Klein’s long fingers gripped his phone as he watched Whitney go from liking his post to quickly unliking it, catching every move in real time.
‘She finally saw it,’ Klein thought, a flicker of satisfaction crossing his mind.
‘But why would she take back her like? What does that mean?’ Klein wondered, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
‘Is she mad at me?’ Klein couldn’t help but worry, his mind racing.
Before Klein could think too much about it, his phone buzzed with a call from James.
“Klein, did you feally get yourself a girlfriend?” James asked, his tone full of curiosity.
Klein was the only one in the Harris family who didn’t get nagged by James about settling down.
It wasn’t that James didn’t want to push him. It’s just that he didn’t dare.
The last time James tried to set him up with someone, Klein just took off overseas for five years.
Everyone else thought Klein went abroad to grow the family business, but the Harris family knew the truth. He was actually dodging all the matchmaking ambushes James had planned for him.
That left things really awkward between them, and for a long time after, James pretty much stopped nagging him about settling down.
So when Klein posted it on Instagram, everyone was stunned.
“Yeah, Dad, I’ve got a girlfriend. I’ll marry her in a month,” Klein replied, his tone calm and steady.
James took a deep breath. “In a month?”
Klein replied, unhurried, “No point in waiting. I’m not exactly young anymore. Thirty-three is prime time for tying the knot.”
James felt a slow wave of confusion rising inside him. ‘What’s going on here?’
Five years ago, he was the one using that line to push Klein into marriage. Now, Klein was saying it himself. ‘Did he really come around after all this time?’ James wondered, genuinely taken aback.
James spoke with heartfelt sincerity. “I don’t have any special requirements for your wife. As long as she’s decent and carries herself well. That’s enough. Her family background doesn’t matter. We’re not looking to make some big alliance. What matters most is that you love her.”
Nothing was more important than love.
“I know,” Klein said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Dad, I really do love her.”
James couldn’t help but smile. “That’s great to hear. One of these days, bring her over so I can meet her in person.”
“She’s a bit shy, so try not to overwhelm her. Let’s wait until next month,” Klein replied gently.
After they literally got married, he would bring her home for sure.
James had no idea what Klein was really thinking. He simply thought Klein’s girlfriend was just shy.
They didn’t talk for long before hanging up.
Klein called Martin. “Martin, when Whitney stopped by the house today, was everything okay?”
“Everything was fine, sir. But Ms. Moore looked a little off today,” Martin replied.
Klein’s gaze darkened, and his smile disappeared. “A little off?”
“Yeah, I tried to talk to her twice, but she seemed totally lost in thought both times,” Martin said.
Klein frowned, lost in thought. Why was she in such a bad mood? Doesn’t sound like it’s because of me. Is it because of Carter?’
“Alright, I got it,” Klein said.
After hanging up with Ivan, Whitney stared at the group chat for the acquisition and investment project. She held herself back from blowing up in the chat and instead called Calvin, the project lead.
Calvin had just gotten back to his office, sounding distant. “Hello, who is this?”
Whitney greeted him politely, keeping her composure. “Hello, Mr. Malone. This is Whitney Moore from PrimeBridge Law Firm.”
Calvin raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Ms. Moore. Is there something you need?”
Whitney calling him directly was definitely skipping the usual chain of command.
Calvin had always suspected there was something off between Whitney and Klein, but nothing annoyed him more than subordinates going over his head.
And when a partner pulled that stunt, it really rubbed him the wrong way.
Whitney didn’t care about his icy attitude. She kept things professional and said, “Mr. Malone, someone from your side told Mr. Barton yesterday that I was acting inappropriately and asked for me to be taken off the project. Were you aware of this?”
As soon as Townsend Barton landed, he reached out to Ivan.
He claimed someone from Harris Group had accused Whitney of “unprofessional conduct” and of getting involved in someone else’s relationship. Afraid the scandal would blow back on the firm, Townsend removed her from the project without consulting Ivan.
With Ivan’s approval, Whitney wanted to find out directly from Calvin who had made those accusations.
She knew Townsend would never spill the beans, so this was her only shot.
Calvin’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you sure? I seriously had no clue.”
He was irritated that Whitney had come straight to him, but what really freaked him out was the possibility that someone on his own team was stirring up trouble.
If Klein ever caught wind of this…
He didn’t even want to think about it.
“Ms. Moore, I trust you completely. I’ll look into this right away and find out who’s behind these rumors. I promise you’ll get a clear answer from me. Is that okay with you?” Calvin said, sounding genuinely serious.
Whitney had a whole rant prepared, but she was caught off guard when Calvin actually stood up for her instead of just backing his own team.
“Hearing you say that really puts my mind at ease,” Whitney replied, her voice steady.
As soon as he hung up. Calvin called a meeting.
He hadn’t even made it to the conference room when a message from Klein came in.
Klein: [Calvin, is there an issue with the NextSphere Electronics acquisition?]
Calvin immediately assumed Whitney had ratted to Klein about him.
‘Man, I had no idea Ms. Moore was this important to Mr. Harris, Calvin thought, stunned.
Suddenly, he remembered Klein’s post from yesterday.
Zooming in on the photo, he spotted a faint figure reflected in the floor-to-ceiling window.
That figure looked uncannily like Whitney’s.
A chill ran down his spine. He quickly replied.
Calvin: [Mr. Harris, everything’s fine. I’ll get to the bottom of who’s spreading those rumors about Ms. Moore right away.]
Klein’s long, slender fingers idly toyed with a silver lighter, his voice icy. “Rumors?”
Calvin’s phone vibrated insistently in his pocket, the screen illuminating with a name that sent a chill down his spine. With a heavy heart, he accepted the call, a sense of dread washing over him. ‘I’m in deep trouble now,’ he thought, bracing himself for the inevitable.
“Hello, Mr. Harr-“
Before he could even finish his greeting, Klein’s icy tone sliced through the air. “We have a rat in the Harris Group spreading rumors?”
The flick of a lighter ignited in Klein’s hand, casting a dim light across his partially shadowed face, emphasizing the tension that crackled between them. “You’ve got fifteen minutes.”
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.