelson doesn't eat, his blood sugar level will drop. What if he faints at his desk and no one finds out? What if something bad happens because of this? You're in his employment now, Ms. Taylor. He pays your salary. What if something happens to him and you don't get paid? You would've wasted all your time with nothing to show for it, right?"

Amelia did not know how to react.

"I know you don't have a good impression of Mr. Mendelson, Ms. Taylor. I'm sure there are times when you wish he was gone, but seeing as how Mr. Mendelson treats you well every now and then, are you really willing to watch him die of hunger?"

After a pause, Amelia said, "Relax. He values his life very much. He won't starve himself to death. If he does, then considering the fact that he occasionally treats me well, I'm willing to call…"

Amelia didn't finish her less-than-pleasant sentence.

Desmond was used to hearing these things. In fact, he was surprised to see that Amelia didn't finish her sentence. After mulling it over, he was secretly pleased.

Ms. Taylor's attitude toward Mr. Mendelson is beginning to soften.

This is good news!

"Ms. Taylor, Mr. Mendelson is having a hard time right now. He's not eating but he still has to work. His body will crash under this kind of pressure."

Amelia recalled the anguish Frank felt when Kendall came by a while back. Her heart twisted up as well.

"Pack the food, Mr. Desmond. I'll make the exception just this once and bring some food over to him."

In the end, Amelia wasn't cruel enough to stand by and let Frank starve.