Chapter 18
“Alright. I got it. If they won’t keep their word, then forget that plot of land. And tell them not to come crawling back to us for business, Isabel snapped before hanging up.
Veronica looked up from the papers. “Did something go wrong?”
“Yeah,” Isabel sighed. She went on to briefly explain how a piece of land they had been eyeing got snatched up at the last minute. Veronica frowned slightly as she picked out a few key terms from Isabel’s words.
The ones who cut in on the Gorman family’s deal were the Harrington family from Northvare back in their home country.
21 3 2 3 6 3 1% % * F
Veronica thought, The Harrington family! Raymond?”
Isabel said. “Seriously, what is wrong with Raymond? The market back home is already huge enough for him to make a fortune, so why’s he still greedy enough to stick his hands into Oakrella? Can’t he leave us smaller families a way to survive?”
Veronica didn’t know what to say. She thought, “Well, there goes the guessing. It really is Raymond‘
Thinking about those random people he had sent to work for her for no reason. Veronica started to get a headache. She had a feeling there would be a lot more trouble coming her way.
The RV dropped Veronica off at the hotel, and Isabel left to take care of some business, Veronica soaked in a hot bath, then went to sleep to fight off the jet lag.
Meanwhile, in the presidential suite conference room on the top floor of the same hotel, Raymond was in the middle of a video meeting. The phone on the table buzzed. He glanced at the screen, paused the meeting, and answered, “What is it?”
Alicia said, “Mr. Harrington, Ms. Weston is missing.”
On the other end of the line, Alicia gave him every detail she had uncovered. She told him what had happened to Veronica at Weston Villa and that Veronica had bought a ticket to Vellas.
Raymond’s first thought was that Veronica had been bullied, and she flew here to complain to him about it
I got it. I’ll have someone look into it.” He hung up and immediately gave the order.
The person in charge moved fast. Just as Raymond finished his video meeting, the subordinate had already tracked down Veronica’s whereabouts.
“She’s downstairs?” Raymond listened to the report, his frown deepening. He thought, “Why is Veronica downstairs and not coming up to see me? Did something really bad happen to her
If Veronica, still deep asleep, knew Raymond had spun up an entire drama in his head, she would’ve handed him an Oscar for Best Imaginary Screenplay on the spot. Unfortunately, she had no idea and kept sleeping until Isabel called to invite her to dinner,
The doorbell rang. Veronica, brushing her teeth, walked over and looked through the peephole. She choked on a mouthful of foam in shock when she saw who it was. “Raymond?” she muttered.
She thought, “What is he doing at my door? Veronica frowned, wiped her mouth, and opened the door. “Ray-
“Why didn’t you tell me you got bullied? Raymond asked in a cold voice. Veronica looked up and batted her eyes, confused.
T
Raymond walked in without waiting for a response. He glanced around the small room Veronica was staying in and frowned. “This place
tiny. How are you supposed to live here? Move upstairs.
Veronica was still puzzled. She hadn’t said a word. Raymond turned around to look at her and saw the dazed expression on her face, like she hadn’t fully woken up
“What’s wrong? Still sleepy? That was when he noticed the wrinkled nightgown she was wearing, her messy long hair, the toothbrush in her hand, and a faint trace of foam at the corner of her mouth. She really didn’t look her best.
The way she looked now reminded Raymond of the cat he had when he was a kid-dopey, soft, and so adorable that it gave him a rush of cute aggression.
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6:40 PM P P.
Chapter 18
He walked over to her and by the time he realized what he was doing, his fingertip had already brushed the corner of Veronica’s mouth. She was instantly stunned.
Just then, a voice came from behind her. “Ronie, are you-
