Chapter 33 Secretly in Love
+8 Pearls
Shawn looked at me with a hint of surprise—perhaps because of the talent I had just revealed, or maybe because of my assertiveness.
Regardless, he was a reasonable husband. In the end, he concluded, “Since Tiffany is in charge of Apex Hotel, all decisions will be hers to make.”
As I watched Shawn leave the conference room, Queena stood up with a smile and said, “I never expected your design to be so unique. I’d love to learn from you sometime.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare. If anything, I should thank Ms. Tackman for her invaluable contributions to the company. My husband speaks very highly of you,” I said with a polite fake smile, locking eyes with her.
As expected, Queena’s expression faltered for a moment. After all, she was still the other woman in this situation. As a wealthy heiress, she might not care about her reputation, but her family certainly did. Until Shawn and I were officially divorced, whatever was going on between them could never be made public.
“If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to ask. Anything for the company,” Queena said smoothly before walking away. A few senior executives followed her out, leaving me standing in the conference room.
With the room designs finalized, I also entrusted the lobby’s layout to a team with more experience. Once their plans were ready, construction could begin.
As I stood at the entrance of Apex Hotel, I recalled Shawn mentioning that half of the hotel’s profits would go into my pocket. The thought alone instantly brightened my mood.
Once I had a sizable amount of disposable income, I planned to dive into various investments—real estate starting in 2016, and gold in 2023 …
“Ms. Mayfield.” A deep voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned my head and saw Ethan stepping out of a sleek black Mercedes.
“Mr. Hayes?” I greeted him with a smile. “What brings you here?”
“Just passing by,” Ethan replied casually before glancing up at the hotel entrance. “Running into any trouble?”
I shook my head. “No, just stopping by to check things out.”
Ethan smiled. “Didn’t expect you to be this career–driven.”
Seeing a few people approaching, I decided to keep my distance to avoid suspicion. “I have something to take care of. I’ll go first.”
“Are you avoiding me?” Ethan’s eyes darkened, and he said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I won’t be so ignorant as to put you in a difficult position.”
I turned to look at him. His voice was quiet–too low for others to hear, but enough to send a chill down my spine.
“Mr. Haves. I’d appreciate it if you kept vour distance.” No matter how handsome he was. I wasn’t about to
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Again
Chapter 33 Secretly in Love
+8 Pearls
Shawn looked at me with a hint of surprise–perhaps because of the talent I had just revealed, or maybe because of my assertiveness.
Regardless, he was a reasonable husband. In the end, he concluded, “Since Tiffany is in charge of Apex Hotel, all decisions will be hers to make.”
As I watched Shawn leave the conference room, Queena stood up with a smile and said, “I never expected your design to be so unique. I’d love to learn from you sometime.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare. If anything, I should thank Ms. Tackman for her invaluable contributions to the company. My husband speaks very highly of you,” I said with a polite fake smile, locking eyes with her.
As expected, Queena’s expression faltered for a moment. After all, she was still the other woman in this situation. As a wealthy heiress, she might not care about her reputation, but her family certainly did. Until Shawn and I were officially divorced, whatever was going on between them could never be made public.
“If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to ask. Anything for the company,” Queena said smoothly before walking away. A few senior executives followed her out, leaving me standing in the conference room.
With the room designs finalized, I also entrusted the lobby’s layout to a team with more experience. Once their plans were ready, construction could begin.
As I stood at the entrance of Apex Hotel, I recalled Shawn mentioning that half of the hotel’s profits would go into my pocket. The thought alone instantly brightened my mood.
Once I had a sizable amount of disposable income, I planned to dive into various investments—real estate starting in 2016, and gold in 2023 …
“Ms. Mayfield.” A deep voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned my head and saw Ethan stepping out of a sleek black Mercedes.
“Mr. Hayes?” I greeted him with a smile. “What brings you here?”
“Just passing by,” Ethan replied casually before glancing up at the hotel entrance. “Running into any trouble?”
I shook my head. “No, just stopping by to check things out.”
Ethan smiled. “Didn’t expect you to be this career–driven.”
Seeing a few people approaching, I decided to keep my distance to avoid suspicion. “I have something to take care of. I’ll go first.”
“Are you avoiding me?” Ethan’s eyes darkened, and he said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I won’t be so ignorant as to put you in a difficult position.”
I turned to look at him. His voice was quiet–too low for others to hear, but enough to send a chill down my spine.
“Mr. Haves. I’d appreciate it if you kept vour distance.” No matter how handsome he was. I wasn’t about to
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Chapter 33 Secretly in Love
Don’t even try to charm me.
“I’ve been searching for you
he whispered. “The charity keeps making excuse worst they ches the records were lost, the next they say they were destroyed. They refuse to tell me who you wer
I was stunned, frowning and staring at him. “Why are you looking for me?”
“I’m not sure.” Ethan said, his voice tinged with bitterness. “That day, when you made the donation I caught a glimpse of you from afar. I ran outside to find you, but you were already gone?
I shrugged. “Let me guess–you saw that I’m young and pretty, so you chased after me, hoping 14 donas more money?”
Ethan lowered his gaze, looking sad and helpless. “No, I just wanted to know what you, with your beaty and kindness, truly look like, instead of just a blurry shadow that lingers in my mind
I looked at his solemn, sorrowful expression and sighed helplessly. “Alright, now that you’ve seen me, your curiosity should be satisfied. Can you stop bothering me now?”
“I’m not bothering you, I just… Ethan looked like he wanted to say something, but when he saw my serious expression, he held back. His fingers tensed slightly, and his voice grew husky. Tve just always wanted to treat you to a meal.”
Hearing that, I smiled and said, “Mr. Hayes, no need to be so polite. If we’re being precise, tha donation came from the Hartwells. If you really want to express your gratitude, you should take Shawn out for a meal -he’s the one you should be thanking.”
“No. I know the Hartwells are wealthy, but without you, that money never would have reached me. It was you—always you.” His voice grew more insistent, his gaze filled with determination.
I caught my breath, and under his sincere and intense gaze, my heart felt overwhelmed, beating unevenly and quickly.
“We’ll see when I have time. I have to go.” I said, avoiding his eyes. I couldn’t let this conversation continue. It was as if Ethan had been secretly in love with me for a long time. If what he said was true, then he was only in love with a blurry shadow of me.
