"So, you''re here for the Larson Group''s project," Hugh said, sitting by the floor-to- ceiling windows of the cafe booth.
The soft warmth of the sun bathed his shoulder, casting a gentle, hazy light that made it hard to read his emotions. His voice was calm, steady.
Serena felt a flicker of unease in her heart. She was indeed there for the Larson Group''s project, but it was to retrieve Amber''s unfinished porcin pieces.
Her reason was justified, yet she still needed Hugh to offer some incentive. Otherwise, it wasn''t fair to Hugh.
He was a great ally, but she wasn''t sure if their rtionship was strong enough for this.
She took a sip of her bitter iced coffee. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to be honest. No matter what Hugh decided, she felt it was necessary to trust him and share her reasoning.
"My dad still holds onto my mom''s unfinished porcin. It might be herst work, and I don''t want it falling into the hands of some unknown collector.
"So, I promised my dad I''d secure a share of a Larson Group project through you. I know it''s a lot to ask, but if the Jansen Group can''t handle it, I''ll have Amber Group take over."
She didn''t want Hugh''s projects to fail on her watch. That was why she kept reassuring him that Amber Group would back it up.
Hugh remained silent.
And as the silence stretched, her voice began to trail off.
Just before it grew awkward, she suddenly added, "If this puts you in a difficult
position, I can go through public bidding under Amber Group instead..."
Hugh suddenly raised his gaze and cut her off coldly, "You seem to be misunderstanding something."
Serena froze. "Misunderstanding?"
"We''re allies. Moreover, you''re my wife in name and member of the Larson family. Asking for a portion of the projects from your own family isn''t something you need to hesitate about."
As he spoke, he tapped his fingers against the table.
The cafe downstairs of the Larson Group had served Hugh many times before.
A staff member approached naturally. With just a nce from Hugh, he swapped out Serena''s bitter coffee for atte and some cookies. It was Serena''s preferred afternoon snack.
Serena was caught off guard. She didn''t know whether to be impressed that Hugh remembered her taste or surprised by his earlierment.
They were allies and married in names. But could she really be considered a member of the Larson family?
She''d always thought it was just a convenient excuse for their alliance. She hadn''t seen it as a power to im anything.
She didn''t know how to respond.
Hugh continued, "However, I do have doubts about the Jansen Group''s ability and qualifications. If you want
these projects, I''d prefer Aino
Group handle them directly.
how much of the return you let your parentpany have, that''s up to you."
With that, he told Chandler to bring over the project files.
By the time Chandler rushed in with a stack of documents, Serena finally found her voice.
"All of them?"
"Yes." Hugh nodded slightly, motioning for Chandler toy out the documents.
"Most people only heard rumors
about these. They haven''t been
publicly announced. If Amber Group wants to take them, I''ll give you all of
them. It could save us the trouble of handing them out one by one and working overtime."
As he finished, Hugh gave Chandler a look.
Chandler caught on instantly and chimed in, "Yes. Ms. Jansen, you have no idea how busy things have beentely. Mr. Larson has beening home at dawn for the past few days. It''s been tough on him.
"These projects were delegated out precisely because we couldn''t handle them all. If you take them on, Mr. Larson might finally get a good night''s sleep."
As the CEO of the Larson Group, Hugh probably wasn''t personally grinding over small projects. However, Chandler knew his feelings for Serena. He had no problem
adding a bit of ir to tug at
at
her
heartstrings and to make it easier
for her to ept the projects without any guilt.