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After leaving Victor Quinn’s ce, Xylia made her way to several morepanies, paying each a visit in turn.
She repeated the same strategy and used the exact same pitch to end their partnerships, just as she’d done
before.
‘So they think they can flex their authority? Lucky for me, I’ve got some pull of my own now! Xylia mused.
If they’re going after my boyfriend, then it’s only fair I hit them right back, she decided.
After taking care of her business, Xylia picked up some takeout from a nearby restaurant and headed straight towards Garcia Group.
Today, instead of using the executive elevator reserved for Joshua, Xylia chose to ride the one meant for employees.
Standing quietly in the corner, she caught snippets of a few Garcia Group employees whispering amongst themselves.
“Ford Group used to be nowhere near our level. Seriously, what’s gotten into Mr. Fordtely? He’s telling everyone in the business to cut us off,” one employee whispered.
“For real! He used to chase after our CEO for a partnership, and now he’s suddenly ying hardball and wants. to go head–to–head,” another added.
“Honestly, I didn’t think it was a huge deal, but the CEO totally snapped over this yesterday. Our manager’s been on edge ever since, and several contracts have already fallen through. The tension in the department is unreal,” a third chimed in.
“Guess we just gottay low at work and hope thepany can hold on. I really don’t wanna have to start job hunting, someone else muttered.
‘Wow, these Garcia Group employees are really glued to thepany, Xylia thought, a little amused by how attached everyone seemed.
When the elevator finally stopped at the top floor, Xylia stepped off, unfazed, and strolled straight toward Joshua’s office.
When she walked in, she found Joshua sitting at his desk, totally lost in his own gaming world instead of doing any real work.
Xylia stood in the doorway, hearing the sounds of battle–gunshots firing, music ring with adrenaline- and seriously wondered if she was dreaming.
‘Shouldn’t Joshua be freaking out right now? Thepany’s totally under fire, she thought, still in disbelief.
She stared at the guy at the desk, gaming away like a little kid, grinning like he just beat the final boss. ‘Who is this person, really?‘ she wondered.
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As soon as Joshua saw Xylia walk in, he instantly closed out of his game–didn’t even blink at his teammates getting left behind–and hurried over.
“You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting ages for you,” Joshua said, grinning from ear to ear.
He took the takeout from Xylia’s hands, wrapped her into a hug, and buried his face in her neck, breathing her in deep. Looking thoroughly satisfied, he gently took her by the hand and led her to the couch.
“What are you up to?” Xylia asked, even though she could already guess the answer.
I mean, I totally saw him gaming, but I just couldn’t help myself from asking. Xylia thought, a bit amused by her own question.
“Just ying games. I’ve had some free time today, and my old squad messaged me to team up. Couldn’t resist jumping in for a couple of rounds,” Joshua answered with a careless grin, clearly not bothered at all.
Free time? Xylia echoed in her head, skepticism written all over her face.
Is now really the time to be goofing off?‘ she wondered, unable to believe Joshua could be so rxed.
Xylia fixed her gaze on Joshua, scanning his face for any trace of anxiety–anything <i>to </i>show he was even a little worried.
But Joshua’s eyes were crinkled withughter, not a hint of stress or exhaustion over thepany’s mess to be found.
“Are you… really all right?” Xylia asked, unable to hide her worry as she watched Joshua closely.
“Me? What could possibly be wrong?” Joshua said,ying out the dishes Xylia brought and handing her some chopsticks. Only then did he finally look at her, a rxed smile on his face. “If you’re worried about me being drunkst night, I’m perfectly fine now.”
“What about thepany, though? I heard Connor’s been spouting crap, telling everyone in the industry not to work with you guys,” Xylia said, her voice already tinged with anger.
Just thinking about Connor really pissed her off.
That guy is like super glue–no matter what you do, you just can’t shake him off, Xylia fumed to herself.
If he’s not clinging to me, he’s finding new ways to mess with Joshua‘
I seriously want to p that annoying face of his, just to see if he even has the decency to blush, she muttered
under her breath.
When Joshua heard Xylia’s words, he chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. “Took her long enough to finally ask, he thought.
‘About time she brought it up, Joshua mused.
“There’s really nothing to worry about with thepany. Connor doesn’t have what it takes to actually harm Garcia Group,” Joshua said, sounding totally at ease.
<b>Wed</b>, <b>Oct </b><fnba0d> Readplete version only at F?ndNovel</fnba0d>
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But Xylia’s worry didn’t fade.
She took the chopsticks Joshua handed her, absently picked at her food, then spoke up again.
“What about Richard? One moment, he’s just another guy working one floor up from us; the next, he’s sitting among the Prairie Rose higher–ups. I’m telling you, he’s definitely got more going on than he wants people to see,” Xylia said, her tone heavy with suspicion.
“You said you two don’t get along. If he decides to stir up trouble while Connor is alreadying after you, you’d be getting hit from all sides,” Xylia continued, her concern deepening.
Joshua stilled for a second, his hand hovering, a flicker of caution in his eyes. “Do you actually know who Richard is?”
Xylia shook her head. “I’m just guessing.”
When she first met Richard, he was the general manager of thepany right upstairs from her studio. He’d even helped her out a few times, so she didn’t really have any bad feelings toward him at first.
But then, when he turned up in Jupiton as the head of Prairie Rose, Xylia immediately sensed something fishy going on.
‘This guy has way too many identities, and none of them are small–time,‘ she thought, the suspicion swirling stronger now.
With his whole rivalry with Joshua, Xylia started to suspect Richard got close to her on purpose. ‘Maybe his “manager” gig in Norhill was fake the whole time,‘ she mused.
Or maybe it was all legit, and thepany right upstairs from her studio really did belong to Richard.
Richard was shady as hell–Xylia could sense there was serious danger lurking behind that guy.
Joshua, on the other hand, didn’t seem the least bit concerned.
Still, seeing that Xylia was already wary of Richard made Joshua feel honestly pleased with her. ‘Finally, she’s starting to sense who she shouldn’t trust,’ he thought, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
He gently pinched Xylia’s cheek and said, “You really don’t need to stress. I’ve got this handled. Richard’s trying to y me using Connor, but I’m just rolling with it, biding my time until I can kick Richard out of Alvend–once and for all.”
His jet–ck eyes shed with an icy, ruthless edge.
That ambitious, devil–may–care Joshua she remembered suddenly came back to life, ready to face anything
head–on.
Xylia finally understood–Joshua wasn’t just aware of everything going on, he’d already mapped out <b>exactly </b>
how to deal with it all.
Suddenly, Xylia turned to him, blurting out, “Hold up, did you get drunk on purposest night?”
<b>9:11 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
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‘Did he really pretend to be weak in front of those jerks, putting on a show like <b>Garcia </b>Group <b>was </b>under so much <b>pressure </b>that even he had to go out and drink just to keep them happy?‘ Xylia wondered, <b>suspicion </b>flickering in her eyes.
Joshua nodded, confirming her suspicions.
Xylia practically exploded. “Why didn’t you tell me?! I was convinced those jerks bullied you, so I went out and got revenge for you!”
Xylia gave Joshua’s arm a little smack, obviously annoyed.
Joshua just grinned, looking way too smug. “I mean, didn’t I get totally wastedst night? I <b>was </b>gonna tell you, but you bolted out of here so fast this morning, I couldn’t squeeze it in.”
“You totally did that on purpose!” Xylia snapped, refusing to fall for Joshua’sme excuses.
She wasn’t buying it–he’d obviously sobered upst night and had plenty of chances to tell her, but kept quiet just so he could watch her run around all anxious.
Seriously, he’d been enjoying every second of her freaking out over nothing.
He was having way too much fun watching her sweat; if she hadn’t confronted him just now, he wouldn’t have spilled a thing.
Bet if she hadn’t grilled him, Joshua would’ve happily kept her in the dark forever.
Xylia shot Joshua a death re, barely holding back the urge to strangle him.
But Joshua just tugged her into his arms, softly coaxing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I saw you were really upsetst night, so I didn’t say anything.”
“You knew I was mad and you still didn’t tell me? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?” Xylia snapped at him, totally exasperated.
Without hesitation, she leaned in and sank her teeth into his shoulder.
Joshua just grunted, but didn’t even try to stop her.
“I know, I know, my bad,” he said softly, trying to coax her.
Seeing Xylia’s eyes fill with tears, Joshua felt a sharp pang in his chest. He just couldn’t take seeing her all upset<b>, </b>so he quickly switched gears and changed the subject.
“So, you said you went out and got revenge for me today… What kind of mischief did you get up to?” Joshua asked, smirking and shooting her a yful wink.
Just as Joshua finished speaking and before Xylia could reply, his phone suddenly rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
He paused for a moment, then decided to pick up.
9:11 Wed, Oct 1
He kept Xylia cuddled in his <b>arms</b>, not letting her go as he answered the call
As soon as the call connected, Victor Quinn’s voice came through–he didn’t waste any time.
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“Mr. Garcia, I’m calling to apologize for what happenedst night, Victor said, sounding genuinely serious