ter 100 Petty
Chapter 100 Petty
“No way! You’re my boss now,” Noah said cheerfully as he refilled my cup of tea.
I took a small sip and smiled. “Well then, here’s to a sessful partnership.”
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Noah’s eyes crinkled with delight, his whole face glowing red with excitement as he looked at <ol><li>me. </li></ol>
We’d finished discussing business when I pretended to just notice Shawn sitting nearby. I turned to him and asked, “Honey, are you done with lunch with Ms. Tackman? Want to join us for a little more?”
Shawn didn’t look too happy. His voice dropped low and cool. “No<i>, </i>I’m good. You all enjoy.”
Then he turned and walked off. Queena quickly leaned over to Noah and whispered, “Take good care of Mrs. Hartwell, alright? Don’t let anything go wrong.”
Noah lit up, practically buzzing with enthusiasm. “Don’t worry! Mrs. Hartwell’s like a goddess to me right now. I’ll take good care of her.”
I didn’t let Shawn’s sour mood ruin mine. I just stayed and ate with Noah and the rest. Honestly, I used to find social dinners like this a bore–too many games, too much small talk. But once you be the one calling the shots at the table, the whole dynamic changes. Suddenly, those games be tools you control. And it’s not boring at all.
I didn’t drink because I was driving, and no one dared try to push a drink on me anyway. I just sat back, listening to the men boast about their ability and jokes. Surprisingly, I was in a pretty good mood.
Later that afternoon, just as I was about to sign the contract with Noah, I got a call from headquarters. They’d already finalized a deal with a new supplier–very politely noting that it was Shawn’s decision.
My hand froze mid–signature. <b>Noah</b>, who’d been watching me anxiously to sign, noticed the change in my expression as I put the phone down. His face fell immediately.
“I’m truly sorry, Mr. Lawrence,” I said with genuine regret. “The head office already locked in a new supplier. They’ve finalized everything.”
“What do you mean?” Noah’s eyes widened.
I leaned back in my chair, keeping my voice calm andposed. “It means we can’t work together this time. Maybe next round.”
Chapter 100 Petty
Noah quickly tried to exin. “But Queena’s the vice president, and she’s
my cousin.”
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“Oh, well, maybe she’s not the one making the final call,” I said, my smile just a touch cunning. “I actually liked working with you, Mr. Lawrence. You’re straightforward. But perhaps you should ask your cousin where things went wrong.”
Noah rushed out to make a call.
I toyed with the pen in my hand, the corners of my lips lifting in a knowing smile. Shawn, that control freak, was messing around behind my back again.
<i>Tsk</i>. <i>Men </i><i>can </i><i>be </i><i>petty</i><i>. </i><i>He </i><i>may </i><i>enjoy </i>candlelit <i>dinners </i><i>with </i>other women, <i>which </i><i>is </i><i>fine</i>, <i>but </i><i>when </i>I <i>engage </i><i>in </i><i>a </i><i>business </i><i>conversation </i>with another <i>man</i>, he bes <i>agitated </i>and <i>sabotages </i><i>the </i><i>deal</i><i>. </i>
<i>Now </i><i>that </i><i>I </i><i>understand </i><i>the </i><i>rules </i><i>of </i><i>the </i><i>game</i><i>, </i><i>I’ve </i><i>earned </i>a ce <i>at </i>the <i>table</i>.
In my past life, I thought taking care of the family and being a good wife was enough–that my husband would see my efforts and appreciate them. I thought being the perfect homemaker made me irreceable.
But the truth is, the only future you can truly hold onto is the one you build with your own two hands.
Trusting your fate to someone else? That’s the real mistake.
Chasing shadows, clinging to illusions, in the end, only when you be a spectator of life can you finally understand the rules of this game–and how to y it to win.
By the time I got home that evening, Shawn was already back. He was sitting in the living room, helping Yuna with her homework.
She was working on an essay in Enrian, describing her family members.
As I stepped in, I heard Shawn speaking in that deep, low voice of his, guiding Yuna through the sentences. Her Enrian was getting impressively fluent. But then she turned to me with a cheeky little grin and said–in perfect Enrian-“My mom has a bad temper. She’s strict most of the time. And she spends a lot of money on her appearance.”
Shawn nced up at me and casually reached over to ruffle Yuna’s hair. Was that supposed to be encouragement or a reward? Did he think she got my personality right?
They both thought I didn’t understand thenguage well enough to catch what they were saying.
8:14 Wed, <b>Sep </b>10
Chapter 100 Petty
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Buttely, I’ve been working hard on it. My Enrian wasn’t that bad to begin with. Their little scheme? Yeah, I saw right through it.
Yuna seized the chance before I headed upstairs to say–again in Enrian-“My mom’s obsessed with worktely. She’s been ignoring me. I wish she’d give me all of her love.”
She was speaking while recording the sentence–her writing skills hadn’t quite caught up yet.
I turned to look at the father–daughter duo. Shawn met my gaze, those dark eyes of his flickering with something I couldn’t quite ce.
“Yuná, record that part for now. I’ll check itter,” Shawn said as I climbed the stairs. He followed me up soon after.
Once I was back in my room, I realized I had about 30 minutes before dinner. I decided to squeeze in a workout.
Today was strength training—gotta keep those facial muscles firm and gravity <i>at </i><i>bay</i>.
I changed into a light workout outfit and headed downstairs to the home studio.
But just as I reached the door, Shawn stepped in front of me and raised an arm to block my
way.