ra''s interactions with Dn recently hadn''t exactly been a walk in the park.
She spent a good ten minutes debating whether to send him a message, half- convinced he''d already blocked her. After all, Dn was pretty ticked off about the Eden situation.
To her surprise, the message went through-she hadn''t been blocked or deleted.
"Hey, Mr. Dn, sorry to bother you, but do you know where this estate is?"
She made sure to be super polite.
Less than a minuteter, he replied.
"I think I''ve got an idea."
ra''s face lit up, and she immediately called him.
"Mr. Dn, do you really know where it is? Can you tell me?"
Dn listened quietly, his eyes lowered. "It''s pretty remote. Even if I told you, you''d never find it."
"But..."
She was really eager to see the ce.
"Meet me at Palm Bay in thirty minutes, and I''ll take you."
Even after hanging up, ra felt a bit off-kilter. Dn should have been mad at her, yet his tone was surprisingly nice, making her wonder if all the recent tension was just in her head.
She drove to Palm Bay, and soon after parking, a stretch limo pulled up. The window slid down, and there he was.
"Mr. Dn."
She hopped out of her car and joined him in the limo.
Dn sat in the back, calm andposed, his emotions unreadable. But as ra got closer, his hand, holding some papers, paused for a second.
The car door shut, and they were on their way.
ra watched the scenery fly by, puzzled. "Where are we headed, and how long will it take to get back?"
He closed his eyes. "A week."
"A week?"
She was swamped with work, juggling meetings with executives and constant calls with Kaitlyn. Disappearing for a week would leave a mountain of tasks.
She took a deep breath and called her key contacts, including Kaitlyn.
After hanging up, she noticed Dn watching her with a calm, steady gaze.
Feeling awkward, she said, "I thought you didn''t like me, Mr. Dn. But you''re taking me there, so thanks."
Dn nced up from the contract on hisp. "Dislike you?"
"Yeah, I mean, Eden''s your top priority. I messed up with the whole Sarah thing, so it''s natural you''d be upset with me."
His fingers tightened slightly, his lips pressed together. Just as he was about to speak, ra noticed a mark on his finger, like he''d been wearing a ring- something he never did.
Trying to change the subject, she asked, "Have you found someone special, Mr. Dn? You must''ve worn a ring. Why''d you take it off?"
His fingers curled defensively, almost hiding under the contract.
Realizing she might''ve hit a sore spot, ra quickly changed the topic. "The sunset''s pretty nice today."
Dn didn''t respond.
The ride felt endless.
Five hourster, they stopped in a small town, and ra thought they''d arrived.
But Dn said, "Let''s rest here tonight and continue tomorrow."
She was confused. If it was that far, why not fly?
But Dn apanying her was already a big favor, so she didn''t push it.
The hotel was the town''s best, prepped and sanitized just for them.
As ra was about to get the room key, the receptionist said, "Sorry, there''s only one room left for the three of you..."
The driver, Aiden, quickly offered, "I''ll crash in the car, Ms. ra. Here''s the key. You and the boss can share the room."
ra panicked at the idea of rooming with Dn. She''d rather do anything else!
She hurried after Aiden. "Aiden, let me take the car."
With the snow piling up and roads closing, ra felt a sense of dread, like something was slipping beyond her control.
Her gut was rarely wrong.
But Aiden bolted like he was being chased.
ra awkwardly returned to the reception with the key.
She handed it to Dn. "Mr. Dn, I''ll find another ce nearby."
The receptionist looked confused. "Aren''t you two a couple? Why the fuss?
Besides, the snow''s heavy, and the next hotel is twenty kilometers away. Roads are blocked; you can''t go anywhere."
ra''s heart sank. What kind of ce had Dn brought her to?