Now They Want My Forgiveness - Chapter 215: Chapter 215

As the guy passed by, he glanced at Stella, realizing she hadn't seen him. Then he caught the icy glare Jordan shot his way. That was enough. The guy took off in a hurry.
Stella looked over at the man and finally realized Jordan had just helped her. But the moment she noticed his hand was still holding hers, her heart skipped a beat. She tried to pull her hand back and said, "Thanks."
"Don't get too flattered," Jordan said with a tiny squeeze. Her hand was soft, but there were some calluses. It made him feel a little protective.
"Got it. Hey, don't you have work to do?" Stella asked.
"I was actually on my way to the office. What about you?" he replied.
"I'm heading in too," Stella said. Since they'd both left late that morning, it made sense to get back now. She was curious how the research team was doing.
"I'll give you a ride," Jordan offered. Stella was about to say no, but when she saw he'd already walked ahead, she had no choice but to follow him.
When they got to the office, Jasper and the rest of the team were already waiting in the conference room.
They stood up to greet Stella, but then noticed Jordan walking in behind her. Jasper was the first to speak. "Mr. Erwin, good to see you."
The others followed suit, all greeting Jordan one by one. Jordan gave a small nod. "No need to be formal. I'm just here to check out your research findings. Go ahead and run the meeting like I'm not here."
Earlier in the car, Stella hadn't said much. Jordan wasn't super chatty either, but he felt like it was time they had a real conversation. So he asked what the company had been working on lately and if she needed any help.
That opened things up. Stella started sharing her thoughts with him. Jordan thought her ideas made a lot of sense.
He told her his schedule wasn't packed and asked if he could sit in on her meeting. He promised not to interfere, just listen.
Stella said, "Sure, why not? If you're willing to be there, that'd be great. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to running a company. If you're willing to listen and give me some feedback, I'd appreciate it."
And just like that, Jordan got exactly what he wanted. Everyone took their seats. Even though Jordan said he'd stay out of it, they all knew he had real influence. After all, he'd invested a ton of money into the business.
Stella sat down and got straight to the point. "Alright, tell me what you've learned from your research." Jasper gave a signal, and one of his team members stepped forward to present.
Stella listened to several reports. When they were done, she nodded. "Not bad. You guys took this seriously. This is the kind of data I was hoping for. So, we'll move forward based on this strategy for our supermarket rollout.
"We're going with a chain model. We'll start in more than twenty cities nationwide. If things go smoothly, we'll expand into third-, fourth-, and even fifth-tier cities.
"Don't underestimate smaller cities. In recent years, we've all heard about the 'sinking market' trend. That's exactly what we're targeting, not the high-end crowd.
"Our goal is to build a brand that lasts for a hundred years, not one that disappears after a few. We're creating our own identity. Service, quality—everything has to be on point. Everybody with me?"
"Yes!" the team answered in unison.
Stella looked satisfied. "Great. That's it for today. Go work on your proposals. I want to see your best ideas within a week."
Everyone filed out. Stella stayed behind, still buried in reports. She didn't realize how much time had passed. Then it suddenly hit her that Jordan was still there. She looked up. When she was just about to speak, her lips accidentally brushed against his.