Chapter 15
To avoid unnecessary gossip, I deliberately staggered my schedule with Luther’s. We didn’t even take the same route to and from work.
Just as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Adeline following Luther into his office. The moment she spotted me, a smug look flashed across her face.
How petty. Adeline always seemed to treat me like some imaginary rival.
Matthew handed me a file, and I opened it to find the lease contract for the Hilstone exhibition hall.
“Ms. Miller, Mr. Bell asked you to give him a call when you have time to arrange Mr. Stone’s reception after his arrival.”
Hearing it was Zachary calling, I already had an idea of what he wanted to say. I took the file and replied, “Okay. I’ll contact him right away.”
After closing the door, I pulled out my phone. I was mentally preparing myself for how to deal with Zachary.
He was tricky to handle. Lately, he had been getting more and more brazen with his words.
Even if I refused him, I couldn’t afford to embarrass him too much. After all, the Hilstone terminal event happened every year. This wasn’t a one–time deal, so I couldn’t afford to burn bridges.
I took a deep breath and dialed Zachary’s number.
When the call connected, Zachary greeted me cheerfully. “Hey, Sapphire! Did you receive the contract?”
“I did. Mr. Stone already signed and stamped it. I’ll mail it back to you shortly,” I replied.
“You’re efficient as always. I really admire that about you,” Zachary said.
“If everyone I worked with were like you, productivity would go through the roof,” I praised.
I heard his delighted laugh through the phone
“Are you flattering me?” he teased. “Come on, we were old classmates. No need to be so superficial. Nothing beats meeting in person. When you come to Hilstone, I’m buying you a drink. We won’t go anywhere till we’re both drunk.”
Once again, he was trying to get me drunk. What he didn’t know was that in my family, both men and women could hold their liquor.
I smiled. “Regardless, Mr. Stone plans to treat you to a drink. He insists on thanking you for the discount you secured.”
He laughed. “Mr. Stone is too polite. But if anyone deserves thanks, it’s you. Without you, none of this would’ve happened. I’m only bending the rules because of you Sapphire, you tell me. Was that not sincere enough?”
“More than enough,” I said. “Our friendship is just like that song we sang together at our senior year farewell party–Auld Lang Syne.”
“Well said,” he agreed.
Before he could steer the conversation any further off course, I cut in quickly. “Mr. Grady said you wanted me to call and coordinate the reception plans for Mr. Stone once he lands?”
“Yes, that’s right,” he stammered after a brief pause.
Just as I suspected, he only used work as an excuse to get me to call.
Zachary asked about the number of staff traveling and our itinerary. Then, he said he would arrange for a business vehicle to pick us up. He also confirmed the hotel booking, though the room numbers were still pending and would be sent to me via WhatsApp later.
Just as we wrapped up the work talk and I was about to hang up, Zachary suddenly switched gears and started playing the part of a miserable husband.
“Sapphire, don’t you ever feel like you miss our childhood days? Life felt so carefree back then,” he said.
I replied casually, “Things seem pretty good for you now too. You have a successful career and a happy family. I saw your wedding photos on your Instagram Stories. Your wife’s very pretty, and she looks quite young. She’s younger than us, right?”
Zachary let out another sigh. “Yeah, it might look good on the surface, but only I know how bitter it really is underneath.”
I was just about to interrupt and hang up, but Zachary didn’t give me the chance to cut in.
“She’s five years younger than me,” he said with a weary tone. “I swear, younger women can be incredibly immature. She’s always throwing tantrums
like a child.
“If I had known that marriage meant babysitting around the clock, I wouldn’t have gone through with it. Honestly, people our age are so much easier to talk to. They’re more emotionally mature.”
He chuckled softly before adding, “Every time I talk to you, I feel more at ease. Sapphire, why do I enjoy chatting with you so much?”
While he rambled on, I quickly typed a message to Matthew on WhatsApp. “Mr. Grady, could you please come to my office and say I’m needed for a meeting?”
“Sapphire,” Zachary began with a hint of sentimentality.
A wave of nausea rose in me.
“I feel like right now, in my heart…”
Chapter 15
Just then, Matthew pushed the door open at the perfect moment and exclaimed loudly, “Ms. Miller, Mr. Stone needs you in the conference room.”
As expected, on the other end of the call, Zachary went silent.
“Got it,” I said. Then, I spoke to Zachary sweetly. “Sorry. What were you saying just now?”
He hesitated. “It’s nothing. Sounds like you’re busy.”
I smiled politely and replied, “That’s right. I need to head into a meeting now.”
“Alright, I’ll let you go,” he muttered.
“Okay, goodbye.” I hung up and let out a long sigh.
Before Matthew walked out, he cast me a cold, disapproving look and warned, “Since you’re around Mr. Stone, you better behave and don’t do anything to upset him. You won’t be able to handle the consequences.”
I knew Matthew looked down on me. From the moment we met, he already had his opinion about who I was.
In his eyes, I was just a woman who sold her body for money and benefits. Perhaps women like me showed up too often around Luther, so he had already predicted my fate. It was just a matter of time before I got thrown aside.
I could see exactly why he looked down on me.
Yet, I still smiled politely and thanked him, “Thank you for your advice and help earlier.”
He froze for a second, clearly not expecting that kind of reaction from me.
I added, “Please don’t tell Luther about what happened earlier.”
Matthew looked at me intensely and then left.
I wasn’t sure if he would keep his promise, but I hoped my act was convincing enough to earn his protection this time.
Keeping Luther in the dark about Zachary’s advances was my way of buying myself some time.
If he only saw me as a woman who used charm and looks to get ahead, he would have grown tired of me quickly.
However, if I was a skilled assistant who could help him succeed, he would have stayed patient with me much longer. My ultimate goal was to walk away clean. I didn’t want to make an enemy.
Northstrike Air was a stable company with room to grow,
and its salary and benefits ranked among the top three in Jaloria. For someone like me who couldn’t rely on family, having a well–paying job was the key to survival.
Just as I finished contacting the courier company, someone knocked on my office door.
“Come in,” I said.
As the door opened, Adeline walked in wearing a triumphant smile.
I knew she was really here to show off. She even fixed her clothes and smoothed her hair right in front of me. She walked over and said, “Ms. Miller, you’re busy as always.”
I placed the lease contract into a folder and set it aside.
“Ms. Larkin, please have a seat,” I said.
Adeline sat on the couch, crossing her legs with an air of confidence.
“I can’t even get a glass of water here. Don’t tell me you’re upset because I’ve been spending so much time with Mr. Stone,” she remarked with a smirk.
I smiled faintly and stood up to pour her a drink.
“Here you go, Ms. Larkin,” I offered.
She glanced at the glass and said, “I want tea.”
I knew she was being deliberately difficult, but I still kept my patience and went to pour tea for her again. When I brought it back, she complained, “Do you have coffee? I don’t drink tea in the morning.”
I stared at her. She straightened her chest and challenged, “Do you really think Luther likes you? He doesn’t like you..
“He likes that your face reminds him of his first love. Honestly, you’re nothing more than a substitute. Have you ever considered that when he’s with you, he might actually be thinking of her?”
Her words hit me suddenly, and I was momentarily taken aback.
