Return Of The Prodigy
Return of the Prodigy Chapter 191

Half an hour later, Adam drove Katie back to the office.

As Katie headed upstairs, Adam made a U-turn and went to pick Annie up.

As coincidence would have it, he met Lionel at the kindergarten, who was busy telling his son to apologize to Annie.

The boy said reluctantly, "Annie, I'm sorry for calling you a liar when your dad was really a general."

Recalling that she had accidentally leaked her father's identity, Annie got anxious as she was afraid that the bad guys would kidnap Adam.

"No, my dad isn't a general! Stop speaking nonsense!" shouted Annie while shaking her head.

The boy stood there dumbfounded.

Adam picked up Annie and returned to Hartley Group. Half an hour later, Katie got off work.

The trio headed to a restaurant in high spirits.

Inside the car, Annie raised her chin and praised herself, "Daddy, I didn't leak your identity today!" Adam smiled and could not help but recall the dumbfounded expressions of Lionel and his son.

"Annie, you were a good girl today. What do you want to eat? Mommy's treat."

Annie's eyes shone. She started counting on her fingers and said, "I want a pancake, a cake, then a plate of pasta, and also a..."

Katie pinched her cheek and said, "Little glutton, have some restrain. Are you trying to bleed Mommy dry? Let's just look for a quiet place and dine there."

Adam smiled and said, "I feel like your offer to treat Annie was not sincere enough. We should go to a nice restaurant. I say we go to Marriott's."

Having made up his mind, Adam drove his family to Marriott's.

Katie looked at the two spendthrifts and shook her head in exasperation.

Half an hour later, the trio arrived at the restaurant. This time, they did not reserve a private room but looked for a table in the hall.

Katie sat down and ordered Annie's favorite dishes. Then, the trio enjoyed their meal and chatted casually.

At this moment, the doors of the elevator opened, and a familiar voice reached Katie's ears. "Katie Hartley?"

Katie was stunned. She turned to look at the elevator, and her expression became cold right after.

The man that had spoken was Jenkins Poe, owner of Antarctica Corp. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and one of the first ones to defect to Leroy Ortiz's side. Katie did not expect to meet him here. She ignored him and kept eating.

Jenkins Poe walked over with a smile and took out his phone to make a call.

"Hey, Johan, guess who I met in your restaurant. Come downstairs and take a look!"

Jenkins hung up and arrived by Katie's side. He said enigmatically, "Ms. Hartley, what a coincidence! I didn't expect that you'd be in the mood to dine at a restaurant with your family given the tragic situation of the new Chamber of Commerce. Anyway, since you're here, I might as well give you a gift that goes well with a nice glass of wine, haha."

Katie looked at him coldly and said, "Mr. Poe, my family and I are having dinner. If there's nothing else, you should leave."

However, Jenkins stood where he was and continued, "Don't be hasty. Your gift will be here soon."

In the next moment, a man in his fifties with graying temples came out of the elevator, his expression one of worry.

Jenkins turned around and smiled. "Johan, did you see who's here?"

The man that had just arrived was Johan Bird, the owner of the restaurant and a member of the new Chamber of Commerce.

When he saw Katie, Johan panicked. He stammered, "M-Ms. Hartley, what brings you here?"

Katie glanced at him and furrowed her brows. "Mr. Bird, were the two of you having a meeting?"

Johan's face reddened, and he did not know how to explain the situation. He felt like a child that had been caught doing something bad.

Jenkins was delighted. He laughed and said, "Johan, if you're too embarrassed, I can help you say it.

"Ms. Hartley, I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to your incredible leadership, all the members of the new Chamber of Commerce are in trouble. For example, Johan here lost a third of his market share, suffering losses of over 5 million dollars. He couldn't bear it anymore and called me, hoping that I would help him rejoin the old Chamber of Commerce."

At those words, Katie had an epiphany. During the emergency meeting, she had asked the members of the new Chamber of Commerce to find a way to join the enemy so that they could proceed to destroy them from within. It seemed that Johan Bird had already started to take action.

Having realized Johan's intentions, Katie decided to play along and help him with his plan.

Katie's frown deepened, and she said unhappily, "What's the meaning of this? Mr. Bird, are you leaving the new Chamber of Commerce?"

Johan lowered his head in shame. At the same time, he realized that Katie was playing along to help him succeed.

Jenkins Poe sneered and said, "Johan, my dear friend, this is your chance. If you want to rejoin the old Chamber of Commerce, you must sever every tie with Katie Hartley's organization first. If you're thinking of having a foot in both camps, you better give up on the idea right now! Johan, you're a smart man, and I know you'll make the right choice."

Johan hesitated, acting as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Jenkins snorted and said impatiently, "Johan, we don't have all day. If you miss this bus, you won't get a second one later. Seize this opportunity you're given and don't make mistakes. I'll count to three, so hurry up and make your decision. One, two..." Johan clenched his teeth and said, "Okay, fine! Ms. Hartley, I'm sorry, but I want to leave the new Chamber of Commerce."

Jenkins roared with laughter. "See? It wasn't hard. The members of the new Chamber of Commerce are just a rowdy bunch. You aren't missing out by leaving their club. Anyway, I'll help you rejoin the old Chamber of Commerce, so you don't need to worry about a single thing. Your worries are a thing of the past, and your restaurant will flourish with our help." He then turned to look at Katie and asked, "Ms. Hartley, was my gift to your liking?"

Katie appeared furious as she stared daggers at the duo. "Are you done? If you are, leave and stop ruining our meal," she hissed.

Jenkins said with a sneer, "I'm afraid you won't be able to finish that meal of yours." He then looked at Johan and said, "Johan, this is your restaurant. What do you think we should do?

"I could dial Mr. Ortiz's number right now, but first you'll have to prove that you're loyal to the old Chamber of Commerce."

Johan was dumbfounded. He said, embarrassed, "Mr. Poe, aren't we going too far?"

Jenkins snorted and said, "The choice is yours. I won't force you."

Then, he unlocked his phone and video called Leroy Ortiz.

Before long, the call went through, and Leroy's face appeared on the screen. He said, disgruntled, "Mr. Poe, why are you calling me so late?"

Jenkins smiled and said respectfully, "Mr. Ortiz, don't be angry. I have a nice surprise for you. Please take a look!" He then pointed the camera at Katie.

Leroy's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Is that Katie Hartley?"

Jenkins proceeded to recount the whole story.

Leroy laughed and praised him, "Not bad, not bad. You did well. Where is Mr. Bird? Tell him to start the show. As long as it is to my liking, I'll approve his request to rejoin the Chamber of Commerce." Jenkins pointed the camera at Johan.

Johan smiled and said with reverence, "Mr. Ortiz, it's a pleasure to see you. Thank you for your kindness."

Leroy smiled and said, "Don't be in a hurry to thank me. We'll have to see your performance before allowing you to rejoin the Chamber of Commerce."

"I understand." Johan nodded and turned to look at Katie. He clenched his teeth and said solemnly, "Katie Hartley, you're not welcome here. Get out of my restaurant!"

Adam, who had not spoken until now, furrowed his brows. He said coldly, "What did you say? Say it again if you have the guts!"

Johan was dumbfounded, and he looked at Katie in a panic.

Katie was also frightened by Adam's sudden outburst. She turned around and winked at him.

Dear, this isn't the time to lose your temper. Don't ruin my and Mr. Bird's plan!