?Chapter 323:


    Ah. There it was. She’d figured he had an ulterior motive. And clearly, she’d been right.


    Ste swallowed her food, thenzily nced over. “So… this trip’s suddenly a business assignment?”


    William nodded like it was no big deal. “You could say that.”


    “Uh-huh. And I assume business tripse with perks, right? ‘Cause if I’m footing my own bill, I might not be all that motivated to sacrifice myself for the greater good of thepany,” she said, eyes locked on his, her expression pure mischief.


    William felt his heart stutter. This woman was impossible. But he lowered his gaze and said quietly, “I’ll give you a card. Use it for anything you need while you’re there.”


    That got her attention. “Mr. Briggs,” she grinned, “you’re so generous.”


    William chuckled under his breath.


    She only ever called him generous when money was involved—either he handed over a card, or made a transfer. Did she think he was stingy the rest of the time?


    He thought about asking, but figured he probably didn’t want to hear the answer. So instead, he just kept eating.


    The next day, Ste packed her bags and caught a high-speed train to Wredo with Elbert and Sandra.


    The trip was short—under three hours. Way cheaper than flying, too.


    Ste wasn’t fussy. Train, ne, even a bus—whatever got her there worked fine.


    By the time they reached Wredo, they were all a little worn out.


    They grabbed a cab to the hotel, with Sandra practically melting into the backseat from exhaustion.


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    “Sylvia,” she sighed, “let’s crash in the rooms first. We can grab dinnerter.”


    Ste nodded in agreement, feeling a bit tired herself.


    At the front desk, they handed over their IDs.


    “Good afternoon,” the receptionist greeted with a smile. “You’ve booked three rooms. We’ll just need a deposit—half the total. It’ll be refunded when you check out.”


    Ste pulled out her phone, getting ready to pay.


    Just then, the elevator doors opened, and out stepped Marc and Doreen, hand-in-hand, looking like a couple straight out of a magazine.


    Marc was mid-sentence when he spotted Ste. He froze, then, without thinking, let go of Doreen’s hand. Awkward.


    Doreen’s hand dropped stiffly to her side, her face clearly ticked off.


    Marc nced at the IDs in Ste’s hand, then looked around at the others. It clicked—they were checking in.


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