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Chapter 62: Made Plans
His casual tone–just like that, Fletcher dumped the mess of Free Spirit on my shoulders.
For a moment, I felt as though an invisible hand had gripped my chest, squeezing the breath right out of me.
When we visited Gary, I, Fletcher, and Davina were all present. It took us forever to secure the meeting, but because Fletcher wanted to build Davina’s reputation, I was pushed aside.
Now, things had taken a turn, and suddenly, he expected me to take charge.
All this time, it seemed like I was nothing more than a scapegoat.
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And convincing Free Spirit–damn it, we didn’t even know what Free Spirit looked like. Trying to convince him felt like a fantasy.
If, by some miracle, I managed to succeed, it would be considered part of the job. But if I failed, the consequences were all too clear.
And just earlier, Davina had been ready to volunteer.
I curled my fingers, trying to regain some composure, and said bitterly, “Mr. Lynton, you really do trust me.”
I was speaking in reverse.
Fletcher, of course, picked up on this and nonchalantly replied, “Ms. Grande, aren’t you known for your resourcefulness? Fine, this time I’ll give you plenty of room to prove
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yourself. One week–I want a satisfactory result.”
One week.
Not only had Fletcher given me a tough problem, but he’d also limited me to a mere week.
Mezeth’s southern region was famous for its tourist sites, with tens of thousands of visitors daily. Finding Free Spirit in such a short time was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
That was when I realized–Fletcher was intentionally making things difficult for me.
He was targeting me.
Davina, sensing the tension, spoke up,
“Letch, don’t you think one week is too short?
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This is too much for Charlene.”
It seemed that she was quite considerate.
Fletcher, as if hearing a joke, looked at me and asked, “Ms. Grande, you feel troubled?”
I clenched my jaw, forcing a light tone. “Fine, I’ll take on the task.”
When Kaitlyn heard about it, she
immediately flew into a rage. “This is when you should play dumb! If it doesn’t work, just act cute with Fletcher–why make things harder for yourself?”
I forced a smile. “Do you think I’m Davina?”
“But Free Spirit standing you up at the last minute is definitely strange,” Kaitlyn quickly returned to reality, pondering, “Seems like this guy has more connections than we
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thought.”
That made things even trickier.
“It’s okay, I’ve already joined Free Spirit’s fan group chat. I’m sure new leads will come soon,” Kaitlyn reassured me. “But as for this trip to Mezeth, it seems like you’ll have to go alone.”
The company couldn’t function without someone in charge. With both of us gone, things would certainly fall apart.
I knew it–I would have to rely on myself this time.
But charging in blindly like a headless chicken wouldn’t work either. I needed to think of a plan.
Just as I was focused on reviewing Free
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Spirit’s Twitter, a message suddenly popped up on my phone: Charlene, the insurance company has processed everything. You can pick up the car in four days.
I opened it, and to my surprise, it was a WhatsApp message from Bradley.
Before leaving the art exhibition in the afternoon, he and I had exchanged contact details.
The message included a receipt from the insurance company.
I had to admit–his efficiency was pretty impressive.
“Thanks so much. I’ll transfer the money to you right away.”
No sooner had I sent the reply than Bradley’s
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call came through.
“Charlene, are you trying to make me look bad?” His tone held a hint of displeasure. “It was my fault. How can you pay for this?”
I explained, “You’ve been running around taking care of everything, even if there’s no credit, there’s effort.”
“Is that really how you feel, Charlene?”
I wasn’t sure why he suddenly asked, but I answered seriously, “Yes. I truly mean it.”
“Then how about you treat me to dinner tomorrow?” Bradley’s voice was clear and bright, with a subtle hint of a playful tone at the end. “I’m still worried about your wrist.”
His emotional intelligence was truly something else–it was hard to resist.
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I rubbed my temples, about to decline, but then remembered Bradley was a diehard Free Spirit fan. I quickly changed my mind. “Sure, how about Savory Haven?”
Any lead, no matter how small, was still a lead.
The next second, Bradley’s cheerful laughter rang out through the phone. “I’ll go with whatever you say, Charlene.”
Since I was leaving for Mezeth in the afternoon, I arranged to meet Bradley for lunch.
After finishing up some work, I headed downstairs. Just as I was about to leave the building, someone stopped me. I looked up to see Bradley, wearing sunglasses, with an amused expression on his face.
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He was dressed in a black shearling collar jacket, paired with matching casual pants and combat boots–he looked like he’d stepped straight out of a fashion magazine for motorcycle models.
Quite eye–catching.
I hadn’t expected Bradley to show up at the
company.
Then, a sigh reached my ears. “Charlene, you’re too calm. Didn’t you feel any surprise when you saw me?”
I thought of the business card I had handed out earlier and asked, “How did you get here so early?”
“To pick you up,” Bradley joked, “If I’m lucky enough to have you as my lunch companion,
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I have to be proactive, right?”
Coming from such a prestigious background, confidence and flair seemed to be part of his DNA.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but laugh, teasing, “Then where’s the ride that’s supposed to be picking me up?”
Bradley probably didn’t expect me to play along with his joke. After a brief pause, he bent slightly and made a sweeping gesture, saying, “After you, Charlene.”
He was definitely acting the part.
Just as we were about to leave, a sudden voice called out from behind us. “Charlene, so this is where you are.”
I turned, confused, and saw Davina standing
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not far away with Fletcher.
What was Fletcher doing here in the middle of the afternoon?
I hesitated for a moment, then told Bradley to wait in the car while I quickly walked over to them.
Davina tilted her head slightly and glanced at the nearby Maserati, gossiping, “Charlene, that guy looks familiar. Wasn’t he Mr. Chavez from the art exhibition yesterday?”
Davina had a surprisingly sharp memory.
Her eyes were also quite observant.
I didn’t respond right away, but looked over at Fletcher and asked, “Is Mr. Lynton looking for me?”
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“It’s not Letch who looking for you, it’s me,” Davina cut in, her expression serious. “Here’s the thing–I have a relative who runs a hotel business in southern Mezeth, and I wanted to ask if she could help keep an eye on Free Spirit. So I was planning to visit her family with Letch.”
I froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond.
The task of convincing Free Spirit had nothing to do with Davina anymore. But the kind girl, seeing my struggle, had gone out of her way to pull some strings for me.
Surely, Fletcher would be touched by this, wouldn’t he?
“I had planned to ask you to join us, Charlene,” Davina continued, pausing briefly, “but now…” She paused again, glancing
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subtly over her shoulder and finishing with, “It seems you might not be available after all.”
Her big eyes flicked meaningfully behind me, her gaze pointed.
We worked in the same company, separated by nothing more than a glass door. If Davina had really wanted to tell me earlier, why wait until now?
I curled my lips into a slight smile and gracefully responded, “I appreciate your kindness, Davina, but as you can see, I’ve already made plans.”
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