The Bride He Took For Granted novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

After returning home, Elise put the jewelry box back in its hiding place and locked it away.

She was about to find something to eat when her phone rang.

Her eyes widened when she saw the caller ID.

It was Firefly Glow.

She forced herself not to get her hopes up.

But the moment she answered, her heart jumped into her throat.

“Hello, Ms. White,” the receptionist said pleasantly. “Your appointment with Mr. Nash has been confirmed for today from 2:00 to 2:10 p.m. Please arrive at Firefly Glow headquarters on

time.”

For the first time since Landon had threatened to force her into

marriage, Elise saw a possible way out.

Hope surged through her.

Maybe she could still fix this.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll be there on time.”

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Chapter 38

******

Half an hour earlier, in the CEO’s office at Firefly Glow, Harold finished his morning work and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His secretary, Daniel Harris, walked in to brief him on his afternoon schedule.

“At one, you’re meeting with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce. At two, you have an appointment with AI Strategy. The management meeting starts at two-thirty, and the consolidated reports are scheduled for review at five.”

Daniel paused.

“One more thing, Mr. Nash. It’s Tuesday. You’re supposed to go home and spend some time with Blitz.”

Blitz was a retired military working dog.

When Harold adopted him, he had promised Blitz’s former handler that even though the dog had a dedicated caretaker, Harold would personally spend at least three hours with him every week.

Blitz had already been rejected by the first person he chose as his owner. Harold was the second person Blitz had chosen, and he refused to let the dog feel abandoned again.

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“I know,” Harold said.

Then something occurred to him.

He looked up at Daniel. “Who has the two o’clock appointment?”

“AI Strategy.”

“Did we get through everyone from last week?”

“Any request that goes unanswered for more than seven business days is automatically canceled,” Daniel explained. “Ms. White from Novatech was next in line, but your panel discussion yesterday pushed her appointment back.”

She really does have terrible luck.

Harold almost laughed, but his expression remained composed.

“Change it. Put Novatech in the two o’clock slot and give Ms. White ten minutes. Move AI Strategy to two-ten and cut their meeting to twenty minutes.”

Daniel hesitated.

Ten minutes? That’s barely enough time to sit down.

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But questioning Harold’s decisions wasn’t part of his job.

“Understood.”

He immediately contacted the front desk and instructed them to notify Elise.

At 1:50 p.m., Harold glanced at his watch twice in quick succession through the lingering haze of cigarette smoke.

The Chamber of Commerce representatives immediately took the hint. They rose and said their goodbyes.

After Daniel escorted them out, Harold switched on the air purifier and opened the windows with the touch of a button.

“Have the ashtray cleaned,” he told Daniel.

Daniel found the sudden order strange, but he knew better than to question his boss. He simply did as he was told.

At 1:59, Harold caught the faint smell of smoke clinging to his

suit.

He started toward the private bedroom to change, then abruptly stopped.

What am I doing?

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He knew Elise hated the smell of cigarette smoke, but opening the windows was already considerate enough. There was no reason for him to change his entire suit for her.

I just have high standards. That’s all.

Meanwhile, Elise followed Daniel to the top floor of Firefly

Glow.

Novatech Global’s entire office occupied a single floor. Harold’s executive office alone took up an entire floor.

Crystal chandeliers gleamed overhead, their light reflecting off champagne-tinted glass walls. The vast, column-free space seemed to stretch on forever. Everywhere Elise looked, the place screamed money.

Daniel knocked on the office door and waited until a low, cool

voice answered.

“Come in.”

Only then did he open the door and gesture for Elise to enter.

Harold stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the reception area, one hand tucked into his pocket as he spoke on the phone.

Elise glanced around.

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The reception area alone was larger than the entire apartment Harold was currently living in.

A man like him, living in that apartment? What kind of bet was this?

Harold ended the call and turned, his gaze settling on Elise.

She wore a tailored gray suit over a matching silk blouse, the collar open just enough to reveal the delicate line of her

collarbone.

There was color in her face again. The exhaustion and defeat from the night before were gone, replaced by determination in her eyes.

Harold raised an eyebrow slightly.

She recovers fast.

“Have a seat,” he said.

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