Chapter 7
<b>Valerie </b>raised an eyebrow. “Don’t sweat in if you can’t pay me back. 111 just shoot the breeze with Mr. Hart.”
Habel panicked. Dn had looked <b>like </b>he wanted to chew her out earlier, it was the first time she’d seen him blow up at her, and she <b>was </b>clueless about what Valerie had pulled! You just you wait!” Isabel stormed out, mming the door behind her.
Katherine burst intoughter, <b>“</b>Valerie, did you see her? She was so pissed, her nostrils went all wonky! But seriously, I always thought <b>you </b>were this gentle pushover. I had no clur you could be such a badass. Spill it, how did you manage to get Mr. Hart and Isabel to back off? Did you actually hit sp Mr. Moreno!”
Valerie shook her head. “Like <b>I </b>said, hitting up Mr. Moreno was a dead end.”
Arcton Cars had been swallowed up by Noria Group,
cup, and its general manager was just a figurehead, practically retired, just sitting around sipping tea from a thermos. So, she bypassed him, found the personal email of Noria Group’s CEO on the intr, and fired off aint. Since <b>Dn</b>
their guy, it was their mess to clean up.
I’ve never met Mr. Grant of Noria Group, but I’ve seen his interviews in the financial papers. The dude once worked entry–level to get the real scoop on his employees‘ lives, so I thought Id give it a shot and drop <b>him </b>a line.
Katherine <b>was </b>amazed.”
<ol>
<li>ed. “Wow, so that legendary Grant <b>sounds </b>like <b>one </b>of the <b>good </b>ones, huh? All clear<b>–</b>cut and principled”</li>
</ol>
<b>Valerie </b>smirked <b>slightly</b>. “Not really, Mr. Hart maddles work with personal <b>crap</b>, but all Mr. Grant did was make him return the project to me; no other p on the wrist. Seems like Mr. Grant doesn’t see it <b>as </b><b>a </b>big <b>deal</b>. You know what they <b>say</b>, “A fish <b>rots </b><b>from </b>the head down. Mr. Grant might not be as ster as he appears.”
And today, while it seemed like Valerie won, she had totally alienated Dn. He seemed to cave, but <b>who </b>knew what kind of sneaky <b>shit </b>he could pull behind the scenes. Valerie was here to make bank, not <b>to </b>y office politics. Plus, with her baby on the way, she wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer.
Looks like it’s time to think about a way out Damn, this job <b>sucks</b>! Valerie thought despairingly
A few <b>days </b>earlier, Matthew, the new CEO of Grant Group, had wrapped up several days of factory inspections and orchestrated <b>a </b>shareholder meeting to chart out this quarter’s <b>business </b>strategy. Dead tired, he got hit with a bizarreint letter.
<b>“</b>Valerie Warren…” Matthew nced at the signature, the name ringing a faint bell. He remembered Dn, a subordinate under his uncle.
In <b>his </b>office, the Hit manager, visibly shaking and dry–mouthed, ventured, “Mr. Grant, how do you intend to handle this Dn Hart situation?”
As soon as he spoke, the room’s atmosphere plummeted. The manager mentally kicked <b>himself </b>for hisck of tact,
“Don’t worry. I’ll chew out Mr. Hart right now and make sure he reverses the performance metrics, the manager said, bolting like <b>there </b>were demons on has heels
Matthew frowned, musing. Dn was already demoted <b>for </b>screwing up, and still, he hasn’t straightened out. Just a scolding is letting him off easy. But he <b>is </b>my uncle’s <b>guy</b>; I might as well wait until the old man retires to handle le
But then again, is my face really that <b>scary</b>! Matthew wondered, recalling the HR manager’s terror–stricken face.
Just then, his assistant Charles Hudson walked in and nced at him, asking. “Mr. Grant, who pissed you off?*
Matthew shot high a re<b>.</b>
Caught off guard, Charles stammered an apology. “No offense, Mr. Grant, but you gotta admit, your face doesn’t exactly scream warm and fuzzy”Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.
“Get to the point or get the hell out,” Matthew snapped coldly.
Charles quipped, “Mr. Grant, if I take off, you’ll have a hell of a time finding another assistant who’s as kick<b>–</b><b>ass</b>
Everyone at Noria Group knew Matthew for his no–nonsense demeanor and natural <b>aura </b>of authority that could make <b>anyone </b>cower with <b>just </b><b>a </b>look. Yet, against all odds, he <b>was </b>surprisingly easy to get along with. If not for his approachability, Charles’s curt returk earlier would have had anyone the parking their bags for good.
there was that o
one person
<b>Matthew </b>rubbed <b>his </b>temples, resigned to the fact that his intimidating presence often scared others. “Then again, there was recently who wasn’t the least bit scared of me. She even dared to wait <b>a </b>minuter
A sudden realization <b>struck </b>him. He remembered that a woman had called him out to <b>register </b>for marriage just a few days ago.
No wonder her name sounded familiar. It’s the same <b>as </b>hers, Valerie Warren. <b>What </b><b>are </b>the odds… could it be? he pondered, frowning as he pulled up the employee records and saw Valerie’s smiling face in her work photo.
Chapter 7
The world really is a small ce. But still, it’s been three days. Why hasn’t she reached out <b>at </b>all he wondered
He had assumed that after their marriage, Valerie would not be able to resist contacting him and revealing her true colors. Yet, her silence over the past three days was unexpected and oddly impressive.
Deciding it was time to reach out to his nominal wife, Matthew pulled out his phone
His private number was a secret, shared <b>only </b>with family and close friends, so it was easy for him to find Valerie in his contacts.
Three days in, she should have yed her hand by now. Knowing she’s an Arcion Cars employee, it’s no surprise she’s aware that Em the president of Noria Group. No wonder she went through so much trouble to marry me! Now, by deliberately avoiding contact, she seems to be angling for me to make the first move. Fine, she’ll get her wish, he <b>mused </b>and sent her the first message. [Let’s meet |
He could almost picture how a gold–digger like <b>her </b>would secretly delight at his message
But the next second, the message he sent showed only a single check mark. Clearly, he’d been blocked.
Matthew gripped his phone tightly, his eyes turning stormy. Inside, he seethed. Damn it! She actually blocked mer
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