“It doesn’t look good,” Ethan said. “Uncle has called in specialists from all over the city for a consult. We won’t know more until tomorrow.”
“That serious?” Alfred sounded surprised. Wasn’t it just a bad case of food poisoning?
As the two talked beside her, Arabella kept her head down, quietly eating her meal as if it were none of her concern.
“Mom, Dad, I think I’ll go up to my room,” Naomi said, feeling like every moment spent there was agonizing. All she wanted was to escape to the privacy of her own space.
“You’ve had a long day too, sweetheart. Go get some rest,” Florence said, giving Naomi’s hand a gentle pat.
Naomi turned and made her way upstairs.
“Mom, Dad, you two must be tired as well. Why don’t you head up? We’ll finish here and then turn in,” Arabella suggested.
“Alright, dear,” Florence agreed.
“Everyone, try to get to bed at a reasonable hour,” Jonathan reminded them. “Who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
“We will,” they replied in unison before returning to their meals.
Jonathan and Florence headed upstairs.
“Ethan, the bid proposal is pretty much finalized. I don’t have much else scheduled, so I’ll go over to the company tomorrow,” Arabella said.
“Okay. Want to ride together?” Ethan offered.
Arabella shook her head. “No, I’ll stop by the hospital first, then head to the office.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you at the company, then,” Ethan agreed.
“You two, hurry up and finish so you can rest. Work can always wait until tomorrow,” Alfred said with a light laugh.
“Alfred, I-” Arabella began, but Alfred’s phone rang, cutting her off.
“Hello?”
“Understood.”
“I’m on my way back to report now!”
After hanging up, Alfred’s expression turned serious. “It’s a work call. I have to leave immediately. Let Mom and Dad know for me
tomorrow.”
With that, Alfred quickly gathered his belongings and hurried out of the house.
Arabella was almost too slow to react–Alfred was already out the door.
Shaking her head with a wry smile, Arabella said, “Ethan, I think I suddenly understand why Alfred was so insistent we eat quickly.
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Must be a professional habit–always having to drop everything and deploy, even in the middle of dinner.”
“He does this all the time. Don’t take it personally,” Ethan reassured her.
Arabella shook her head. “It’s not that. I just feel a little sorry for him.”
“He loves what he does,” Ethan said calmly.
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Arabella nodded in agreement. “True. When you’re passionate about your work, those kinds of sacrifices don’t feel so significant.”
Ethan looked at Arabella, a soft smile touching his lips, his eyes warm.
After dinner, the two went upstairs.
Arabella washed up quickly and settled at her desk. She opened her laptop and sent a message to Colton, “Expect some invitations over the next few days. Don’t respond to any of them.”
‘Got it,” Colton replied promptly.
A faint, cool smile touched Arabella’s lips. Ruby, how does it feel to reap what you’ve sown?
The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze stirred the air.
Arabella had just stepped out of Cloudrise Manor when her phone rang. It was Matthew.
‘Go with you to discuss a project?” Arabella was surprised.
‘It concerns the pharmaceutical company,” Matthew replied, his tone matter–of–fact.
Arabella frowned. “Can it be later? I have other plans this morning.”
“He has a caregiver with him. He’s not going to die,” Matthew said, sounding slightly annoyed.
Arabella hesitated. It wasn’t about Lucas being in mortal danger–it was that she had promised to visit him.
“This is the only window we have. Mr. Lynn is leaving the city tomorrow,” Matthew added.
Hearing that, Arabella gritted her teeth. “Fine.”
Hanging up, she had no choice but to call Lucas. “Something urgent came up. I’ll come by this afternoon instead.”
“No problem at all. I’ll be here,” Lucas answered gently.
“Alright. Talk later,” Arabella said, ending the call.
Taking a deep breath, she got into her car and pulled away from the manor “That tyrant,” she muttered under her breath, pressing down on the accelerator. “Couldn’t have mentioned the client’s schedule sooner! Had to squeeze it in like this,”
She made it to the downtown hotel in record time and found the designated business suite.
Matthew was already there, in conversation with a foreign man.
“Hello,” Arabella said, greeting him.
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“Oh, what a lovely surprise–it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Terry Lynn replied, his accent thick, and held out his arms as if to offer a
hug.
Matthew smoothly pulled Arabella back a step, positioning himself slightly in front of her. “Let’s sit down and get started,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Terry stood with his arms still half–open, shrugged in amused confusion, and then let them drop to his sides. “Mr. Stewart, is this your girlfriend?” Terry asked.
“Business associate,” Matthew stated flatly.
Terry raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eye. “A very special kind of associate, I see.”
“If you’re not interested in conducting business, you’re welcome to leave,” Matthew replied, his impatience barely veiled.
Terry immediately held up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. Business associate it is.”
The atmosphere shifted into a serious, professional mode. The discussion was direct, and they reached a mutual agreement with surprising efficiency.
Even as the contracts were being signed, Arabella felt a flicker of bewilderment. Couldn’t this have been finalized without me here?
After the documents were exchanged and Terry had said his goodbyes, Arabella finally turned to Matthew, unable to hold back any longer. “Mr. Stewart, was my presence actually a necessary component for closing that deal?”
It had been perfectly clear to her–Matthew had steered the entire conversation, and Terry had simply followed his lead.