Gwh didn''t suspect anything and got out of the car, heading straight into thepany building.
Hawthorne waited until she disappeared from sight before leisurely returning Patti Yale''s call.
"Hawthorne, I called you earlier-why didn''t you pick up? Were you at work? Have you been busytely? I tried reaching you all night yesterday and couldn''t get through."
Patti had gone on a shopping spree, loading up on designer handbags, clothes, and shoes. While treating herself, she''d swiped Hawthorne''s card for about ten dors and picked up a suit for him as well.
The total haul came to over thirty thousand dors, and the suit bore a ringly obvious luxurybel.
At first, Patti had wanted to get him a suit worth over a hundred thousand, but then she remembered this two million dor card was basically her "allowance" from Hawthorne.
Once the money was spent, that was it gone for good. She felt a twinge of reluctance. But a thirty-thousand-dor suit was still designer, and it''s not like only a six-figure price tag could show her appreciation.
She never would''ve imagined that, just a few years after she left, Hawthorne would be the richest man in Greenvale. Back when he was down on his luck, he''d worn cheap street-market clothes that didn''t even cost fifty bucks. Thirty grand was more than generous.
With that thought, Patti feltpletely justified.
"Business dinner," Hawthorne replied, his voice t.
Patti hesitated, wanting to ask about the rumors she''d heard of his marriage, but it felt too blunt.
"Oh... So you can''t spend the night with me? Is it inconvenient?" Her tone was testing, but she held back the real question. If she confronted him directly about being married, she''d officially be "the other woman." But if she pretended not to know and kept seeing him—maybe even tried to win him over from his wife— then even if she managed to take that spot, people wouldn''t gossip as much.
If Hawthorne truly liked her, he''d take care of everything—including his wife.
"Yes."
His straightforward answer left Patti at a loss for words.
After a moment''s awkward silence, she said, "It''s nothing, really. If you''re busy, don''t worry about it. I heard yourpany''s hosting an art and antiques exhibition soon-I''d like to see it."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Hawthorne''s eyes.
"Go on thest day. Everything will be on disy then. Some items are still in
transit, so the first couple of days won''t beplete."
With his permission, Patti could hardly contain her excitement.
.n
Her real goal this time was to gather information about The Everhart Group''s cultural heritage dealings, and she was sure this exhibitwould be rewarding.
"No wonder you''ve been
busy-caught up with the exhibition, right? I won''t bother you then. But I''ve been abroad for years and hardly know anyone here now."
Hawthorne, if you have t
keep mepany, will you? It''s so lonely living here alone."
She''d bought an array of sultry lingerie, certain she''d have a chance to put it to
use soon.
If she could manage to get pregnant before Hawthorne''s rumored wife even had her wedding, wouldn''t that give her the upper hand?
There was a pause on Hawthorne''s end. Patti could hear him talking to someone
in the background, so she waited, patience wearing thin.
"If you''re bored, go shopping. I have to get back to work."
He hung up, habitually slipping a cigarette between his lips.
"Mr. Everhart, Miss Yale has an appointment with James Mercer tomorrow
morning," his assistant reported.
Hawthorne exhaled a smoke ring toward the ceiling.
"Where?"
"The Victoria Hotel."
Ha-
He pinched the cigarette between his fingers, his expression cold and indifferent.
James Mercer was really pulling out
all the stops to get his hands on
Hawthorne''s trade secrets-digging tead, even dragging Patti
up every
Yale back from overseas. Hawthorne had to admit, the man was resourceful.