Chapter 502: Fixer

"Grandfather…"

"Hmmm…" The old man with a head full of white hair nodded at her. "Take a seat."

She complied she was expecting the old man to have his tea at the balcony at the back of the mansion. However, he was actually in the small library on the second floor. He was staring at the Canvas that hang on the wall behind her.

"It's been a few months," he spoke. "You look… thinner."

"My father just died."

"Ah. I heard about it."

Of course he did. After all, her father was still a prime minister when he died. Yet, her grandfather never showed up at her father's funeral. She used to ask why the old man seemed to hate her father so much.

It must be because of Alfons.

"I trust that you have been well, grandpa?" she asked. As a man in his late sixties, Mr. Ren Zhou is still as strong as a horse. Despite his age, he was still the current chairman of Ren Aesthetics and Co.

"Hmm. And you?"

He was always a man of few words, his face always looked stern and serious. But right now, the old man was actually strangely looking at her.

Was it because… she was looking straight into his eyes?

"I am doing my best to recover my health." Gabi smiled. She never hated the old man. However, she wasn't very close to him either. The small rift in their relationship only increased because she was stupid enough to think that she was actually helping Alfons.

"You came here to visit your mother?"

She nodded in response. Seeing her grandfather was really unexpected.

"Are you still planning to finish your studies?" He asked after a long silence.

"No."

"You decide to stop your masters?"

"Yes." What was the use of education? Before her rebirth, she had masters and have a lot of awards and certificates. Those were not enough to make her smarter outside of her mansion. "Grandfather… I want to work for the company."

She saw her grandfather's hands shook. He immediately put his teacup down. "Company?"

"Ren Aesthetics."

"You— "

"I know… I didn't study management. I took International Relations to make my father happy. But that doesn't mean, I love it." This was a lie. Gabi actually liked it. She liked politics. She grew up watching her father serve the country as a politician. However, she needed to get close to her grandfather to prevent the tragedy that would soon befall the only family she had left.

"You — You want to work for Ren Aesthetics?"

"I know I don't qualify for any position. I have no background in business either. So… I wanted to work behind the scenes and help the company." Before the old man could ask any more questions, she added. "Please don't get me wrong. I just thought that I am… I am alone. The only family I have left is you. Of course."

"Behind the scenes?"

"Grandfather… just to make myself clearer. I want to work as the company's lobbyist, a fixer."

Ren Zhou squinted his eyes at her. "Lobbyist?"

She knew he was unconvinced. Everyone knew that Gabrielle Sutton had a weak body. All her life, she took classes inside her mansion. She was home-schooled and learned a lot of theories with no proper application. To put it simply, everyone thought she was the type of woman that know all ways to create a fire in the wilderness but couldn't really identify the type of material she could use to ignite the flames.

She lacked the experience and social skills to survive in the outside world.

"Yes," she confidently smiled. "A lobbyist."

"Gabi…"

For the first time since she arrived, the old man finally mentioned her name. "Being a lobbyist isn't child's play."

"Let me prove myself to you."

"You — " The old man didn't continue the words that he wanted to speak. Instead, he sighed before shaking his head. "Just now… you look just like your mother."

"Grandpa…"

"That child. She always looked so determined and smart. Her eyes were bright and sharp." Another sigh escaped her grandfather's lips. "Too bad. Love blinded her."

"Grandpa, this isn't about the past." Until now, Gabi didn't know the entire story of her parent's marriage. But she wasn't in a hurry. She believes that she had the time to think about this once she gains her grandfather's trust. She gulped. "I just want to learn how to defend myself."

If the old man wouldn't allow her to work for the company, then she could only do other ways to force his hand. And it wouldn't be pretty.

"How do you plan to prove your skills?"

'Skills' that's right. No matter what, Ren Zhou isn't the type of person that would allow anyone to take over the Ren Aesthetics just because they are blood-related. He always values skills and strength above anything else. It was a smart strategy that avoided any dramas and fighting inside the family. However, this would also become his ultimate downfall.

Gabi smiled at the old man. "I heard that you are going to bid on the upcoming project for the Empire's Annual Event."

"How did you— "

She smirked. She was talking about an Arena that the Ye Family wanted to build. This Arena was only called an Arena, but it was actually designed to look like a whole village. It would be big enough to house a hundred delegates from other countries. There would be a pool, mall, salons, spas, banks, restaurant, entertainment center, and a big arena that would become the venue of many international events in the future. The thing is, no one knows this. At least not yet..

Everyone thought this was only an arena when, in fact, this is a project of a lifetime!

And this is the project that the Sealey family won because of Gabi's help.

"This time, companies from all over the world would try to bid for the project. Though Ren Aesthetics is considered big, we wouldn't be able to win the bidding this time."

"And if we win?" she asked.