Chapter 139
‘Wouldn’t that be like slapping me in the face in public? Who’d respect me as Miguel’s wife after that? Brooke thought.
Before she could speak, Miguel’s irritated voice cut in. “You should apologize to my wife?
Leila froze, her expression changing far more dramatically than Brooke’s, Disappointment shifted to hope, only to crumble into deeper disappointment,
Lella stammered, Mr. Gomez, LL
Brooke, who had pressed her lips, slowly smiled, feeling deeply satisfied. She straightened her spine.
At the icy sternness in Miguel’s eyes, Lella reluctantly yielded. Her voice a mere whisper, she said, “I’m sorry.”
“Louder. My wife has trouble hearing.” Miguel snapped, clasping Brooke’s hand as his gaze scanned the office, making an example of Leits
The tears Leila had just held back now spilled freely. Through sobs, she shouted, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Gomez
“Oh? What are you sorry for?” Brooke smiled sweetly, exuding grace.
Leila clenched her fists. “I shouldn’t have tried to lead you to misinterpret Mr. Gomez or sabotage your relationship with him.
“Ah.” Brooke nodded, looping her arm through Miguel’s. “Since you know you shouldn’t have tried to lead me to misinterpret Miguel or sabotage our relationship, make sure to break that habit. Otherwise, no company will keep you on long”
Leila inwardly groaned, “Must she recite my faults again?” She turned to Miguel with a pleading look, hoping her apology would lead to mercy.
But he glanced at his wife, then back at Leila. “Since my wife forgives you, let this go. Go pack your things and leave.”
Leila was stunned. She thought, I’m still getting fired? Doesn’t my apology mean I can stay, maybe in a demoted role as punishment?”
The assistant quickly pulled the tearful Leila away
Brooke trailed Miguel back to his office and flopped onto the sola with a heavy sigh.
Miguel strode past her and settled behind his desk. “That move earlier–was that Ms. Henderson’s idea?”
Brooke shot him a look. “So you were just performing for me out there?”
Miguel opened a container of hot chocolate and took a sip. “You hate shopping. Who else would go through the trouble to cheer you up except Ms. Henderson?”
He polished off most of it in one go and snapped the lid shut. “Good call. Gave me a solid reason to fire her.”
Leila had come recommended by a client. Not only was she bad at her job, but she also couldn’t stop prying.
The day before, she’d even worn a plunging neckline to hit on Miguel. He’d planned to use that as an excuse to let her go, but when Brooke unexpectedly showed up and dressed Leita down in public, it had backfired, making him look like the jerk.
After hearing Miguel’s explanation, Brooke walked over and ran her hand along the back of his neck. “I won’t jump the gun like the
Miguel rolled his chair back, pulling her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he murmured, “My bad. I haven’t made you feel safe enough
Brooke stared at him, startled. Miguel didn’t usually talk like this.
“Setting an example, he whispered in her
“If I drop the ball, it it screw with Ivan’s idea of marriage.
Audrey was chocking data when Brooke called. “How’d it go?” she asked, balancing the phone on her shoulder as she grabbed a pen
Chapter 139
Brooke filled her in, her tone upbeat. “I can’t be that clueless anymore.”
“Lella had a point, though,” Audrey said, pausing as the heard Brooke go silent.
She stepped away from her desk to speak privately. “Mi, Gomez is expanding his circin. He’ll meet more high–powered people. And Ivan’s growing: too. He’ll run into new crowds. If you stop improving, even the best you will get left behind.”
Brooke was quiet for a beat, digesting the words.
my had warned her more than once to keep pace with Miguel Even if she couldn’t walk beside him as an equal, she needed her own spark
Audrey
“get it, Audrey. You’re my lifesaver,” Brooke said
After hanging up, Audrey returned to her work, while Edana hurried out soon after, clearly handling some crisis.
Paul had taken Tiffany to a meeting. Thanks to the high–profile failed funding deal earlier, many Ironhaven projects had ground to a halt. The new leadership, hungry for political wins, had called together talent from all sectors to hash things out
Top executives and deep pocketed conglomerates met in the small conference room. Small timers like Paul couldn’t carry a project alone, but skipping the meeting would risk pissing people off. They were basically there to make sure they weren’t forgotten.
With any luck, someone might land a tiny project to make some profits.
The large conference room was a zoo. When Paul stepped out for a smoke, he saw the waiters filing into the small conference room, and one carried a single cup of coffee with a lemon slice bobbing in it
Tiffany came to find him. “Mr. Gibson, Audrey called. Ms. Hale’s out of town and can’t sign the contract.”
Noticing Paul’s stare, Tiffany followed his gaze to the coffee.
“Audrey drinks her coffee like that, doesn’t she?” Paul said, squeezing the unlit cigarette in his hand, his eyes full of mixed signals
Tiffany chuckled, “Oh, I told her about it. There’s this weird coffee trend online. Do you want to give it a shot, Mr. Gibson?”
Paul looked at her. Her expression was open, no secrets in sight.
As the
e waiters pushed into the small conference room and the coffee smell faded from the hallway, Paul finally lit up. “I hate coffee, actually”
The meeting dragged on till the afternoon. Some folks went to the big conference room to sniff out info, only to find it cleared out ages ago.
Paul spotted the lemon slice coffee sitting in a prime first–row spot, but the name tag was gone–no clue who it was for
On her drive home, Audrey got a message from Tiffany with a link about wacky coffee hacks. She was behind the wheel, so she didn’t look too close.
Yann didn’t come home that night, and Audrey had another unspeakable dream, nearly making her late the next morning.
When Paul walked into the break room, Audrey had a phone in one hand and a spoon in the other.
“What are you whipping up?” he asked.
“Putting and condensed milk in coffee.” Audrey gently plopped a yolk into the cup before turning around. “Care to try it, Mr. Gibson?”
Paul’s lip twitched. He leaned in for a whil, This stuff even edible?
“First batch’s all yours,” Audrey grinned, reaching for the hot water.
09:16 Wed, 4 Jun
Chapter 139
A funky smell hit the break room, and Paul felt a gag coming on “Get that thing away from mar
Audrey grimaced, pinching her nose as she set the cup by the window. “Tiffany sent the link. Blame me if you gotta
Paul gave her a sharp stare, grabbed his cup, and stormed back to his office.
Audrey flung open the window to air the place out. Thank god she’d skipped the garlic idea, otherwise the whole floor would’ve revolted.
After dumping the nasty brew, Audrey made two iced Americanos and slid one over to Tiffany.
