Seeing the eager hope in her eyes, Matthew’s gaze softened almost imperceptibly, and he gave a slight nod. “Yes.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stewart. I was really stuck on this–you’ve solved a major headache for me.” Instantly, all the irritation she’d felt from being hustled out earlier completely melted away.
So, Matthew wasn’t just a slave driver–he actually came through when it counted!
Feeling much better, Arabella’s smile became genuine and bright, and her tone toward Matthew warmed considerably. In turn, Matthew’s own demeanor relaxed without him even realizing it.
“For Clause 4 in Section 3 here, I think it could use a bit more elaboration.”
“Which part exactly?”
“Right here.”
When Matthew saw she hadn’t found the spot, he stood and walked around to her side of the desk. He turned to the next page of the proposal and pointed.
“Oh, there. I actually considered that while drafting. What do you think needs adding?”
“The market segment you’re targeting is substantial. My suggestion is to focus on one specific niche first. Once we’ve secured a stronghold there, we can scale up gradually…”
Arabella nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. Our company has the capacity, but R&D is still catching up. Once the new lab is operational, expanding into adjacent markets would be a more sustainable strategy.”
As they discussed, they found their business thinking was surprisingly aligned.
“I’ll make those edits now.”
While Arabella worked, Matthew sat quietly nearby, waiting and watching her.
“Okay, done. How does that look?”
Not noticing how close Matthew was sitting, Arabella turned her head and found herself meeting his gaze directly. They were 40 near she could almost feel the warmth of his breath.
Arabella froze for a second, flustered, and quickly stood to step back. But her heel caught on the leg of the desk, throwing her off balance. She stumbled backward, bracing for a fall
“Oh!”
“Careful!”
Instinctively, Matthew stood in one swift motion, his long arm reaching out to catch her, pulling her securely against him.
A light, fresh scent–her scent–wafted toward him, and for a moment, Matthew’s mind went blank.
Arabella had already squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the hard floor, only to collide with a firm, solid chest instead
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Chapter 306 Finalizing Plans
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When she opened her eyes and saw it was Matthew, she was momentarily stunned, unable to process what had happened.
Their eyes locked, and for a heartbeat, time seemed to stand still.
“Matthew, you rascal…” The office door opened, and Robert walked in, pausing at the sight before him. Surprise, then a knowing, apologetic smile spread across his face. “Oh my, my timing is truly terrible. Please, don’t mind me–carry on!”
With that, he backed out and gently closed the door.
It all happened so fast that Arabella’s mind was still catching up, utterly blank.
Matthew felt a rare flicker of awkwardness himself and took a step back to explain, “My grandfather is here.”
“Mhmm.” Arabella was equally embarrassed. Why did Robert have to walk in right then?
“I’ll go see.” Matthew turned and strode over to open the office door.
Arabella took a deep breath, trying hard to compose herself and not look completely flustered.
“Grandfather, what brings you by?” Matthew asked.
“I really did choose the worst possible moment,” Robert chuckled, a playful glint in his eye. “It’s nothing important. I’ll be on my way. Wouldn’t want to interrupt you two.”
With that, he gave Matthew a light nudge back into the office and shut the door again.
Arabella’s lips twitched slightly. Oh no, this misunderstanding is just getting deeper.
“Robert!” Feeling helpless, Arabella raised her voice to call him back. She couldn’t let him leave with that idea–it would be even harder to clarify later.
Naturally, Matthew felt the same. He opened the door again. “Grandfather, just come in.”
Robert pretended to hesitate. “So… it’s alright if I come in now?”
Letting out a resigned sigh, Matthew rubbed his temples. “Alternatively, we could step outside to talk.”
Hearing that, Robert finally walked into the office.
As soon as he entered, his eyes landed on Arabella, and another warm, grandfatherly smile spread across his face.
“Dr. Hamilton, I really have terrible timing. My apologies,” Robert said, though his tone was anything but apologetic.
Arabella couldn’t help the slight chill that ran down her spine at that smile. She forced herself to explain, “It’s not what it looked like, Robert. I lost my balance, and Mr. Stewart caught me.”
“Mhmm, catching is good! More catching, more catching.” Robert nodded approvingly You can explain all you want, but i believe
what I saw.
Arabella was left speechless and could only shoot a glance at Matthew.
Matthew was equally exasperated. “Grandfather, what do you mean ‘more catching‘? Do you want her to get hurt?”
often. It’s a good thing. Robert looked at his grandson meaningfully. “I mean catching her like that could happen more often. It’s a good thing
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Chapter 306 Finalizing Plans
Arabella felt her energy drain. Well, there was clearly no clearing this up.
“Grandfather, why did you come?” Since explanations were futile, Matthew changed the subject.
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“Can’t I just drop by to see my grandson without a reason?” Robert grumbled playfully. “Or are you saying I ruined the moment? I didn’t mean to, you know.”
“Let me have the driver take you home,” Matthew said, deciding it was best to escort him out now.
Robert waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t trouble yourself over me. I’ll manage. Alright, I’m off.”
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