Loretta gazed at the text, a grin spreading across her face. She left the message screen and flicked over to her contacts. eyes zeroed in on the second name that read “Mr. Stubborn,” and she tapped it.
Then she had a second thought–maybe he was swamped right now. So, she hung up and whipped out a text instead.
Meanwhile, Malcolm’s phone buzzed with a message. Lori: [Thanks for last night.]
Malcolm’s mouth was a straight line as he stared at the message on his phone. She had called him but then hung up. At he felt a bit ticked off, but then her message made him feel a lot better.
He typed quickly. [I was just passing by; it had nothing to do with me.] But before he hit send, he paused. If she thought was true, she might not feel grateful anymore, and he didn’t want that to happen. Her ex had wanted to jump into the ri and he was curious to see what she would do next.
He finally sent: [If you want to thank me for rescuing your ex–boyfriend, don’t bother. My friend was streaming over the and I couldn’t let him get a bad reputation for not helping.]
Loretta chuckled and rolled her eyes at the message from “Mr. Stubborn” that finally popped up on her screen. He had a knack for getting under her skin, but now that she had figured out his feelings for her, she wasn’t about to let him get the upper hand.
[To show my appreciation, and considering how you helped me out last time, how about I treat you to dinner tonight?] S hit send, then waited, her phone sitting idle in her hand. After a few minutes with no reply, she shrugged and got back to to–do list.
Over at Lindsey Group, Malcolm was deep in thought when his assistant’s knock interrupted the silence. The door to his office creaked open. “Sir, the meeting is about to start,” his assistant informed him.
Malcolm’s eyes flicked to the text from Loretta. He was weighing his options, trying to figure out a way to reply that would make him look too keen, but the mention of the meeting made his face cloud over.
He grumbled under his breath. But duty called, and he pushed away from his desk and made his way to the meeting room
At Broderick Group, Loretta strode into the design room and clapped her hands to grab the team’s attention.
Once all eyes were on her, she announced, “Hey, guys, we’ve only got half a month to wrap up the drafts for the next quarter’s designs. We’re going to have to put in some extra hours If you’re running low on inspiration, let me know where you’d like to go to recharge, and I’ll make sure finance gets you the funds.”
At this, Aaron Mathis, a designer with fiery red hair, glanced up her with a cheeky grin. “I don’t need to go anywhere for inspiration, Ms. Broderick. Just pretend to be my girlfriend for a few days. One look at your stunning face is all it takes to ge my creative juices flowing.”
Loretta just shrugged, playing along “Same old rules,” she said with a playful smile. “If you can beat me in a challenge, I’ll be your temporary girlfriend for a week.”
Her words were met with laughter from the designers in the roa
Aaron, gibst let it go, man. Ms. Broderick belongs to all of us, you can’t bog her for yourself,” one of them teased. Totally! You ask her every line, and you never win against Ms. Broderick. Isn’t that a bit humiliating another chimed in,
Chargemtserasing steed that Aston reigned, toning his gaze to Loretta Hissed hair was a striking contrast to his soft,
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Chapter 32
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gentle features. Only those who knew him well understood that Aaron was a bit of an eccentric, more captivated by than by people. Everyone was still curious about how he ended up at Broderick Group over a year ago.
“I’ve always thought Aaron joined Broderick Group because of Ms. Broderick’s beauty,” Lisa chimed in, nodding con “It must be true; otherwise, Aaron, why would you always want Ms. Broderick to be your temporary girlfriend for a
Others in the room seemed to agree with her, exchanging knowing glances.
Loretta let out a light laugh. “Now, now, let’s not jump to conclusions. If Aaron gets his feelings hurt and decides to g strike, who am I going to vent to then?”
“Ms. Broderick, don’t you worry! If Aaron ever goes on strike, we’ll just haul him back here by the scruff of his neck,” someone joked.
At the playful banter, Loretta’s eyes crinkled with mirth. After sharing a few more laughs with the team, she headed b her office.
She had barely settled in when Aaron followed her in. He swiftly set up his easel in the lounge area of her office and announced, “Don’t mind me. I just can’t resist watching you and painting. Since the theme is ‘beauty,‘ you should be th model yourself.”
Loretta gave a casual shrug. “Alright,” she agreed. This wasn’t the first time Aaron had asked, and she knew his admirati her looks was purely artistic. If being his muse helped him create his designs, then she considered it a job well done.
Aaron began to sketch, and Loretta carried on with her work. Time flew by, and before she knew it, two hours had pass She was engrossed in a video of a recent jewelry exhibition when her phone suddenly pinged. Loretta glanced at it, and as she had anticipated, there was a message from Malcolm.
Mr. Stubborn: [You think one meal is enough to settle last time? Dream on!]
Mr. Stubborn: [I’ll choose the place for dinner.]
Loretta was speechless. He took his time to reply, and this was all he had to say. But she wasn’t bothered. She replied: [Su
on the draw. [I’ll send you an address at 5 PM.] This time, Malcolm was quick
Loretta: [Okay.] She then set her phone aside and got back to focusing on her work,
At exactly 5 PM, Malcolm sent the address. The dinner spot was located in the old district.
Loretta quickly gathered her things and headed out. On her way she bumped into John. He looked at her and asked, “Loretta, are you going out?”
Loretta nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. She definitely wasn’t about to mention she was meeting Malcolm, so she said. “I’m just popping over to Jimmy’s for a bit.”
John’s concern was palpable. “Take two bodyguards with you, he insisted. Today, he’d had a talk with the head of Bruno’s university, and they’d agreed to expel Bruno for his misconduc
John had also asked his secretary to look into the online fallout from Bruno’s river–jumping incident last night. Initially, John had planned to have lils network department stir up some rouble, but someone who apparently also had a grunge
gainst Bruno had already done so.
As a resalt, Bruno was now prelly much a social pariah John was worried that these events might pitsh Bruns over the edge and he might seek revenge on Laretta
Understanding the gravity of john’s concerns, Lorena didn’t
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Chapter 32
Since Jimmy’s place was a bit off the beaten path, Loretta stepped out of the car and turned to her bodyguards. “I’ll p be out late, so why don’t you guys go grab a bite to eat?” she suggested.
The bodyguards appreciated her thoughtfulness. After Loretta disappeared into the neighborhood, they drove off in of a good meal.
Next, Loretta flagged down a cab to take her to the address Malcolm had provided.
The cab driver expertly navigated the old district’s narrow streets, making a series of lefts and rights, until they arrive picturesque mansion. The area was lined with classic townhouses and some impressive old mansions.
As soon as Loretta stepped out of the cab, the gate to the mansion swung open, and a woman dressed elegantly steppe to greet her. She wasn’t the kind of beauty that stopped people in their tracks, but there was a serene elegance about h was hard to miss.
The woman approached Loretta, giving her a once–over before asking, “Are you Ms. Broderick?”
Loretta nodded in confirmation. “Yes, that’s me.”
The woman’s face broke into a smile, a smile that seemed to hold a touch of enigma. “Hello there, I’m the owner of this
the way.” place, Gillian Leach. Come on in, the person you’re here to meet has already arrived. I’ll show you
“Thank you, Gillian,” Loretta replied.
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