Chapter 79\u00a0<\/p>\n
Albert\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlbert, I\u2019m telling you again, there\u2019s nothing between Mr. Sterling and me! We have absolutely no relationship whatsoever! Cedar insisted, practically\u00a0<\/p>\n
gritting her teeth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to suppress a smile. Better she only complains to me than someone who might actually gossip. If this conversation somehow leaked to other\u00a0<\/p>\n
employees, her reputation would never recover.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, Ms. Wright. My mistake. I promise I won\u2019t mention it again,\u201d I replied, nodding respectfully while mentally filing away her profest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Mr. Sterling\u2019s executive assistant for seven years, I\u2019ve mastered the art of seeing without acknowledging. If our future Mrs. Sterling doesn\u2019t want to admit what\u2019s happening yet, who am I to push? My job is to anticipate needs, not create complications.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later, the office door swung open. Mr. Sterling strode in wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, his leather shoes gleaming against the\u00a0<\/p>\n
hardwood floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 silently applauded my boss\u2019s punctuality. Sterling Group headquarters is a solid twenty minutes from the Nest Design offices, even in good traffic. One phone call about Cedar needing him, and he dismissed his meeting without hesitation. Cedar clearly tops his priority list, whether she realizes it or not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling, Ms. Wright, I\u2019ll leave\u00a0<\/p>\n
you to your discussion, I announced smoothly, backing toward the door with practiced discretion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I pulled it closed behind me, I couldn\u2019t help but notice how the spacious corner office suddenly seemed to shrink with just the two of them inside. The tension between them was palpable\u2013like the air before a Chicago thunderstorm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve watched countless Gold Coast socialites and industry models try to catch Mr. Sterling\u2019s attention over the years. But I\u2019ve never seen him respond to\u00a0<\/p>\n
anyone the way he does to Cedar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I settled onto the leather sofa, crossing my legs and leaning back with deliberate casualness. The drive over had been frustrating\u2013twenty minutes of Michigan Avenue traffic I hadn\u2019t planned for today. But Albert\u2019s call suggesting Cedar needed to see me urgently had me rescheduling without a second\u00a0<\/p>\n
thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I loosened my tie and pulled it off, tossing it onto the glass coffee table before shrugging out of my jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what was so urgent you needed me to come all the way across town?\u201d I asked, keeping my voice languid yet slightly amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched her watching me. She was different from the women I typically encountered. In my world of design magnates and real estate developers, most women approached with transparent agendas. Cedar seemed perpetually caught off\u2013guard by me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was\u2026 refreshing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Are you just going to stare?\u201d I asked, allowing genuine amusement to color my voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strangely, when other women looked at me this way, I found it tedious. But Cedar\u2019s transparent admiration, quickly followed by her embarrassment, stirred something unfamiliar in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She immediately blushed, clearing her throat as she straightened her posture. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me who called you here urgently. There seems to have been a miscommunication from Albert. I just needed your signature on this project proposal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
2:48 pm P\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 79\u00a0<\/p>\n
She extended the document toward me, all business now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but laugh softly. Hasn\u2019t anyone told you that contracts under ten million don\u2019t require my personal signature?\u00a0<\/p>\n
My tone was casual, but the question was pointed. Was this really why I\u2019d been summoned across town?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar froze momentarily, then rubbed her nose in embarrassment. \u201cWell, technically, you\u2019re not here as CEO of Sterling Design Group, but as managing director of Nest Design. And directors should sign off on their projects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nice recovery. Quick thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary, then picked up a pen and signed the contract without even glancing at it. I trusted her work\u2013not that i\u00a0<\/p>\n
would tell her that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took the contract back, but instead of leaving, she hesitated. I could practically see the wheels turning behind those expressive eyes. She wanted something else. Something she was afraid to ask for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pretended to be absorbed in some documents while watching her internal struggle. Finally, when it became clear she wouldn\u2019t speak without prompting, I\u00a0<\/p>\n
looked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s nothing else, I have work to do,\u201d I said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That seemed to galvanize her. Cedar straightened her shoulders, her hands clenched at her sides. \u201cMr. Sterling, may I ask you something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, picking up a nearby file while keeping her in my peripheral vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard rumors that Wright Creatives is facing bankruptcy because someone is targeting them. Is Sterling Design Group involved in this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My interest immediately sharpened. So that\u2019s what this was about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tapped my fingers lightly against the desk, considering my response. \u201cYes, it does involve Sterling Group. Why do you ask?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I ask why?\u201d Her voice was soft but determined.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why? Because I\u2019d seen how the Wright family had treated her. Because I\u2019d witnessed Jonathan Wright trying to pressure her into that disgusting arrangement with Brad Wilson to secure a contract. Because Selena Wright had spent years undermining her at every turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I would never reveal those reasons to her or anyone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know why?\u201d I countered, setting the file down and meeting her gaze directly. \u201cWhat do you think my motivation might be?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar ran her fingers through her hair, clearly bewildered. Good. Let her wonder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment, she seemed to give up on understanding my motivations. \u201cMr. Sterling, I don\u2019t know what Wright Creatives might have done to offend you, but they\u2019re on the verge of bankruptcy now. Surely whatever grievance you have has been addressed. Would you\u2026 would you consider letting them off the\u00a0<\/p>\n
hook?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at her, suddenly cold with disappointment. She wasn\u2019t here to thank me for dealing with the people who had hurt her. She was here to beg for mercy for the very family that had exploited her for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt my lips curl into a bitter smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
2:48 pm P\u00a0<\/p>\n
We Want Mommy, Not You, Daddy!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 79 Chapter 79\u00a0 Albert\u2019s POV\u00a0 \u201cAlbert, I\u2019m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30478\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}