Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 555 - 527: Mrs. Forrester Discovers a Loophole

Sienna Thornton turned around.The general manager of The Imperial Court Club hurriedly approached with a few people behind him, nodding and bowing upon arrival: "Director Thorne, you’re here? Having dinner here tonight? Let me prepare a private room for you?"

Sienna Thornton smiled: "No need. Simon Forrester and I are hosting guests at home tonight, just came over to fetch a few bottles of wine and then I’m off."

The welcoming staff who urged her to drive away went pale, looking fearful.

The general manager glanced at the red Maserati parked outside, knowing it’s the usual vehicle for the boss’s wife, but stopped at the gate, affecting guest entry and exit, which wasn’t good for The Imperial Court Club’s image. If guests saw it and found no parking, they would stop there too, causing trouble.

The general manager, being smooth, smiled: "Alright, I’ll take you down to the wine cellar. I’ll have my assistant move your car to the side temporarily so it doesn’t affect entry and exit, how does that sound?"

Sienna Thornton was straightforward: "Fine." She said, handing the car keys to the general manager.

The general manager immediately had someone go out to move the car, then took her to the elevator down to the underground wine cellar.

There were personnel skilled in various types of wine managing the wine cellar. Seeing the general manager leading a woman of good looks and temperament down, they knew she was someone important, quickly putting down their tasks to greet her.

"This is Mrs. Forrester, here to pick a few bottles of red wine." The general manager introduced her to everyone.

Everyone immediately bowed and greeted: "Hello, Mrs. Forrester."

Sienna Thornton smiled: "Don’t be so formal, please continue with your work."

The wine cellar staff went back to their tasks, leaving the manager with her.

The manager politely asked: "Mrs. Forrester, do you have a preference for any brand or vintage of red wine?"

Sienna Thornton didn’t know much about red wine, but since Tobias Blackwood and Young Master Hawthorne often came to The Imperial Court Club, perhaps the staff here would know what they liked to drink, so she said: "Tonight, we’re mainly inviting Young Master Blackwood and Young Master Hawthorne to dinner at our home. You guys know what they like to drink, just pick a case for me to take home."

"Alright, please wait a moment." The manager turned to fetch a basket and picked red wine from various spots in the vast wine cellar.

Sienna Thornton observed the entire wine cellar and found that its wine selection had at least tens of thousands of bottles, smiling: "It’s my first time here in the wine cellar, didn’t expect it to hold so many wines."

The general manager, who had been respectful beside her, said: "Yes, many guests come to our club not mainly to eat, but to taste red wine or cigars while chatting with friends." He pointed in a direction, "Over there is the cigar vault. Would you like to take some cigars too?"

Sienna Thornton shook her head, smiling: "No need, our home is a smoke-free place."

The general manager was very surprised: "Chairman Forrester used to smoke cigars quite heavily."

"He quit smoking." Sienna Thornton said, taking a few steps forward, looking around the entire wine cellar, "The wines Simon and I bought in Franland a couple of years ago, were they all used up on the wedding day?"

"Some are left. Chairman Forrester instructed that those wines cannot be listed for sale, saying they’re just stored here, stopping by occasionally to take some."

Sienna Thornton thought about Quentin Thorne possibly wanting some red wine if he visited her, so she delegated: "Then pick up twelve bottles of Château Latour for me, I’ll take them along."

"Alright."

The general manager went to help her fetch the wine, quickly packing up the two cases she needed, carefully labeling the boxes.

Seeing that the wine cellar manager didn’t seem to intend on issuing a bill, Sienna Thornton asked: "No bill? How will I pay later?"

The other side looked at the general manager in surprise.

The general manager said: "You don’t need a bill to take the wine."

Sienna Thornton was surprised: "Then how do the finances sort it out? Today I took twenty-four bottles of red wine, without a bill, without being recorded, without payment, doesn’t it mean the stock is reduced by twenty-four bottles?"

The general manager wiped his forehead: "They are directly deployed from stock, recorded under your account."

Sienna Thornton said nothing more, glancing at the wine cellar manager, and quietly said: "Alright, please have two colleagues help me move the red wine to the car."

The general manager promptly had two wine management staff assist in moving the wine up.

As the elevator ascended slowly, Sienna Thornton, deep in thought, remained silent.

She pondered over the matter all the way home, parking the car, and calling Simon Forrester to come out and help carry the wine.

The two carried one case of red wine each, heading home, Sienna Thornton spoke: "I just went to The Imperial Court to get wine, they didn’t issue a bill, said it’s recorded under my account but didn’t ask for my signature."

Simon Forrester turned to look at her: "It’s always been like this."

"I took twenty-four bottles of red wine today. What if they recorded thirty bottles, and somehow kept the extra six, who knows? The wine stored there is so expensive, the most expensive bottle costs millions, even the cheaper ones are tens of thousands. If some bottles are secretly sold each month, it could amount to buying a house in Brimfield within a year."

Simon Forrester was silent for a while, then frowned and thought for a bit, saying: "Why don’t I hold a meeting on Monday, and insist that no matter who takes the wine, a bill must be issued, with signatures?"

Sienna Thornton contemplated for a moment, then shook her head: "There are diverse types of wines, all with foreign names. Even if the quantity matches, who can guarantee each time the actual inventory matches the account? Wines with the same name can have a price difference in years, varying severalfold."

Carrying the red wine, they climbed the steps, passed the swimming pool and viewing platform. Sienna Thornton quietly sought solutions while Simon Forrester didn’t disturb her.

Once inside, as the two placed the red wine into the wine cabinet one by one, Sienna Thornton said: "I think The Imperial Court also ought to conduct due diligence. First, investigate the issues, then invite a professional consulting company to design management solutions targeting those problems."

Simon Forrester nodded: "Alright, you arrange it."

While they were still sorting out the red wine, the doorbell rang.

Simon Forrester took out his phone, opened an app, and glanced. Gage Grant wore sunglasses pretending to be aloof, while Logan Lockwood posed with a wicked smile at the camera.

Simon Forrester pressed the open button, the grandiose brass door withdrew to the sides, and immediately those two scoundrels sped over from the back in Logan Lockwood’s multimillion luxury sports car.

Simon Forrester put away his phone, laughed: "Gage Grant and Logan Lockwood are here."

Sienna Thornton placed the last bottle of red wine down, clapped her hands once, and glanced outside at the sky not yet dark: "They are so early? Others haven’t arrived yet."

"If I hadn’t reminded them not to come too early, they’d probably have wanted to come at lunchtime."

Sienna Thornton: "..."

Single men indeed can make chaos.

A few minutes later, Gage Grant and Logan Lockwood came in, greeted Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester, and Logan Lockwood quietly urged Gage Grant to head upstairs.

The sunglasses-free Gage Grant had almost Oreo-like dark circles, flopping onto the sofa, waving his hand: "I didn’t sleep all night, need to shake off jetlag, go up yourself."

Logan Lockwood nestled beside him, leaned over, whispering in his ear: "There’s a heated pool and sauna on the third floor, let’s swim a few laps then sauna before others arrive."

With the mention of that, Gage Grant perked up but then grew dim again: "I didn’t bring swim shorts."