<b>Chapter </b>44
<b>My </b>assertiveness <b>made </b>Tracy press <b>her </b>lips <b>together</b><b>, </b>and she <b>stayed </b>silent after that.
Honestly, all she <b>had </b>to do was make <b>a </b><b>few </b>suggestions. If I agreed, she’d swoop in and take credit for my hard work over the <b>past </b><b>few </b><b>days</b>. But if I rejected her<b>, </b><b>her </b>n would fall apart.
<b>Jared </b>nced at me, probably surprised, either <b>because </b>I had shown a bit of what <b>I </b>could do or <b>just </b>from how confident I
was.
Either way, Jared was a good husband. In the end, he said, “Since Victoria <b>is </b>managing the Harmonia Hotel<b>, </b>it’s only natural she makes the decisions<b>.</b><b>” </b>
<b>As </b>Jared left the conference room, Tracy stood up and said with a smile, “I never expected you toe up with <b>such </b>a unique design, Mrs. Hob. I’ll have to pick your brain sometime.”
I forced a smile, looked her in the eye, and replied, “Oh, sure. If anything, I should thank you, Tracy, for all the big contributions you’ve made to thepany. Jared always praises you.”
As I expected, Tracy’s face changed. As the other woman, she probably didn’t care much about her reputation, but her family did. As long as Jared and I were still married, her rtionship with him would always have to stay <b>secret</b>.
“If you ever need anything, just let me know. It’s the least I can do for thepany,” Tracy said before walking out. A few senior executives followed her.
Once we finalized the room and lobby designs, I had a few more experienced people work on them. Once the blueprints were ready, we could start the construction.
Standing at the entrance of the Harmonia Hotel, I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how Jared had said half the hotel’s profits would go right into my pocket.
With all that money, I could invest in everything, like real estate in 2016 and gold in 2023.
Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind me. “Ms. Murphy…”
I turned around to see Nathan stepping out of a ck Mercedes–Benz.
“Hi, Mr. Hallman,” I said with a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
<b>“</b><b>Just </b>passing by,” Nathan replied, ncing up at the entrance of the Harmonia Hotel. “Is everything going okay?”
I shook my head. “No, just came by to have a look.”
“Well, I didn’t expect you to be so business–minded,” Nathan said, a small smile curving his lips.
Noticing <b>a </b><b>few </b>peopleing over, I knew how to keep things proper, so I said, “I’ve got something to take care of, so I’ll
<b>leave </b><b>first</b>.”
<b>“</b><b>Are </b>you avoiding me?<b>” </b>Nathan’s eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a soft, almost haunting tone. “<b>Rx</b><b>. </b>I’m not reckless enough to put you in a difficult spot.”
I turned to look at him. <b>He </b>kept his <b>voice </b>low so that no one <b>else </b>could hear, but it still made my heart race with nerves.
“Mr. Hallman, <b>please </b><b>show </b>some <b>respect</b><b>,</b><b>” </b><b>I </b>said firmly. Just because you’re handsome <b>doesn’t </b>mean you <b>get </b><b>a </b>free pass with <ol><li><b>me</b><b>. </b><b>I’m </b>still <b>married</b><b>, </b><b>and </b><b>even </b>if I <b>weren’t</b><b>, </b>I’m not the <b>type </b>to <b>get </b>tangled up with <b>just </b>any man. </li></ol>
Nathan’s <b>deep</b>, intense <b>eyes </b>locked with mine<b>. </b>He blinked <b>twice</b>, looking like a lost puppy. <b>He </b>seemed so pitiful <b>that </b>it almost made my <b>heart </b><b>ache</b><b>. </b>But I didn’t want him to flirt with <b>me</b><b>. </b>
<b>“</b><b>I’ve </b><b>been </b>looking for you,” Nathan murmured. “The people at the charity wouldn’t tell me anything. First, they said the <b>files </b><b>were </b>lost<b>, </b>and then <b>they </b>said they were burned<b>–</b>anything to keep your identity from me.”
I frowned, confused. “Why were you looking for me<b>?</b><b>” </b>I asked cautiously.
“I’m not really sure,” Nathan replied, his voice tinged with bitterness. “Actually, I saw you from a <b>distance </b>the <b>day </b>you made that donation. I ran outside to find you, but you were already gone<b>.” </b>
I shrugged. “What? Did you see I was young and pretty and try to track me down for another donation?”
AD