The girls could withstand Angela’s bullying. But every time she scolded them, she insisted on smearing Khloe.
Khloe hadn’t been at the company for a while. Why was she still being blamed?
Trey felt the guilt he’d harbored for Angela evaporate in an instant. What was she thinking, still trying to compete with Khloe in secret at a time like this?
“Don’t leave,” he said firmly. “Khloe will be back soon. You’ve done well. If you want, take a couple of days off- but the company is at a critical stage right now. We need everyone to pull together.”
He thought about offering raises to smooth things over, but no matter what he said, they politely declined.
The conversation dragged on for over an hour. Trey realized there was nothing more he could do. They were Khloe’s people. No matter how much Angela overstepped, their collective resignation had Khloe’s influence written all over it.
He couldn’t help thinking of Stella’s words. Khloe would come back to him eventually. And when she did, she’d have to deal with the mess she’d caused herself.
Finally, the door to the executive office opened. Angela watched as Khloe’s team left without a backward glance. she wanted to find Trey to explain herself, but the assistant stepped out and said he was in a meeting-no one was to disturb him.
She returned to her desk, annoyed, and sent him a message.
It wasn’t until the end of the workday that he replied, saying he had plans that evening and to go home first. He added that, to avoid trouble, they should keep contact minimal for the next few days.
Angela knew immediately-Khloe had stirred something behind the scenes. She cursed silently, determined that once she and Trey were officially together, Khloe would pay.
The next morning, at the Hunt Group headquarters.
Nick had just wrapped a multinational meeting, finishing thirty minutes ahead of schedule, still before lunch.
Lenny hurried over with the afternoon’s schedule, laid out in dense detail all the way to ten at night: project negotiations, business appointments, critical meetings.
Nick skimmed it, then his phone rang. The display read: Grandma
He paused, then swiped to answer. The staff waiting outside quietly left.
“Hello, Nick,” his grandmother’s cheerful voice sounded. “I heard you met Miss Roswell the other day. Any progress?”
Nick froze. He didn’t know how to answer.
In the entire Hunt Group, let alone the international scene, very few people would dare push him on marriage. But his grandparents were exceptions.
Before he could respond, his grandfather’s voice cut in, “Nick, my boy! When will you bring your fianc?e to come visit us? I hear she’s beautiful and accomplished!”
“I just met her. It isn’t the right time.” Nick leaned back in his chair, trying to keep his tone measured.
But the elders’ enthusiasm didn’t wane.
“Just met her? We counted-you’ve known her for over a week now!”
“When does it count as the right time?”
Nick pressed his lips together, silent. No one could make him lose control… except these two.
“…We’ll see. She’s slow to warm up. Maybe after the engagement.
“You should take the initiative! Love waits for no one!”
“Your grandma’s right. You should seize the moment! Don’t let love wait!”
A single sentence from Nick had unleashed a barrage from his grandparents. Even through the phone, their urgency felt like a riptide, threatening to pull him under.
He’d had enough. “Fine, I’ll find a chance to bring her to meet you.”
He ended the call before they could reply.
It had been a while since he last saw Khloe.
Nick thought of that night-when Khloe had promised to come dance, but he had waited and waited, and she never appeared. Later, he called, but she didn’t answer.
In the whirlwind of his own obligations, the gift he’d set aside for her was forgotten, and with it, the memory of that night.
He opened his phone. Their message history was a blank slate for the past two days. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally tapped her name and pressed call.
At that exact moment, Khloe was striding through the Morrison Group headquarters.
Five young women followed in her wake, their careers at Fox Group freshly severed. When they looked up, the polished brass letters spelling out Morrison Group gleamed so brightly in the sun it was nearly blinding.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.