Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 230 - 227: Bidding

Simon Forrester immediately made another call, instructing the other party to change the surname "Tang" to "Tang," keep the other information the same, and then filter again.

It seems that with this new clue, Sienna Thornton’s mood improved slightly, and she secretly held some hope. However, whether this hope would be dashed in a few days was uncertain.

Simon Forrester knew this process was cruel to her. They had been in love for a year, and seeing her emotions fluctuate because of this matter made his heart ache. But since she wanted to search, he could only accompany her.

-

Back home, Simon Forrester went to take a shower. Sienna Thornton removed her makeup, changed clothes, and carefully put away the string of amber beads hung on her clothes.

She recalled the old directors Old Master Forrester had brought today. Their eyes had brightened at the sight of the string of amber under her collarbone. And during lunch at The Imperial Court, when she and Rhonda Wagner toasted the guests, several older guests scrutinized her amber beads closely.

There were few people daring enough to wear Qing-era jewelry out; no wonder Old Master Forrester said she was the face of the law firm.

Sienna Thornton stared at the bright yellow beads in her hand, lost in thought, unaware of when Simon Forrester finished showering and came out. It wasn’t until he leaned over and hugged her from behind, kissing her a few times, that she realized he had been standing behind her for a while.

"Do you quite like this string of amber beads?" Simon Forrester encircled her waist, his face buried in her neck, his voice deep and hoarse.

She nodded and then took out the sandalwood and gold bangle from the drawer, putting it on her wrist: "This bangle is a bit old-fashioned and large. It’s probably more suitable when I’m over fifty. The amber beads, however, look quite nice hanging under the collarbone, and yellow is quite versatile."

Simon Forrester chuckled, kissing her cheek: "If the bangle’s old-fashioned, don’t wear it. Next time we go back, I’ll ask Grandma to open the safe and let you choose for yourself. Bring more to wear; these are unique items, just like you, who’s one of a kind."

At this, Sienna Thornton exclaimed, "Hey, don’t. This way, Grandma might think I’m with you just for your family’s treasures. I haven’t even married in yet, and I’m already asking for jewelry."

"Then hurry into the Forrester Family. When you properly enter, you can take all the valuable things from Grandma openly. Otherwise, if Thomas Reed gets married before us, all the good stuff might end up with Bianca Fordham and that Lawyer Jefferson."

"Really?" Sienna Thornton was skeptical, "I feel there’s some truth to your words, but also that it’s a bit of a trick? Feels like you’re trying to dig a pit for me to fall into."

Simon Forrester curved his lips into a smile: "If you think I’m tricking, you can trick me back. For example, you could first have my baby and use the child to make me marry you..."

Sienna Thornton: "..."

Simon Forrester: "Stop dawdling, come trick me a little." With that, he picked up Sienna Thornton and tossed her onto the bed.

-

On Monday, it was sunny again. This spring in Brimfield was quite strange, with the rainy season arriving later than usual.

On this day, "Cognitas Law Firm" officially opened for business.

Sienna Thornton held a brief morning meeting with the other two partners, and at half-past nine, they all headed to Forrester Group for the ten o’clock bidding conference.

Each of the three held a set of bidding documents. They had discussed and decided that Rhonda Wagner would present the bid.

After receiving their speaking order number outside, they entered the trapezoid-shaped conference room, which was already packed, squeezing in to find three seats at the far corner.

Seeing the crowded conference room, Rhonda Wagner commented, "Looks like we have many competitors."

Aurora Buckley said, "I think we have a good chance. Lawyer Thornton is familiar with Forrester Group’s legal work and has previously helped them with several trade disputes, all of which are points in our favor."

Sienna Thornton looked at the piece of paper marked with the number 15 in her hand and remained silent.

She felt something was off about the situation on site.

Simon Forrester had said the bidding conference was just a formality, but now it seemed every notable law firm in Brimfield had sent representatives today, all keen on Forrester’s lucrative offer. If Forrester truly intended to outsource their legal work to Cognitas, there was no need to invite so many law firms. This wasn’t in line with Old Master Forrester and Zane Forrester’s understated and pragmatic style.

Sienna Thornton had a bad feeling.

Fortunately, she hadn’t told the two partners beforehand that Forrester’s legal outsourcing service was already set for Cognitas. Seeing the current situation, she was glad she hadn’t prematurely disclosed anything uncertain.

It was then that Aurora Buckley whispered, "Lawyer Thornton is the girlfriend of a Forrester grandson; that’s got to be a plus, right?"

"Lawyer Buckley," Rhonda Wagner shook her head with a low voice.

Aurora Buckley pursed her lips and said no more.

In the short time they chatted, the bidding conference began.

The law firm representatives took the stage to present and answer questions based on the numbers they received upon entry, with each having five minutes. By the time it was Cognitas’s turn, an hour and a half had already passed.

Rhonda Wagner took the stage to highlight Cognitas’s strengths, focusing on Sienna Thornton, one of the partners, who had saved Forrester Group billions in anti-dumping tariffs and had extensive experience in foreign business.

Sienna Thornton and Aurora Buckley watched from the audience, feeling that Rhonda Wagner’s presentation was nearly perfect.

However, during the final Q&A session, a man in a suit and glasses sitting in the front row asked Rhonda Wagner why, if Sienna Thornton was Cognitas’s advantage, she didn’t present herself.

At this moment, Aurora Buckley quietly said, "That seems to be Forrester Group’s Chief Operating Officer. Do you know him?"

Sienna Thornton shook her head.

Rhonda Wagner on stage glanced over, seemingly asking with her eyes if Sienna should go up and present.

Sienna Thornton gritted her teeth, stood up, and gracefully walked to the podium.

She glanced at the man who had asked the question, then smiled and bowed to the entire audience.

Rhonda Wagner stepped back, leaving her the microphone.

She adjusted the microphone height and smiled softly: "As Lawyer Wagner just mentioned, I personally served as Forrester Group’s Legal Affairs Manager for two months last year. I won’t say much more beyond this, except to highlight that Forrester currently has a product representing ten percent of the group’s export volume, which has faced high anti-dumping tariffs from The M. Republic for several years. At the end of last year, the Ministry of Commerce officially submitted a consultation request to the World Trade Organization, which has not yet reached the expert review stage and may even face appeals later. This process can be as short as a year and a half or span several years. Unfortunately, this application and all subsequent investigative work is something I have been managing for Forrester, so there will be a lot of follow-up data that I need to handle until the case concludes. Given this, Forrester Group might want to particularly consider our law firm?"