Silence hung over the study when Eloise sent him another text.
“If you want the painting, then you’ll meet me in Whispering Pines Barista at 5 p.m.”
His grip on his phone tightened when he read the text. His face grew grim as well.
Floyd saw the changes in his boss’s expression. He couldn’t resist and asked, “What’s the matter, Mr. Ivor?”
“See for yourself.” Ivor tossed the phone to him. “Eloise sent these texts to me.”
Floyd lowered his head and read a couple of messages. He then furrowed his brow.
“Something’s off. This stinks to high heaven, Mr. Ivor. Your painting was just damaged not long ago, and yet she got wind of it in no time.
“Clearly, she has been monitoring you closely. Now, she’s even asking you out. Do you think she’s going to try something sinister, Mr. Ivor?”
“I thought about it. It’s certainly possible. That’s why you’re going to meet up with her in my stead. You’ll find out what it is she wants.” Ivor was not planning to meet with Eloise himself.
“Huh?” Floyd was shocked.
Then something came to his mind. He hesitated a little before saying, “She obviously wants to meet with you, Mr. Ivor. Are you sure things are going to work out if I go instead? What am I going to do if she doesn’t even let me see the painting?”
Ivor’s frowns grew deeper. “Just go ahead and meet up with her. You can come back and tell me if it doesn’t work out. I’ll figure out something then.”
“Copy that, Mr. Ivor.”
Ivor’s phone started buzzing again. Lowering his head, he looked at it and saw another text from Eloise.
“I’ll only talk about the painting with you and you alone. If you send someone else in your stead, I’m going to leave immediately.”
Judging by her tone, she wasn’t in the mood for negotiation.
Ivor rubbed his eyebrows and sighed wearily. He glanced at his assistant and said, “Forget about it. I have to do it by myself. She made it very clear that she wants to see me.” “Understood, Mr. Ivor.” Floyd responded.
Then he thought to himself. ‘In fact, I half-expected Eloise to state explicitly that she wants to meet with Ivor.
‘After all, she did all of this just so she could see him. So, why would she let him send someone else to talk about the painting?’
Ivor sat on his chair as Bonnie’s image came into his mind. Looking at Floyd, he reminded him, “Don’t tell Bonnie about this. Got it?”
“Understood, Mr. Ivor. My lips are sealed. I’ll never let Ms. Bonnie find out about this from me. That’s a promise.” With that, he made the gesture of zipping his lips.
“Okay.” Ivor responded faintly. Then he lowered his head and continued to go through some documents.
It was still early. So, he’d finish up his work before meeting Eloise.
Later, he showed up at Whispering Pines Barista at 5 p.m., as promised.
Eloise was sitting by the window. She saw Ivor, who was as stunning as he was enchanting. She couldn’t help but look mesmerized.
‘This is the man I fell in love with. He’s just so handsome and incredible.
‘What a shame, though. He doesn’t belong to me now. Instead, he has fallen head over heels with someone else!’
