“But what?” Hubert asked quickly.
“My adoptive father told me many stories about the Collins family and his friendship with Old Master Collins before he died. Richard valued it more than anything else. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told me to ask the Collins family for help if anything happened.”
“Richard valued his relationship with the Collins family right before dying in battle. Richard trusted the Collins family and Old Master Collins. It’s why he told me those things… But what did I see when I visited you?”
Hubert blushed slightly as George spoke.
“The Collins family didn’t turn me down. Who they rejected is my adoptive father. It’s not that Old Master Collins looks down on me. It’s because he didn’t take my adoptive father seriously. Pity my adoptive father died in battle, thinking of his friendship with Old Master Collins, and this is what they think of him?” George gritted his teeth slightly, finally expressing his anger to Hubert.
Richard could understand the Collins family’s attitude toward him, but George would never forgive William for being dismissive of Colin.
How could Colin’s best friend treat Colin like that after his death?
How could George let that go?
Hubert’s mouth moved but said nothing. Richard could not find the right words to explain. Even if he wanted to smooth things over between George and the Collins family, George’s attitude made it sound impossible.
Whether George would soften his attitude toward the Collins family later depended on the Collins family’s attitude.
“Mr. Lennon, I see… I’ll let you know when Mr. Lupin comes…” Hubert was so frustrated that he could only drop the topic.
“Thank you.” George nodded gently and hung up.
“Commander, Hubert seems okay…” Sonya whispered at the side.
“Sadly, he’s not the one calling the shots in the Collins family. Richard doesn’t have any contacts in the army either.” George nodded gently before shaking his head.
George could tell Hubert wanted to be friends with him. Hubert did not seem to have ulterior motives. However, William was the patriarch of the Collins family, who called the shots. Hubert had no choice but to follow William’s orders.
It was why the Collins family’s relationship with George had gotten to this point. George did not dwell on it. It was the Collins family’s choice either way.
Maybe the Collins family had their problems too, but George only wanted results. His attitude toward the Collins family depended on the choice the Collins family made. Putting the Collins family’s future aside, George was currently not interested in having dinner with the Collins family. Besides, he was meeting Johnson tonight.
His meeting with Johnson was important.
The future of Joules Town’s business circle depended on their meeting.
To Richard, tonight’s conversation would determine how far Lennon Real Estate could go in Joules Town. It was of utmost importance, so to speak. George would drop everything to speak to Johnson in person.
***
Nighttime. Southern Wall Hotel.
The hotel was not posh. Besides that, it was in the middle of nowhere, not downtown. The only advantage was that it was more secretive.
It was said that the boss behind the hotel was also a government official. Many government officials chose this place for meetings with other people.
Johnson had a high rank in the government. If he had a private meeting with a businessman like Richard, someone malicious would make an issue of it. Even if they had done nothing, Johnson’s identity was sensitive. Someone could easily find something to use against him. It was why Johnson chose this place.
George arrived early to show his respect for Johnson.
“Commander, I hear you can often see some government officials here at night,” Sonya whispered as he parked the car.
George nodded and looked toward the hotel entrance not far away.
Unlike other luxury hotels, Southern Wall Hotel did not have any fancy décor. There were no lights on the exterior walls. Only the sign at the entrance gave off a dim light.
If one drove past a little faster, he might not think that there was a hotel there.
The hotel was so low-key that it did not feel like a place to eat and stay. It was as secluded as a tea house.
Some cars with special car plates could be seen in the parking lot outside the gate.
“How dare they come so openly? Aren’t they afraid of a thorough investigation from the higher-ups?” Sonya mumbled as he opened the car door for George and looked at the cars.
“What is rational is real, and what is real is rational. They didn’t check because they didn’t want to.” George shook his head slightly before stepping out of the car.
