Henry Carter naturally knew that bosses in the demolition business always kept a group of people on hand. During demolitions, these people would stop at nothing—threats, bribes, intimidation, even violence. Simply put, this group was nothing more than the boss’s hired thugs. It seemed likely that those who came to collect debts before were beaten up by these thugs.

Grace Foster was being brazenly ogled by these people, and she suddenly felt flustered. As she was going up the stairs, she accidentally tripped, letting out a startled cry as she fell backward up the stairs.

Henry Carter reacted quickly, reaching out to grab Grace Foster's arm and pulling hard, yanking her upright. Due to inertia, Grace Foster fell right onto Henry Carter, her ample chest pressing against his arm. The soft sensation made Henry Carter's heart flutter, but he didn’t take advantage of her. Instead, he used his other hand to steady her.

The group of men in the distance immediately burst into loud laughter.

“Beauty, after seeing me, you can’t even walk straight anymore…”

“Get out of here, it’s obviously because she saw me, okay?”

…

A whistle sounded again, and the young man with dyed yellow hair shouted over, “Hey beauty, come over and let’s talk about life.”

Grace Foster was both embarrassed and angry, not knowing what to do. Henry Carter smiled gently and comforted her, “Ignore them, they’re just a bunch of small fry.”

Henry Carter's calm voice gave Grace Foster a sense of security. She softly replied, not looking at the rowdy men, and lowered her head to walk upstairs.

“You guys wait here, I’ll go ask for instructions first.”

The flamboyant woman tossed out these words and knocked on the door before going in. She was inside for several minutes before coming back out.

“President Zhou will see you now.”

Chapter 3: Not Afraid of Not Paying, Only Afraid of Truly Having No Money

Inside the office, a middle-aged man in a suit was sitting in the boss’s chair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses—a standard successful businessman look, completely different from the men downstairs. However, his posture left much to be desired: he was slouched in the chair, feet propped up on the desk, exuding a “I’m a thug, who am I afraid of?” attitude…

Well, at least his leather shoes were polished quite nicely.

“President Zhou, hello, we’re from the sales department of Jasmine Fragrance Company. My name is Grace Foster, and he is…”

Grace Foster walked in front, but before she could finish, Frank Foster, who had been lazily sitting in the boss’s chair, suddenly brightened up, quickly put his feet down, stood up, and fixed his gaze on Grace Foster's face. With a beaming smile, he said enthusiastically, “Ah, Miss Zhou, please have a seat, please have a seat…”

While speaking to Grace Foster, Frank Foster's eyes seemed glued to her, not even glancing at Henry Carter, as if Henry Carter were invisible.

Grace Foster was a bit surprised by Frank Foster's attitude. According to those who had come to collect debts before, Frank Foster was always indifferent and extremely arrogant. Why was he so enthusiastic today?

Frank Foster invited Grace Foster to sit on the guest sofa beside him, smiling broadly. “Miss Zhou, this must be your first time visiting our Kaige Company…”

Frank Foster's unexpected enthusiasm made Grace Foster uneasy, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a strange heat in his gaze.

“President Zhou, we’re here this time to ask about the payment Kaige Company owes our company. I wonder if it’s convenient for you to discuss it now?”

The smile on Frank Foster's face faded a bit, replaced by a troubled expression. “You mean that payment? Ah, that’s a bit difficult. It’s not that I don’t want to pay, it’s just that the company’s cash flow has been tight lately, and there haven’t been any new projects. You must have seen it when you came in—my employees are all idle. I can barely pay their salaries…”

As soon as Grace Foster started to speak, Frank Foster cut her off, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words. After thinking for a moment, she said, “President Zhou, every company faces difficulties, but when you took the goods from us, you promised to pay in full within a month. Now, more than half a year has passed…”

Frank Foster sighed, “Business is tough these days, competition is fierce, and there are many people who owe me money and haven’t paid. How about this: tonight I happen to have dinner with two friends who owe me quite a bit. Miss Zhou, come with me and help persuade them to pay me back. As soon as they pay me, I’ll immediately settle the debt with your company…”

Grace Foster was stunned, not knowing what to say. But before she could respond, Henry Carter sneered, “You want her to go with you to a dinner? So at the table, your two friends will say that as long as they’re happy drinking tonight, they’ll pay you, and then they’ll try to get her drunk. Once she’s drunk, you’ll take her to a hotel, and tomorrow morning you’ll put your pants on and deny everything, saying you didn’t get the money and can’t pay the debt… Grace Foster, do you really think going to a dinner will help you collect the debt?”

Grace Foster's face flushed, because just now she really had hesitated for a moment.

Colleagues who had come to collect the debt before all said that Frank Foster had a terrible attitude and never mentioned paying back the money. Now, hearing Frank Foster bring it up himself, Grace Foster had actually thought he might really intend to pay…