After Presley finished speaking, he didn''t bother reiming his phone from David and just walked out of the office. His exit had an air of defiance, a far cry from his usual courteous demeanor.


    Once he waspletely out of sight, David, who had been standing tall, suddenly hunched over a bit, clutching his chest as his face turned pale.


    "Mr. President, are you alright?" The assistant quickly helped David into a chair, fetched a ss of water, and handed him some medicine from the drawer.


    David took the medicine, leaning back in the chair for a while until his color returned. He waved a hand dismissively, "I''m fine."


    Though relieved, the assistant still looked worried. "About Presley..."


    David closed his eyes briefly, then said, "Give Paul a call. Tell him we don''t need any more craftsmen at the base right now. Isn''t someone in his family sick? Let him take his timeing back."


    As for Dean, although there had been a few coborations with his group, Presley usually handled those dealings. David wasn''t entirely sure what Dean was about. But Presley''s behavior today was unmistakably odd.


    If it was simply about cultivating medicinal nts, they could''ve had another craftsman take over Paul''s project instead of insisting on Paul. Plus, Presley mentioned handing Paul over to Dean, which felt off...


    David lowered his gaze, his eyebrows knitted in thought.


    After listening to David, the assistant hesitated, then softly said, "Presley''s attitude was a bit much, but his point wasn''t without merit. Paul did sign a contract with us to cultivate medicinal nts-it''s part of his job."


    David shook his head, "You''re not thinking it through. Normally, that would be fine, but with the issue at the herb storage and Dean suddenly wanting a different herb as a


    backup, does that seem normal to you?"  swnovel


    The fact that the substitute herb just happens to be Paul''s makes it hard not to suspect something''s amiss. David wouldn''t be in his role if he only saw the surface of situations.  swnovel


    "Based on what you''re saying, could it be that Dean''s actually interested in Paul himself, not just the herb?" The assistant suddenly realized.


    David''s eyes were fixed on the door, his expression serious. "Maybe."


    The assistant looked at David, puzzled. "But Paul is just a regr guy from the countryside. Why target him?"


    "Probably for his knack with herbs," David guessed, deciding to tell Paul to hold off on returning for now. Whatever Presley might have agreed to, the association''s affairs shouldn''t drag an innocent person into trouble.  swnovel


    "Alright, I''ll give Paul a call soon," the assistant nodded.


    "Yep," David replied lightly. He then handed Presley''s phone to the assistant, instructing him to return it.


    Recalling Paul''s odd way ofmunicating, David called out as the assistant was leaving, "Oh, and if you can''t reach Paul on the phone, drop him a message on Messenger."


    The assistant nced back and nodded, "Got it."