Chapter 26
After Wyatt and Cohen were kicked out, they were in the car, driving back with faces that looked like they’d eaten something
sour.
Cohen broke the silence. “Wyatt, what’s the plan now?”
Wyatt shook his head. They had gone to see John to figure out what move to make after all the company’s cash was used up. But instead, Cohen and John had a fight.
Wyatt was feeling all kinds of ticked off because they didn’t get the answers they were looking for. He shot back, “You asking me! If you hadn’t mentioned Amy, would Johm have blown a fuse?”
Cohen looked upset and said, “How can you pin this on Amy? She’s a victim.”
“Even if she is, it’s not the time to talk about it. And if Amy’s a victim, what about Loretta? After the way you went at it with John, if he gets all suspicious of us again, like he used to, we’ll never get in on the jewelry game with him,” Wyatt said.
“I was just so mad,” Cohen said, a bit of remorse creeping in. “Now what? You want me to go back and say sorry to John?” He wouldn’t do that.
“You’ve got to apologize,” Wyatt said firmly. “If you don’t, forget about working with him in the jewelry business”
Cohen’s face went through a roller coaster of emotions, and then he got this serious look. “We’re already in this mess, and you want me to go back and say sorry? John won’t even see me. How am I supposed to apologize?”
Wyatt took a moment to think, then said, “Alright, here’s what we’ll do. In a few days, once John’s had some time to chill, I’ll have everyone over to my place for dinner. You should be there too, and we can all sit down and talk things out. Let’s just drop the antique thing, since the money’s gone, there’s no use in hashing it over. We need to figure out what John’s planning
t and if it’s going to mess with the company‘
next
Cohen nodded, thinking Wyatt had a solid point.
Loretta snoozed away until the sun was up. When she finally made her way downstairs, she found John chilling on the couch in the living room, sipping his morning joe and catching up on the news.
She gave him a wave. “Morning, Dad.”
John looked up from his tablet and gave her a serious look. “Morning, Loretta. So, were you in on this whole thing from the
start?”
Loretta had expected this question and was ready with her response. “Yeah, I heard about it at the auction. I was in the bathroom and overheard some people talking about it. They knew we won the bid for the Nine Dragons Goblet and they were planning to go after it.”
John’s forehead wrinkled up. “Why didn’t you spill the beans then?
“I didn’t want to stress you out, and I sure didn’t want to give those guys a heads–up, Loretta explained.
John’s brows knitted even tighter. But Loretta moved closer, snuggling into his side and sweetly trying to smooth things over. “Daddy, it’s all water under the bridge now. I pinky swear I fill you in pronto if something like this pops up again. alright? Please don’t be upset with me
John gave her a playful pinch on the nose, still trying to keep a straight face. “You kept something this big from me? What if it got too heavy for you to handler”
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Chapter 26
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“I’d come to you if I couldn’t hack it, Dad. I’m not that clueless, Loretta said, nestling her head on his shoulder and getting
all cozy.
John couldn’t keep a straight face any longer, feeling both tickled and frustrated. He lightly tapped her forehead and teased, “You’re all grown up now, still playing the cute card–aren’t you blushing?”
Tll always be your little girl, Dad. Why would I blush?” Loretta said sweetly.
Coby, who had just walked into the room, overheard this exchange. He bit back a laugh, thinking to himself, ‘Loretta only acts all cute around you. Even when you’re trying to look serious, sir, you can’t hide that grin.
Keeping his face poker. Coby announced, “Mr. and Ms. Broderick, breakfast is on the table. Would you like to eat now or take a rain check?”
“Let’s chow down now,” Loretta suggested, tugging John up from the couch. She flashed a grin at Coby. “Morning, Coby!”
“Good morning, Ms. Broderick,” Coby replied, heading off to bring in their breakfast. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of injustice for Loretta, thinking. ‘How could Bruno not see what a gem he had and hurt someone as amazing and sweet as Ms. Broderick?‘
At the dinner table, John seized the moment for a heart–to–heart with Loretta. Once she sincerely owned up to her mistake, he decided to let bygones be bygones.
After their meal, John and Loretta headed to the office. Loretta wasn’t just a hit with the high society; she was a the company too.
After the regular morning huddle. Loretta strolled out with her assistant, Lisa Mason, hot on her heels.
favorite at
“Since you took off from Yorkhaven, Bruno’s been hanging around the company’s front steps a bunch of times. Looks like he’s hoping to run into you, Lisa filled her in And Alex Jordan’s been sending you flowers non–stop, practically turning your office into a greenhouse.”
Loretta paused and her brow furrowed. “Didn’t I tell you we’re not taking any of those flowers?”
“Alex sends so many flowers, and he gets the shop to deliver them. The delivery people are quick to dash off as soon as they leave the flowers at the entrance, so it’s not like we can stop them Lisa explained with a shrug.
“Since you weren’t around, we had to put them in your office, but we always make sure the cleaning crew takes care of them at the end of the day.” She glanced at her watch and added, “Speaking of which, today’s bouquet should be here any second
now.
Lisa had barely finished her sentence when a junior assistant rushed over to Loretta. “Ms. Broderick, the flowers Alex ordered have already been left at the company’s entrance. Now that you’re back, how would you like us to handle them?
It was clear that with Loretta’s return, the flowers wouldn’t be finding their way to her office anymore.
Loretta strode quickly towards the entrance. A few flower shop workers were standing there with an enormous bouquet, halted by the security guards.
One of the workers said, ‘We’re just following orders. If you don’t want these flowers, fell the person who’s sending them to stop. Please don’t make our job harder than it has to be,”
“How many days has he booked for these deliveries?” Loretta inquired as she approached.
A flower shop employer, catching sight of Loretta coming over, as startled and assumed she must be Ms. Broderick. They quickly replied, “The order was placed for a fortnight.
“How many days are left? Loretta asked.
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Chapter 26
“Twelve days,” the employee replied.
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Loretta nodded, pulled out her phone, and dialed Alex. He answered on the quick, Loretta got straight to the point, saying. “I appreciate the flowers, Alex. I’ll send you the money for them later”
Alex responded, “Loretta, Bruno isn’t the one for you. I’m just asking for a shot.”
“Sorry, Alex, but I’m really focused on my career right now and not looking to date anyone. If you keep sending flowers, we might not even be able to stay friends, Loretta said firmly.
With that, she ended the call, then turned to the flower shop worker and asked, “How much did Alex pay for all this?”
The worker gave her the total amount. Loretta nodded, pulled up her banking app, and transferred the money to Alex. After that, she told her assistant, “Spread the word. for the next twelve days, any employee who isn’t allergic to flowers can swing by the entrance at this time to grab a flower as a little bonus from me.”
Word about Loretta’s brush–off of Alex and her gesture of buying the flowers for the Broderick Group staff spread like wildfire within half a day.
A lot of folks figured Loretta was still hung up on Bruno, Bruno and Amy were in that camp too. So, when Loretta made plans for an early dinner with friends and left the office a bit early, she ran into Bruno in the parking lot.
“Loretta, can we have a chat?” Bruno asked, not looking like his usual cocky self. His eyes were hollow, and his face looked worn out, like a guy who’d been on the losing end of a breakup.
Seeing him in this state didn’t tug at Loretta’s heartstrings; instead, it just made her feel repulsed. He was all about the drama, but Loretta wasn’t in the mood for his
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