Chapter 28
1/4
On the day of the airshow, Northstrike Air was able to close a ton of sales, including one major order from an oil–rich country overseas.
I was on reception duty for the airshow, while Adeline pitched drone features to our prospects with the sales team. Luther, the manager, and the rest of the staff were negotiating contracts with clients.
During lunch break, Adeline walked up to me with a smile on her face but poison in her words. “Here’s my last warning, you bitch. Stay the hell away from Luther, or I’ll get someone to mess with that pretty face of yours.”
I handed her a glass of water with a grin. “Take it easy, Ms. Larkin. Have some water and cool off.”
Just then, Luther looked our way. Adeline took the cup and loudly thanked me on purpose. I didn’t call her out, but just played along and beamed.
She glanced my way with a sneer. “Nice acting, you slut. I underestimated you.”
I giggled. “I’ve still got a lot to learn from the best.”
Her expression turned cold. “Sounds like you’re not backing down. Do you really think Luther is into trash like you?”
Looking all soft and innocent, I remarked, “He’s the one pursuing me. What can I do? Looks like he really likes me. If he’d rather be with trash like me than with you, does that mean you’re worse than trash?”
Adeline’s angry face turned pale. However, with people watching, she swallowed her anger and spat through gritted teeth, “Just you wait.”
I kept smiling. “Should I pour you another one?”
She rolled her eyes at me, then spun on her heels and walked off, picking a spot far from where I was standing.
In the afternoon, a group of people in business attire showed up at the exhibition hall. Luther led them into the meeting room behind the exhibition hall. Adeline tried to tag along, but the manager stopped her.
She looked over her shoulder and caught me looking at her. She snapped, “What are you staring at?”
I smirked with a hint of disdain and moved on to welcome the next batch of visitors.
The afternoon heat in Hilstone was no joke. Some of the drones had to be demoed outside, so I grabbed a few bottles of chilled mineral water and handed them out to the technical team.
As I made my way out of the exhibition hall, Zachary stopped me. “It’s hot today, Sapphire. This will help with the sweat.”
He looked awkward, avoiding my eyes as he handed me the wet wipe.
I pretended like nothing had happened last night and took the wipe with a nod. “Thanks.”
Zachary walked beside me and asked, “Who was the man in your room last night?”
I kept my eyes on the floor. “It’s not your business to know.”
He inquired, “Is it Mr. Stone?”
I kept a straight face. “It doesn’t matter who it was.”
Zachary seemed a little worked up. He caught up with me and muttered, “If you can sleep with someone else, why not me?”
I suddenly stopped in my tracks to put an end to whatever he was thinking. “He is my boyfriend. What is the issue with him being in my room?”
He froze for a second, but it wasn’t my words that surprised him. Instead, it was the sight of the person behind me. “Mr. Stone,”
It was around 80 degrees out at Hilstone, but somehow I was breaking into a cold sweat.
Luther came up next to me. “You’re dedicated, Mr. Bell. You’re still out inspecting the site in this weather? I’ll make sure Mr. Wright hears how committed you are.
“You take your job seriously, Mr. Bell. You even dropped by late at night to tell my girlfriend that the exhibition hall was ready. That kind of work ethic is
rare.”
Zachary awkwardly chuckled, “I’m just doing my job. You don’t need to bring it up to Mr. Wright.”
He looked panicked, barely speaking with any confidence. “Sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Luther’s face was blank. “Remember what you just said.”
Zachary nodded. “I will”
Luther gently looked at me and dotingly said, “Leave the water to them. You’re not in great shape. Come with me.”
Then, he turned to Zachary. “See you, Mr. Bell.”
Zachary respectfully nodded. “Take care, Mr. Stone.”
What surprised me wasn’t that Luther helped me, but that he took my hand in front of everyone and led me into the exhibition hall.
