The Supreme Soldier in the City-Chapter 190 VS

At six fifty, James Brown drove Gina Lopez’s Mercedes-Benz to L Hotel. He had visited the clubhouse twice before: once to meet Lucy Campbell and two beautiful hosts, and the other time to meet some senior leaders from the city, so he knew his way around quite well.

"You’ve been here before?" Gina Lopez looked at James Brown somewhat puzzled. She was well aware of the place, but she wasn’t a member yet. Even when she worked as the General Manager at JYPP Region Company, her own income wasn’t enough for her to get a membership card here, and it wasn’t her style to spend the company’s money.

James Brown smiled and said, "I came here with Lucy Campbell. She even got me a membership card—to make a good impression whenever I might need it."

"Miss Johnson is really generous to you. She hasn’t even given me one," Gina said with a hint of acid in her tone.

James laughed and replied, "She gave you five hundred million. If you want to get a membership card here now, the club would be only too eager."

Gina huffed and said, "That five hundred million is for me to do business with, not for my own enjoyment. I wouldn’t spend that money."

At that moment, they pulled up to the clubhouse entrance, where Melody Yoody was waiting. As soon as she saw James Brown get out of the car, she hurriedly greeted him. Although she was a township chief, she dared not show any arrogance towards the CEO of a big company that was planning to invest five hundred million—as it was closely related to her political achievements.

However, upon seeing a beautiful woman emerge from the passenger seat, Melody Yoody was surprised. Her steps faltered as she glanced at James Brown.

Gina Lopez also noticed Melody Yoody approaching and immediately gave James Brown a slightly hostile look. She hadn’t realized that Melody was the township chief and thought her to be someone James knew. The fact that he knew so many beautiful women was somewhat displeasing to Gina.

James chuckled and said to Gina Lopez, "Mr. Lopez, this is Melody Yoody, Township Chief Smith I told you about. Melody, this is our company’s CEO, Gina Lopez."

Both Gina Lopez and Melody Yoody were taken aback, then they extended their hands at the same time, each displaying a surprised smile. Melody spoke first, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lopez. I am really astonished; I thought the CEO James was talking about would be some man in his fifties, not such a beautiful woman."

Gina responded with a beaming smile, "Township Chief Johnson, I am even more surprised. The township chief James described I imagined as an older woman, not such a beauty. If we’re talking about surprises, I’m the truly surprised one here."

"Please, Mr. Lopez, don’t say that. You’re so young, yet you’re managing such a huge five hundred million-dollar investment. That’s something I, just a humble township chief, can’t compare to."

"The money isn’t mine; I just work for others. Township Chief Johnson, you’re the parent official of the region. We common folk will need your care and protection," Gina retorted candidly.

James watched them compliment each other and grew impatient, interjecting, "Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Let’s go inside to talk."

Confusion flashed across Melody Yoody’s face. It was natural for James to speak to her with such familiarity, given their special past relationship and the fact they were old classmates. But for a subordinate like James to address his CEO in such a manner was pushing it too far.

Gina quickly agreed, "Exactly, James is right. Township Chief Johnson, let’s go inside to talk."

"Sure, let’s go in and chat," Melody Yoody said, taking Gina’s hand and walking forward. However, as she turned, she couldn’t help but glance at James Brown, sensing from a woman’s intuition that his relationship with Gina Lopez was unusual.

As a member of the club, Melody Yoody had been able to get a membership card with relative ease. Although she was merely a township chief and would ordinarily struggle to afford the place, her family background was powerful enough to ensure her membership wasn’t difficult.

After showing her membership card, the three of them headed into the clubhouse. Melody Yoody led them to Z Hall. The room lived up to its name, decorated with bamboo-themed furnishings, and the several pots of bamboo around were quite pleasing to the eye. The bamboo tables and chairs caught Gina by surprise as soon as she walked in. She exclaimed, "This place is nicely decorated! It matches Township Chief Johnson’s name. I suppose you must like it very much?"

Melody replied with a smile, "Yes, I have the character for bamboo in my name, and I do especially like bamboos. Not only do I enjoy their tranquility, but I also admire their resilience and character."

Gina quickly praised her, "Looking at Township Chief Johnson’s preferences, it’s clear you’re a person of strong character and undoubtedly a good official for the people."

Melody laughed out loud and said, "Good official, bad official—in today’s world, anyone who wants to get by in politics has to follow certain rules and systems. It is not something I can change alone. Look, aren’t I here now trying to persuade Mr. Lopez to invest in my area for the sake of my achievements?"

Gina smiled slightly and said, "As long as Township Chief Johnson can offer us enough benefits, we’d be more than happy to invest in your area."

When it came to this matter, Gina Lopez displayed a rather smooth approach, seeking advantages for herself first. freewebnoveℓ.com

Melody Yoody, who had been in the officialdom for several years, naturally caught the implications in Gina’s words and immediately said with a hearty laugh, "As long as I’m the Township Chief and as long as our town can do it, I will secure the greatest benefits for Mr. Lopez and for your company. That much I, Melody Yoody, can guarantee."

Her words sounded good but lacked specific substance, pleasant and moving to hear, but because there were no concrete promises, they didn’t count for much—it was just a gesture.

After the three of them sat down, two beautiful girls came in, both dressed elegantly in cheongsam. Even these waitresses could qualify for a beauty pageant, which showed just how good the service was here and one could imagine the spending must be high.

After some polite chitchat, Melody Yoody took the lead and ordered several dishes and a bottle of wine. She laughed and said, "Mr. Lopez, we’re both women, so I’m not fussy about what drink to have or getting drunk. I hope you don’t mind."

This was exactly to Gina’s liking. She said, "I won’t lie to you, Township Chief Johnson, I’m most afraid of drinking contests at the table. You can’t get things done without getting yourself knocked out, and it’s considered rude if you don’t—it would be great if we could talk business without getting drunk."

Melody Yoody giggled twice and winked at James Brown, saying, "Old classmate, what would you like to drink?"

James Brown casually said, "Anything is fine."

Gina immediately said, "You better not drink. You still have to drive later, and now they’re cracking down hard on drinking and driving. If you get locked up for a few days, who will bring you food?"

James Brown gave Gina a look and retorted, "Can’t you hope for something good for me for once?"

Gina shot back with the same look, "Isn’t not letting you drink hoping for your good? Otherwise, I couldn’t be bothered to care about you."

Melody watched the two banter and began to feel suspicious—James Brown’s relationship with this president was way too casual, showing none of the respect due to a president, and Gina didn’t seem to care either, talking without airs. Could it be that James and Gina Lopez had some kind of relationship?

At that moment, Gina turned to Melody with a smile and said, "Sorry for the trouble, Township Chief Johnson, but this guy here can never act properly. Even though I’m the president, he doesn’t take me seriously, and I have to coax him instead."

"Coaxing him?" Melody’s face showed an intrigued expression as she laughed, "Could it be that Mr. Lopez and James are..."

Gina glanced at James and said, "I wish, but sadly, someone here is still holding back." It was an indirect admission of her relationship with James.

Melody’s expression slightly changed. She had been reassessing herself and realized that she had been too hasty in her dealings with James. Upon further investigation, she learned that his current girlfriend was Emma Campbell, who she did not regard as significant—just a university student. She firmly believed that with the emotional connection she had with James and being his first love, she would eventually bring him back to her side.

She didn’t anticipate Gina suddenly emerging as a formidable rival. Gina was a remarkable woman in terms of appearance, demeanor, and status, and it seemed she held James in high regard without assuming the posture of a president—it sounded like she prioritized James’s opinions.

But Melody did not let this show. She glared at James and said, "I say, old classmate, you are being too considerate, not even giving me a heads-up about this until now."

James was somewhat exasperated. Gina had actually started this whole act in front of Melody—wasn’t this just making things difficult for him? But at that moment, even a denial likely wouldn’t convince Melody, given Gina’s status, who would think such a joke was possible?

With a somewhat ’wronged’ look at Gina, he said, "It’s not up to me to be picky, is it?"

Gina at that moment also displayed a slightly wronged expression and said to Melody, "You see, that’s the way he is. I don’t know where I’m going wrong, but he just won’t agree."

Just as Melody felt that James’s relationship with Gina was more than superficial, Gina detected that James must have had some past with Melody. Her move was preemptive, holding on to James first to prevent Melody from making her move.

The two were originally there to discuss business, but instead, both had set their sights on James from the get-go.