Chapter 19
Hayden’s earnest persuasion weighed heavily on Whitney. She didn’t want to reject his goodwill, but the matter couldn’t be decided with just
a few words. There were numerous factors to consider.
Whitney hooked and leaned gently on Hayden’s arm, murmuring, “I understand, Hayden. Give me time to think about it. will answer you
tomorrow afterward.”
“I don’t want to hear the answer I don’t like,” Hayden said.
Whitney couldn’t promise that.
Across the road, Thiago just finished a negotiation with a cooperative enterprise and saw Whitney in pajamas at a glance. In less than half a day, there was another man beside her.
Thiago felt ridiculous and was about to avert his gaze when he unexpectedly caught sight of the man beside Whitney. A frown creased his
brow.
‘Hayden Greene? What has Whitney been doing after leaving the Mackenzie family?‘ he thought, perplexed.
From her ties to the Greene family and the presence of affluent and influential men by her side last night to her nickname “Goddess Dew,” Thiago couldn’t help but wonder what else he didn’t know about her.
“Thiago, Mrs. Mackenzie said…” Quincey smiled brightly and trotted out of the company. Her hair fluttered, and she emitted a gentle and quiet aura. She ran in the direction of Thiago. Halfway through speaking, she suddenly realized Thiago’s gloominess. She had never seen such an expression on his face before. She sensed that something was wrong with Thiago.
Her smile faded, and Quincey followed Thiago’s gaze to where Whitney stood. Quincey’s expression froze when she saw Whitney smiling not
far away.
This wasn’t the Whitney she knew. Whitney looked beautiful and confident. Her captivating smile was alluring. At one m wondered if Whitney had come back to take Thiago away from her. ‘Never!‘ she roared inwardly.
ncey
Across the road, a Land Rover was parked on the side. Hayden ushered Whitney into the car, suggesting they head home together for dinner. It remained unclear whether his intention was simply to dine or to collaborate with Myles in persuading her to participate in an art exhibition.
As the car vanished from sight, Quincey sneered inwardly. She mustered a smile and approached Thiago, pretending nothing had occurred. Taking his arm, she said, “Thiago, what are you looking at? i called you earlier but got no response. Mrs. Mackenzie asked us to return home tomorrow. She’s been longing to see us.”
Quincey’s sudden approach repulsed Thiago. He quietly withdrew his hand and opened the car door. “Tomorrow?”
Quincey nodded.
“Okay. I’ll pick you up then,” he said.
“Good,” Quincey hummed.
Quincey stared at the man before her and couldn’t picture life without him. A year ago, she usurped Whitney’s position as Mrs. Mackenzie. Even after Whitney returned, Quincey believed she couldn’t change things. She believed Thiago was hers.
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Chapter 19
“Thiago, I’ll go back with you,” Quincey said gently.
Hearing this, Thiago wrinkled his eyebrows, and he said, “The driver will send you back first. I have something to do in the company.”
“But…” Quincey paused. She wondered, ‘Didn’t he just finish a meeting at the company?‘
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Her thoughts remained unspoken. Quincey smiled stiffly and sat in the passenger seat without saying anything. As the car pulled away slowly, Quincey looked at the noble and aloof man in the rearview mirror, whose gaze remained fixed on the traffic. Her breath quickened as
she rolled up the window.
Hatred grew wildly in Quincey’s heart as she cursed inwardly, ‘It’s Whitney again! Why did she return after leaving? Why did she reappear in
front of us?‘
Meanwhile, Thiago strode into the CEO’s office at Mackenzie Corporation. His assistant had been waiting for his arrival for some time. As Thiago approached, the assistant handed over a document and reported expressionlessly, “Mr. Mackenzie, Whitney has no link to the Greene family or any influential background. She comes from a regular background. The man beside her, Lester, is an overseas architect of renown.”
“The one who has just been nominated for the Golden Award?” Looking through the documents, Thiago finally remembered something.
The assistant nodded and added, “He has won the Golden Award for several years in a row.”
The office fell silent.
Thiago pursed his lips and threw the documents aside, feeling irritable for no reason. Securing a talented architectural designer was challenging. Whitney must have made a tempting offer to hire such a respected and experienced designer. To someone of Lester’s stature, money held little appeal.
‘But what else could Whitney give to convince Lester besides money?‘ he pondered.
As if struck by an unspeakable realization, Thiago’s handsome face darkened. Whitney’s most valuable assets at present were her appearance and relatively young age. Upon seeing her, even he found himself captivated, let alone Lester.
He thought, ‘Ha! Only I’m trapped in the past.
The next day, Whitney awoke to her internal clock. Glancing at the alarm clock that had been silently removed, she felt a warmth in her heart and made her way downstairs to find Hayden. “Where are Dad and Myles?”
“They left to the company. Only you slept until noon.” Hayden got up, took out the milk from the oven, and placed it in front of Whitney.
“I set the alarm clock. Somebody took it away,” Whitney said.
“No clue.” Hayden replied, adjusting his glasses. In fact, Hayden saw Charles leave Whitney’s room with an alarm clock at 7 a.m. He didn’t think much of it and didn’t expect Charles to be stealing the alarm clock.
Hayden thought, ‘The old man is always serious at work. Who would have thought he’d steal his daughter’s alarm clock at home? This is madness.‘
“Winnie,” Hayden suddenly called Whitney. “Have you thought about my proposal yesterday?”
To be honest, Whitney hadn’t thought much about it. When she returned yesterday, Charles engaged her in conversation, leaving her with no time to consider Hayden’s proposal.
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Chapter 19
Whitney suddenly felt a little sorry.
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Hayden appeared to anticipate Whitney’s thoughts. He chuckled and squinted. His glasses conveniently concealed the gleam in his eyes. “It seems you have no objection. In this case, take a look at the file. I will start designing the exhibition site tomorrow. The file includes location information. Please ask if you have questions.”
A document was shoved into Whitney’s hand. She stood still and looked confused.
“Drink up the milk. Don’t waste it.” After saying that, Hayden changed his shoes and left.
Whitney realized that Hayden was purposely waiting for her to talk about the art exhibition. But he was right. She shouldn’t keep her abilities hidden. She had many competitors, the most formidable of whom was Thiago. She had to concede that Thiago had taught her a valuable lesson on the day of the new product preview showcase.
Regardless, she was determined to secure the cooperation project with Indigox in the country.
The art exhibition was in Jacaster, near the Greene manor. Professional staff were tasked with the initial preparations. Whitney simply needed to design the exhibition venue with Hayden.
To aid in this endeavor, Whitney reviewed Hayden’s previous art exhibitio
