Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 132: Difficult Questions

The Pemberton Corporation headquarters stood on the eastern side of the financial district, its glass exterior reflecting the pale afternoon light across the surrounding buildings. Audrey slowed slightly as she approached the entrance, more out of habit than hesitation. The revolving doors turned steadily as employees moved in and out of the lobby, most carrying slim briefcases or tablets under their arms.

Inside, the building felt quieter than the street outside.

The lobby stretched upward through several open floors, polished stone beneath her shoes and a long reception desk positioned near the elevators. A pair of security guards stood behind the desk. Several visitors waited nearby, each with a temporary badge clipped to their jacket.

Audrey stepped forward and introduced herself.

The receptionist checked a tablet for a moment, then nodded. "Miss Sawyer. Mr. Pemberton is expecting you."

She handed Audrey a visitor badge and gestured toward the elevators.

An assistant waited near the elevator bank. The woman introduced herself briefly and pressed the button for the executive floor.

The elevator doors closed with a quiet hum.

Audrey stood beside the assistant as the numbers rose steadily. Through the glass panel at the back of the elevator, she could see the city stretching outward between tall office towers. Traffic moved slowly along the wide avenue below, the afternoon sun catching the metal roofs of passing cars.

The building felt familiar in a distant way. She had visited before, though it had been years ago. The interior had been renovated since then. The colors were lighter now. The hallway lighting softer.

When the elevator stopped, the assistant led her through a corridor lined with glass-walled offices. The floor was noticeably quieter than the lobby below. Several assistants worked behind desks positioned along the hallway, speaking in low voices while reviewing documents on their screens.

They stopped in front of a wide wooden door near the end.

The assistant knocked once before opening it.

"Mr. Pemberton, Miss Sawyer is here."

Audrey stepped inside.

The office was large but not overly decorated. A wide desk stood near the windows, with a small seating area positioned closer to the center of the room. The far wall was mostly glass, giving a clear view of the city skyline beyond.

Gilbert Pemberton stood behind the desk, a thin folder open in front of him.

He looked up as Audrey entered.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Gilbert closed the folder and placed it neatly on the desk. Instead of greeting her from where he stood, he walked around the side of the desk and crossed the short distance toward the seating area. The movement was calm and unhurried—the kind of quiet adjustment someone made without drawing attention to it.

Audrey watched him approach.

He had changed since the last time she had seen him. The difference was not dramatic, but it was visible in the way he carried himself now. There was a steadiness to his posture, the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to being responsible for an entire organization.

He stopped a few steps away.

"Miss Sawyer."

Audrey inclined her head slightly.

"Mr. Pemberton."

The formality felt natural between them, though a brief pause lingered after the greeting.

Gilbert gestured toward the seating area.

"Please."

They moved to the small table near the windows rather than the desk. Two chairs faced each other with enough space between them to keep the conversation comfortable.

As Audrey sat down, she placed her notebook on the table and set her phone beside it.

Gilbert noticed the phone and gave a small nod.

"You can record if you prefer," he said. "It may be easier than relying on notes."

"Thank you," Audrey replied.

She tapped the screen and started the recording before opening her notebook.

For a moment, she adjusted the pen in her hand and glanced briefly at the page in front of her.

Then she looked up.

"Many companies attract attention through large public events," she began. "Banquets, conferences, leadership appearances. But those moments rarely explain the relationships that exist behind them."

Gilbert listened without interrupting.

Audrey continued.

"I am interested in how corporations maintain those relationships over time. The networks that exist outside public announcements."

She paused briefly before asking the question.

"How does a company like Pemberton maintain influence across industries without drawing constant attention to those connections?"

Gilbert did not answer immediately.

Instead, he leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her expression for a moment before speaking.

"You still start with the difficult questions."

Audrey looked down at her notebook for a moment as she wrote the first line of the interview. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"They usually produce clearer answers," she said.

A faint smile touched Gilbert’s expression before he responded more seriously.

"In most cases, those networks develop gradually," he said. "Large corporations rarely build influence through a single partnership or agreement. It is usually the result of many smaller collaborations over time."

Audrey wrote quickly while he spoke.

"Shared projects," he continued. "Long-term investments. Sometimes, simply working in the same markets long enough to understand how other companies operate."

She glanced up again.

"So the relationships are mostly operational rather than social?"

"In many cases, yes."

He folded his hands loosely on the table.

"People often assume influence comes from visible alliances," he added. "But it is usually more practical than that. Companies work together when their interests align. If those interests remain aligned for several years, the relationship becomes stable."

Audrey nodded slightly and wrote another line.

"And when interests change?" she asked.

"Then the relationship changes as well."

The answer came easily.

Audrey considered that for a moment before continuing.

"Your corporation has expanded into several sectors over the past few years," she said. "Infrastructure, manufacturing, investment funds. Does that expansion make those relationships easier to maintain or more complicated?"

Gilbert tilted his head slightly as if considering the wording.

"A bit of both," he said.

"Expansion increases opportunities for collaboration," he explained. "But it also requires careful attention to where those collaborations lead. A corporation operating across multiple industries needs to understand how each partnership affects the others."

Audrey wrote another line.

"And that responsibility ultimately rests with the leadership."

Gilbert nodded once.

"That is part of the role."

The conversation continued in a steady rhythm after that. Audrey asked a few more questions, avoiding overly technical territory. Gilbert answered clearly, choosing his words carefully but without hesitation.

From time to time, Audrey glanced up from her notebook to watch his expression while he spoke. His answers were thoughtful rather than rehearsed, which made the interview easier to follow.

Nearly forty minutes passed before Audrey finally closed her notebook.

"That should be enough for the article," she said.

Gilbert inclined his head slightly.

"I hope it is useful."

"It will be."

She stopped the recording on her phone, slipped it into her bag, then stood.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me."

Gilbert stood as well.

"It was not inconvenient."

He walked with her toward the office door. The hallway outside remained quiet, the assistants still working behind their desks.

As Audrey reached the doorway, Gilbert spoke again.

"It has been a long time."

Audrey turned slightly.

"Five years," she said.

The answer came calmly, without hesitation.

For a moment, neither of them added anything else.

Then Audrey gave a small nod.

"Thank you again, Mr. Pemberton."

She stepped into the hallway, and the door closed quietly behind her.

A few minutes later, she exited the building and stepped onto the sidewalk. The afternoon had grown brighter while she was inside. Sunlight reflected across the glass towers on both sides of the street.

Cars moved steadily along the avenue while pedestrians crossed the intersection ahead.

Audrey adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and began walking toward the corner.

Behind her, the Pemberton building rose silently above the traffic, its glass windows reflecting the city sky.