Chapter 6 How Dared She Challenge Him

Almost by reflex, Joan assumed a defensive stance and shouted, "Stay back!"

Disappointment flashed in Darren's eyes as soon as he saw her face. But this eventually faded as his face became expressionless once again.

He cast a cold glance at Joan, who realized just then that she was being impolite. Recalling her mission, she forced a smile and apologized, "Mr. Lu, I'm sorry. I was too focused on my drawing and your sudden appearance startled me. Please forgive me."

"Are you saying it's my fault?"

Not expecting such a reply, Joan blushed with embarrassment. She then went straight to the point. "We only have half an hour for this interview. Let's start, shall we?"

To her surprise, Darren leisurely sat back on his chair and said, "I'm not in a hurry."

Earlier today, this woman had run from him without even giving her name. He had asked people to find her but never got any result. Who would've thought that she would come up to his office by herself all of a sudden?

"What's your name?"

Joan was stunned, but she told him that her name was Linda Ji.

With a mischievous smirk on his face, Darren raised an eyebrow and said, "Just yesterday, Miss Ji had short hair. Are you telling me that overnight, not only did her hair grow, but she also changed her appearance?"

He had checked Linda's background! The interview hadn't even started and yet Joan's lie had already been exposed.

The atmosphere in the room became tense. She had been feeling very uncomfortable since she learned that the person she was going to interview was Darren, and just then, she didn't know how to proceed.

Joan didn't say a word. It was Darren who broke the silence. "The first time I met you was an accident. Now, it looks like our second meeting is also an accident. It doesn't make any sense. Tell me, why are you trying to get close to me?"

The man then fished a cigarette box out of his pocket, lit a stick, and took a deep drag. Smoke rose in thin wisps from his lips as he stared at her with his deep-set eyes.

Judging by his handsome looks, he could make any woman crazy over him.

He wore a hand-stitched suit in dark blue, which he paired with a limited-edition Rolex that must have been worth millions. He looked very dignified and manly.

But after her experience with Scott, Joan had had enough of these so-called high-profile men. They might have higher status than ordinary people, but they were often eaten up with arrogance and had poor characters.

"I don't understand. Mr. Lu, I came here for an interview. I know that you're a busy man, so it might be best for us to get started. I don't want to waste any more of your time."

Confused, Darren raised an eyebrow. It was apparent that this woman did not particularly like him. And yet, why did she arrange for an interview with him in the first place? Did she not make her way to his office to attract his attention? Over the years, he had met many women who tried all means to get close to him and win his affection. He never fell for any of their tricks.

"I don't just casually accept interviews. And now that we've established that you pretended to be Miss Ji to get in here, I think I should call security to kick you out of the building."

Joan bit her lower lip and tried her best to keep herself from panicking. She didn't want to mess up this opportunity for Linda who had worked so hard to get this exclusive interview.

"Mr. Lu, if you want to see my ID, I can show it to you. But if my memory serves me correct, you have an important appointment at four o'clock. Is that right?" She remembered this detail from his secretary who explained that Darren's time was limited.

And at that point, they had already wasted ten minutes.

"Tell me your name," he said flatly.

Left with no choice, Joan confessed,

"Joan Gu." Darren repeated the name to himself, but couldn't remember where he heard her from.

"Mr. Lu." Just then, Selina opened the door and saw Joan with a shocked expression on her face. After regaining her composure, she walked up to Darren and respectfully handed him a folder. "Miss Su is here. Should I tell her to wait?"

Darren frowned at the mention of Zoey's name. Zoey Su is the daughter of the Su family, which had been in good terms with his own family for generations. His grandfather, in particular, was very fond of Zoey and hoped that she would eventually marry Darren.

But yesterday at the Imperial Palace, Zoey had tried to drug him hoping to sleep with him and blackmail him into marriage. 'She really underestimated me,' he thought to himself. If he were the kind of guy who easily fell for that kind of trap, then there would've already been a Mrs. Lu. Instead of exposing her plan, Darren had quietly switched his glass with hers and let Zoey have a taste of her own bitter medicine. He then left in the middle of the party.

It was then when he met this woman named Joan.

Joan looked down at her watch and saw that it was almost four o'clock. She must have been so immersed in sketching that she had forgotten the time. But despite blaming herself, she knew that the interview had to be done. Recalling how important this was for Linda, she decided to go straight up to Darren.

"Mr. Lu, your company was able to achieve this level of success in just three years. How were you able to pull off this feat? The Lu Company never dealt with real estate and other industries before. How did you plan on expanding your business in this and other fields? As the youngest CEO in S City, you've become a very popular man in such a short span of time. How do you think your personal reputation influences your company and its business? What do you think is the most important lesson anyone who wants to start a business should learn?" Joan fired questions one after the other.

Standing next to her, Selina was surprised at how rapidly Joan was speaking. She had never seen anyone act so boldly in front of Darren before.

Astonishment momentarily flashed in Darren's eyes. After a while, he slightly raised a brow and gave an amused expression. He stood up, straightened his wrinkled suit, and walked up to Joan. His tall figure towered over her.

"If that's everything, I don't think I will waste any more of my time on your boring questions."

Joan was dumbfounded. He continued, "As a businessman, will I just give away my trade secrets?"

Raising her head, Joan met the man's mocking gaze. She instantly blushed and felt tightness in her chest. She remembered how Linda warned her about today's interview, but she didn't expect that Darren would be this difficult to deal with!

Despite the turmoil in her heart, she maintained a calm expression and replied firmly, "I think that you can only call yourself successful if you can keep your position even after sharing your secrets. Don't you agree, Mr. Lu? Or are you afraid of competition?"

Joan's response shocked Darren. He had wanted to render her speechless, but it seemed as if she wasn't flustered at all by his words.

"I've always thought of Mr. Lu as a person who could distinguish public from private interests. Meeting you today, I am surprised to find that it isn't the case. I didn't expect that you'd be so vindictive as to not entertain me just because of what happened this morning."

Darren could barely conceal his anger when he heard Joan mention what had happened at the hotel in such a sarcastic tone. He narrowed his eyes without realizing that she was being deliberate in her choice of words.

'How dare she challenge me?' he thought.

But Joan was actually hoping that Darren would get defensive when she challenged his authority.