Chapter 146 - Job Offers

Alex and Claire had a major argument about work for the first time. Alex was determined to accept the commercial shoot for Tipton's new hotel but Claire was against it. That argument was brought to Orita's attention and the heiress smiled when they told her about it.

"Oh, I don't think there's anything wrong with that job. Alex, you should go for it. Also, there isn't anything to be worried about, Claire. I know the partners working with Tipton and the hotelier herself. Alex will be in good hands, the job is legitimate."

Claire hesitated. She hasn't told Orita about the stalker's gifts. After the first stalking incident that ended up in failure when they tried to nab the mastermind, a new incident occurred. The fact that this stalker was the one who proposed the job without revealing their identity made Claire very suspicious about their nature.

She looked over to Claire who looked triumphant at her mother's support.

"Mrs Wilde, there is something I haven't told you yet. It's related to why I'm very against Alex taking on the job. It wasn't a job recommended through the agency. It was by a private request."

Orita's eyes widened. "The Tiptons visited personally?"

Claire shook her head and Alex scowled when her manager divulged all the details of their new stalker who also recommended the job.

"The most peculiar thing was the gift choices. The letters were never signed off by a person but always under a company name with some email and phone to contact them if we were interested. I tested the contact details to ensure that they were legitimate. The job is legitimate too and that's the reason for my concern."

Orita thought about it. While the choices for the gifts were odd, the lady smiled mysteriously.

"I think it will be alright. Let Alex take this job, I have a feeling this person doesn't mean harm. Besides, it's as you said, this person has to know Alex well enough to choose such deliberate gifts. Maybe they are giving hints to their identity before the meeting? Think of it as a reunion between old friends. That person must be equally awkward if all they could think of is to arrange a meeting in such a roundabout way."

Claire looked sceptical but since Orita had given Alex the green light, the manager could only obey. Alex thanked her mother and the call ended. Claire wasn't too happy but Alex was over the moon. Whoever the mysterious stalker was, Alex couldn't help but feel a little excited over meeting them. If it was someone who knew her well enough from her younger days, Alex could only count a few of such people. Like Orita, she had a rough idea about who it was but until she saw them in person, Alex would wait patiently.

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"So you've decided to go for it after all?" Scarlet asked.

Alex laughed. "Isn't it exciting? I know Claire isn't too happy about it but I think I know who it is. There are only a handful of people who knew how I was like when I was younger."

Scarlet thought about it but nobody prominent came to mind immediately. "As odd as it sounds, I don't really recall anyone like that much from our younger days. I do find it familiar though… and maybe a little strange but I think that person is not an anti-fan of yours."

The model grinned. "That's what I said too but Claire doesn't listen. She's already preparing additional security around the clock. The job starts in a month so I have a lot of time to prepare for it. Oh, would you like to join me on a short holiday? I'm sure the Tiptons wouldn't mind."

Scarlet sighed. "Sorry, Alex. I can't make it. Next month I'm going to start recording the new album. Lin Lin has been pestering me to check out the new songs but I haven't got time yet with all the movie promotions and photoshoots lined up."

"You sound busy," Alex smiled. "Don't forget to take a break from time to time. Jasper doesn't sound very healthy either… both of you work too hard!"

Scarlet laughed at her sister's nagging. It was true that Jasper and herself have been pushing their careers harder than they should. However, that was only because they were still not strong enough to take down Anastasia. Not to mention, the boys weren't very happy with Scarlet being directly involved in the case and sticking her nose too deeply in the enemy's territory.

"Don't worry, Alex. We'll be fine. Oh, I heard that mom is planning a class reunion for us?"

The model laughed. "Oh, that! Yes, after mom convinced Claire to let me take the job for the Tiptons, she also said that it's about time to organize a grand reunion party since all the E.C. Class has graduated at last. It's going to be a reunion for the E.C. Class and Special Class like the barbecue event but on a grander scale at the Wilde's main house. Mom's currently calling everybody up to discuss it. Of course, dad says that he can arrange flights for everyone but I bet Jenna's going to end up coordinating everything again."

Scarlet laughed. "I don't doubt that. Oh well, I have to get back to work now, good luck with the talk show later and congratulations on taking up the Tipton's job!"

Alex grinned and told Scarlet to sleep early instead before they hung up. Now that the call was over, Scarlet mulled over the mysterious job offer that had been sent to her while the stylist worked on her hair and make-up. Unlike Alex's job offer, the ones she received were slightly more unique. Raven has investigated that company and found nothing out of the usual. Claire didn't think that it was dangerous to take on the job even if they were being slightly unprofessional by sending company representatives to approach Pamela directly at Scarlet's working site instead of going through the agency.

While many others could see it as sincerity, Scarlet wondered what their true intentions were. The gifts they sent to try and convince Scarlet to sign a work contract with them to become a product ambassador were slightly odd too. Scarlet might be a famous actress and singer but she was only sixteen. Why would they give expensive perfume, bird's nest and regal looking custom made accessories to a sixteen-year-old girl? Those were usually things that an older woman would appreciate.

The company that kept pestering Scarlet was called Pineapple Group. Apparently, the owner of Pineapple group was a huge fan of Scarlet's and wanted to use this as an opportunity to get closer to her. The owner of the group was actually a man in his thirties who inherited the position from his retired father. Raven didn't like him when he knew that but Scarlet didn't want to reject the offer immediately. Instead, she did some digging on her own.

As it turned out, Pineapple Group was a huge shareholder in many of the companies that EZ Express deals with. In fact, they worked very closely with EZ Express on many projects that made Scarlet wonder if this was the huge power behind Anastasia's mysterious supply routes. The Pineapple Group owns a lot of factories and warehouses all over China and had a huge skyscr.a.p.er in Shanghai that was their headquarters. In Beijing, their influence extends to a good majority of the public transportation used. The group has taken multiple government projects as well and has a finger in almost every pie in China.

If they turn out to be Anastasia's support and contact, Scarlet would have struck gold but there was no way of finding that out from the internet. For the first time after finding such a huge potential lead, Scarlet hesitated to tell Jasper and Elfie about it. After that argument, they would definitely not want her to take the job offered to her out of concern for her safety. However, Scarlet was willing to take that risk to find out more while acting as bait. If Anastasia had one hostage, he wouldn't need another.

Alex was very famous in Europe and America but she was practically unknown in China. This made it difficult for Anastasia to personally act against her because the sly mafia boss wouldn't want any traces back to him. With the Interpol constantly watching his actions, it was easier for his partners to act on his behalf instead. That also meant that Scarlet was a better target. Before the Sweet Sixteen gala, not many people knew that Scarlet was a daughter of the Wilde family. She might be adopted and even if Anastasia knew about it previously, he wouldn't prioritise an adopted daughter over a daughter of true Wilde blood. However, after Orita's speech and the display of affection between sisters, it was clear that Scarlet was indeed important to the Wilde family and his target changed.

Scarlet mulled over it. She didn't want to unnecessarily worry her family and wanted to protect them but if something went wrong with her plan and she became a hostage, Scarlet had to make plans for that so that she wouldn't be a burden to them. For now, the young writer would tell Pamela to accept the job but make an excuse to delay the meeting. She would meet them after the reunion.