Chapter 14 Shawn Invited Me to Dinner
I gave a soft “okay” and closed my eyes, not wanting to say another word.
+8 Pearls
As expected, men are like sand–clench your fist, and they slip right through. If you push against them, you’ll only trigger resistance, maybe even cruelty. It’s a losing game. But if you’re smart and go along with them, they might grow a conscience. And from that, you might just benefit, too.
In my past life, I knew Shawn’s personality like the back of my hand. If I wanted to get more out of him, I had to show weakness. Only when he thought you were worthy of his pity would he become generous.
Yuna’s wound wasn’t serious. The doctor changed her bandages that evening and told us we could go home.
She’s always been a little drama queen, but this injury seemed to tone her down a little.
The next morning, she stayed home from school. She wanted me to stay with her, but I had other plans. I needed to visit Shawn’s office to check on the hotel situation. I asked Mona and Beata to stay home with her, cook her meals, and keep her company.
Shawn frowned when I didn’t volunteer to stay behind.
Maybe he noticed. Lately, I couldn’t maintain the act of a doting mother. He must’ve seen the shift–the way I pulled back from our daughter. I was sure he didn’t like it.
I slipped into a soft, baby blue dress and applied my makeup with care. Shawn stood in the doorway and asked, “Are you sure you want to go to the office? Yuna needs you right now; she can’t leave you.”
“She’ll be okay,” I answered, as I put on my earrings. “One day she’ll have to be without me. She’s six–old enough to start learning some independence.”
“Tiffany, you’ve changed. You never used to be this distant,” Shawn said, studying me from head to toe. “Back then, if Yuna cried, you’d drop everything to comfort her. If she so much as coughed, you wouldn’t leave her side.”
“That was then. She was young. Now she’s six. When I was six, I walked myself to school,” I replied, grasping for an excuse. Six wasn’t old, but she wasn’t a baby either. She was old enough to talk back and turn to her stepmother when she was mad at me–but also young enough to still want to cling to me when she felt alone.
Shawn didn’t argue. He went downstairs to calm Yuna. In the end, he promised her a pony–yes, a real pony -to keep in the backyard as a pet. That finally soothed her.
I watched him spoil her, step by step, and thought he was going to regret this.
In my previous life, Shawn eventually left the entire company to Yuna. She became a master at squandering the money away–burned through over a billion in a single year.
“Mom, do you really not care about me anymore?” Yuna asked, draped across the couch, her eyes filled with hurt. “I got hurt, and you’re still dressing up to go out? Hmph, you don’t love your baby anymore.”
I turned to her and chuckled lightly. “Yuna, love isn’t something you just say. Mommy’s going to make money for you to spend. Be good, listen to the maids, and call me if anything comes up.”
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Chapter 14 Shawn Invited Me to Dinner
me,” he offered. “No need to take two cars.”
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“No thanks, I might have somewhere to go later.” I would rather not ride with him. I felt nothing for him anymore and had no interest in unnecessary conversation.
He didn’t press further and left ahead of me.
For the first time, I was stepping into a career of my own–something I never would’ve dreamed of in my past life.
Shawn had never denied me anything materially, but I was tired of reaching out like a beggar. I wanted to stop asking for money and start earning my own.
When I arrived at the office, my appearance turned heads. Among a sea of gray suits and dull heels, my outfit stood out–bright, fresh, and full of life. I could hear the whispers behind my back.
My office was next to Queena’s, separated from Shawn’s only by a glass wall. I could see him working inside.
He called me in, along with a few senior staff members.
The two hotels I was being handed were aging properties once owned by the Hartwells. Neglected and outdated, both were losing money.
I listened carefully as the managers gave their reports. The equipment was old, and the decor was outdated. They had no solutions–they couldn’t afford any more investment.
Shawn sat silently beside me, cold and distant.
I knew exactly what the situation was–a setup. He wanted me to fail, to prove I wasn’t cut out for this, so I’d return to my role as a housewife.
Giving me two money pits? He clearly doesn’t have good intentions.
I flipped through the financial reports and took note of their locations. Both hotels were just a few miles from Sceace Lake. These hotels were prime real estate once tourism bounced back. There was potential here. I just needed to convince Shawn to invest in a full–scale renovation and turnaround.
“Honey, this is my first time starting a business,” I said, turning to Shawn with a coy smile. “Will you support me?” In that moment, I didn’t mind using a little charm. I looked straight into his eyes, unflinching.
He didn’t expect that. The confidence in my voice, the way I was negotiating–it clearly caught him off guard.
“How much do you want?” He asked, not shooting me down but going straight to the point.
I did a quick mental calculation and held up three fingers.
“Thirty million?” Shawn raised an eyebrow.
“Three hundred million,” I said calmly. If I was going to rebuild from the ground up, I had to aim high— transform these hotels into something extraordinary, something no one would forget. Once they became true destinations, the money would follow naturally.
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Chapter 14 Shawn Invited Me to Dinner
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+8 Pearls
Shawn let out a quiet laugh, half mocking. “Tiffany, are you serious? You want me to throw that much money into a hole? It’s clearly a waste. You’re not cut out for business.
I just shrugged, completely unfazed. “How would we know unless we try?”
“Three hundred million is a lot of money,” he said, his voice flat.
Of course, I knew that. But I also knew that a year from now, he’d spend that same amount on a mansion for Queena–lavish, extravagant–just to keep her like a pampered songbird in a golden cage.
“If you won’t fund it, that’s fine,” I said evenly. “Can I use the hotels to secure a loan?”
Shawn’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected me to be so determined.
“I’ll give you 100 million,” he said at last. “Do what you want with it.”
“Thank you, darling,” I replied sweetly, my tone laced with gratitude. I took the files and returned to my office without another word.
I knew that bringing these hotels back to life wouldn’t be easy. I’d need a full business plan before I could even think about launching. It was 2014, and in my previous life, I’d traveled across the world and stayed in some of the most unique and memorable hotels. Now, I would create two of my own. They would be boutique, bold, and unforgettable. I’d hire someone to write the operations strategy and start building a strong brand presence. TikTok would be launching soon, and I planned to create accounts on every major platform. Whatever it took, I’d make sure we were ready. Timing was everything–and if I could move fast, I had a real shot.
By six in the evening, the sky outside had already turned dark.
Shawn knocked on my office door. I looked up to see him standing there.
“Let’s go out for dinner,” he said. “Just the two of us.”
