“Yeah,” Reba said with an indifferent air. “I hope you actually mean it. We’ll see each other in a month.”
She didn’t pause for a second, striding purposefully toward Ian and Jessica who were waiting just ahead.
Jeffrey watched as sheughed and joked with them, climbing into their car without the slightest nce back. He just stood there, rooted to the spot, long after their car had rolled out of sight, a dull ache settling in his chest.
“Boss,” Gregory began, hesitating.
Jeffrey kept his face nk. “Just say it.”
Gregory pressed his lips together, then finally blurted, “If you really can’t get over Ms. Jensen, why not just talk it out with her? Mr. Garcia did go a bit far that day, but honestly, he wasn’tpletely off the mark.”
Jeffrey answered, “No need.”
‘I’ll keep every promise I’ve ever made! Jeffrey thought to himself.
‘I’m going to prove to Marcus and the others that a promise from me means pushing to the very end–no matter what it takes,‘ he resolved silently.
“Are you really ready to let Ms. Jensen go for good?” Gregory said quietly. “By your agreement, once the divorce is settled, you’re never supposed to let her see you again—ever.”
Jeffrey remained silent, then simply walked away.
The next month flew by.
Jeffrey focused intently on his recovery, pouring every ounce of energy into the endlesspany affairs, big or small, never giving himself a chance to dwell on Reba or the looming divorce.
Reba was just as busy as Jeffrey, throwing herself intopany business day and night.
She hustled hard, learning all the ropes of management, and doing her homework on the Quinns and all the other big–name families in Honn.
Apart from spending a little time with Samuel every day, every minute was given over to cramming info and keeping up with everything—even meals were spent glued to her phone, catching up on details.
One day, Ian came by to see her.
He watched as she finished her meal in just five minutes and headed upstairs, a flicker of worry crossing his face. “Amelia, has Becky been like thistely?”
Amelia nodded. “Yeah.”
“Aren’t you going to say something to her?” Ian asked, noticing she’d gotten noticeably thinner in just half a
<b>11:46 </b><b>Tue</b>, <b>Oct </b>7
month.
A
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“This is how she copes,” Amelia said, respecting Reba’s choices, even if it meant burying herself in work to numb the pain. “She says if she slows down, she’ll just end up overthinking everything.”
“I’ll go check on her,” Ian said, still worried about Reba. Honestly, he couldn’t even muster up an appetite.
As Ian stepped into the study, Reba had just finished digging into the details–profiles, histories, and business links–of nearly everyone worth knowing in Honn. She was already gearing up to dive deeper intopany operations and investment strategies. If the Quinns tried anything, she was determined not to be caught off guard.
There was a knock at the door.
“Becky,” Ian called out.
Reba looked up, a little surprised to see him. “You already ate?”
“Yeah,” Ian said,ing in and standing nearby, ying it cool. “What are you working on? You barely ate anything before rushing up here.”
“You showed up at just the right time,” Reba said, swiveling her chair to face him. “I actually have a question for you.”
Ian gave her a look.
‘She wants advice from me?‘ He thought, a bit taken aback.
‘Why’s she acting all formal now?‘ he wondered with a faint smile.
“Go on, just ask already! Whatever it is, I’m your guy–I’ll spill everything,” Ian said, trying to lighten the mood.
“How did you manage to keep smiling and talk business with people you didn’t even like back in college?” Reba asked–a problem that’d bugged her for ages.
Back then, Ian was nowhere near as mature as he is these days.
If he didn’t vibe with someone, he’d either roast them on the spot or just get snarky.
But after heunched his own business, he totally learned to dial it back. Now he can chat up people he used toin about, even managing a polite smile.
Reba and Jessica gave it a shot, but Reba bailed in less than a second, and Jessica only managed a minute before cracking.
Ian replied, “Because I wanted to get what I really wanted.”
Reba turned the words over in her mind.
‘What I really want… she thought.
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“Seriously, you’re telling me you’re going to put on a smile and actually chat with people you can’t stand fan said, raising an eyebrow.
I’ve really thought it over, Reba admitted. With my stubborn personality, even <b>if </b>I get <b>my </b>hands
shares, the road ahead won’t magically get easier. I need to figure out how to blend in with this world, the tole herself, still determined to keep learning and improving.
Ian didn’t look away. His eyes stayed on Reba, studying her face for any sign she was messing around.
But she wasn’t kidding,n could tell–she really meant every word.
Yep, she waspletely serious. ‘Guess she’s ready to dive <b>right </b><b>in</b>, no matter what,n thought<b>, </b>feeling a bit surprised and impressed.
“So, do you have any tricks for that?” Reba asked.
“Honestly, I think you’re doing just fine as you are,” Ian replied earnestly<b>. </b>“You don’t follow the herd, and you always stick to what you believe is right.<b>” </b>
Reba used to think it was enough just to be herself–no fronts, no games.
But the more she learned these days, the more she realized the real world wasn’t as simple as liking or not liking someone.
Most people wore fake smiles, talked sweet while sharpening the knives behind your back, and double- dealing was just how things ran.
Someone like her, always showing her true feelings, would only getbeled as na?ve.
Besides, being too stubborn only meant she’d crash that much harder.
“If you ever need help, just tell me. Just be yourself,” Ian said, really not wanting to see her force herself to do anything she hated.
“But I have to grow up,” Reba answered seriously. “I can’t spend my whole life living under someone else’s protection like a baby bird that’s too scared to fly.”
She wanted to be someone who could stand on her own two feet.
For herself.
For Samuel and Amelia.
For her friends.
“So, seriously, how do you even deal with eating and drinking with people you don’t like?” Reba pushed the question.
“Are you seriously asking me that?” Ian raised an eyebrow.
Reba nodded. “Yeah.”
Ian paused, tempted to say something but holding back.
“Just tell me. I really want to know,” Reba insisted.
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“Honestly, just cut out the feelings and keep your eyes on the prize,” Ian said, casual as ever. “Some folks just love to prattle on and throw shade–don’t bother with it. Let it go in one ear and straight out the other.”
Reba filed that away in her mind.
Ian couldn’t help but worry,
There was never a shortage of neers in this business–just like Becky–even with Mr. Guzman and Liam standing behind her, there were still people willing to make things difficult for her on purpose, especially with Michael putting in a word.
He was honestly scared she might not be able to handle it.
Sometimes, even if she gave it her all, people would still find something toin about.
It was way too easy to nitpick someone if you wanted to.
Ian started to say something, then stopped–finally, he said, “Becky.”
“Hm?” Reba mumbled, her attention drifting back to the notes–Amelia had picked out only the most important points for her.
“If anythinges up, I want you to tell me right away,” Ian said. “I know you hate asking for help, but think of me as your backup–you can count on me anytime, okay?”
Reba agreed. “Alright.”
Ian added, “Seriously–don’t try to handle it all by yourself.”
Reba replied, “Okay.”
After that conversation, Ian felt a little bit more at ease–even if he couldn’t help worrying about her. He knew all too well: once Reba was set on something, nobody could change her mind. So he just kept quiet and let her do her thing.
After this, Reba was back to her old self–she poured every ounce of energy into her work without
hesitation.
She was like a starving wolf, tearing into every scrap of knowledge, hungry to learn more and more.
Both Liam and Mr. Guzman reached out to her, but Reba turned them down without a second thought. She nned to visit the Quinn and Guzman families only after the divorce was officially settled.
As for Jeffrey, ever since the scar on his chest had finally started to scab over and he was feeling better, he threw himself right back into work, relentless as ever.
Day after day, he’d show up at the office by six in the morning and wouldn’t drag himself home until after one
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or two at night.
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Gregory was really starting to worry, watching Jeffrey grind away day and night. “Boss, you really need to keep
a healthier schedule. You can’t keep pushing yourself like this.”
Jeffrey was doing all the work himself.
Gregory had basically been twiddling his thumbs all month.
Jeffrey didn’t say a word, just kept plowing through the paperwork.
“If you keep burning the midnight oil like this, your hair’s gonna thin out and your skin will go downhill- trust me, you’ll age fast,” Gregory said, pulling out his trump card. “Come on, you don’t want Ms. Jensen to see you looking rough when she shows up in a few days, do you?” <fn5b1b> Original content can be found at find?novel</fn5b1b>