"Allow me to introduce you," Gilli Hutt said, gesturing toward Juliet Roberts. "This is my current girlfriend, Juliet Roberts, the Hollywood movie star." He then pointed at Henry and Helen, stating, "And this is Mr. Henry Williams, and his girlfriend, Miss Helen Wheeler!"
"Nice to meet you!" Juliet Roberts offered, extending her hand with a warm smile.
"Likewise!" Henry and Helen exchanged pleasantries while shaking her hand.
As the two women became engrossed in discussing cosmetics, Henry pulled Gilli Hutt aside. "Alright, spill! How did you manage to snag Juliet?"
Gilli Hutt shrugged nonchalantly, "Come on! I'm the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company! Why wouldn't I go after a celebrity?" Gilli then added with a smirk, "If you revealed your identity, I guarantee that 80% of American women would be lining up to marry you!"
Henry rolled his eyes. "Are older women included in that number? No thanks. I don't need pity from anyone. Besides, I'm not chasing after anyone!"
"Really? You mean Kalena—the Chinese girl? I heard…"
Henry interrupted smoothly, "Let's not go there; Helen is right here. Don't ruin the moment!"
Gilli laughed and clinked his glass. "Boss, need some pointers? I'm a pro at this!"
"You?" Henry scoffed. "All you do is throw money around to get attention."
"Money is a form of capital, my friend! Drive a Ferrari to the bar, and you'll have gorgeous women flocking to you. Pull up in a beat-up old car, and no one will even notice you! You have to leverage what you've got!"
Henry felt exasperated, shaking his head, "But I'm handsome!"
Their conversation continued until Helen and Juliet rejoined them.
Noticing that Helen's demeanor had shifted, Henry frowned and asked, "Helen, what's wrong?"
Juliet interjected, "There was a guy bothering Helen earlier, saying he wanted to pursue her! Look over there—the man in the black shirt and white pants with shiny hair and a hooked nose! He claims to be a young director of a cutting-edge technology company."
Henry followed Juliet's gaze and spotted a man entwined with some women, clearly enjoying himself.
"A new tech company?" Henry frowned. He looked back at Gilli Hutt, asking, "Do you know what kind of work this new tech company does?"
Gilli nodded, "Xinrui Technology is primarily an electronic product manufacturer, and they've had dealings with Cisco on various projects!"
Henry processed this information, affirming to himself, "Cisco will have to switch their foundry source! Helen, please find John Chambers and let him know."
"Okay!" huffed Helen as she made her way over to Chambers, whispering, "The chairman needs to speak to you."
"Got it! I'll be right there!" John Chambers responded before heading over to Henry.
"Chairman, you called for me?"
"Is Cisco utilizing Xinrui Technology for OEM production?" Henry inquired.
John Chambers paused to consider. "Yes, Cisco doesn't have many factories available. We largely rely on outsourcing, and Xinrui Technology is one of our vendors."
Henry nodded, adding, "Make sure that Cisco halts any upcoming orders with Xinrui Technology."
"Understood! I'll definitely refer any of their future orders to other factories in Asia. If the technology is competitive, those prices should be much lower." Chambers assured him.
"Good! Make it happen!" Henry smiled knowingly.
After the brief exchange, Henry sat down with Helen in a quieter area of the venue, joined by Chambers's wife Ellen and Juliet. Meanwhile, Gilli Hutt and John Chambers were fielding questions from numerous business associates.
Despite the charity-focused nature of the event, it quickly became clear this gathering was primarily a networking opportunity, aimed toward expanding contacts and conducting business exchanges.
With prominent companies like Cisco and the Nicholas Group attending, the attention on their CEOs became palpable, drawing admiration and fascination from many attendees.
---
"Mr. John Chambers, I'm Simon Jeffrey, the son of the chairman at Xinrui Technology. Currently, I work as a product manager there!" The man with a hooked nose approached John Chambers confidently. As his company had been aligned with Cisco, Simon Jeffrey assumed Chambers would be cordial.
However, now that the partnership was apparently severed, Chambers replied coolly, "Oh, so you're with Xinrui Technology! Actually, I've come to notify you that Cisco will no longer be contracting your firm for production moving forward!"
Simon Jeffrey's confidence plummeted, leaving him momentarily speechless. "Uh—sorry, what?!"
Chambers brushed past him, leaving Simon in shock.
Nearby, onlookers couldn't help but snicker, "Jeffrey, what happened? You look a bit pale! Did you have a rough night?"
"Hey, Jeffrey! Imagine if your dad found out that Cisco canceled the foundry orders—wouldn't he be furious?"
Laughter erupted around him, and Simon Jeffrey's expression soured. He couldn't comprehend how Cisco had suddenly severed connections—especially after what had been a seemingly good working relationship.
However, as the laughter subsided, some partygoers noticed that Simon had previously expressed interest in Helen, concluding that she must have intervened somehow. John Chambers likely changed his position because of her influence.
"Who is she?" they wondered, intrigued by the young woman sitting so comfortably in Henry's embrace.
Was Henry really someone worth recognizing?
Who is he?!