Chapter 12
I wasn’t sure if Hayden had given the company a heads–up, but quite a few people came out to greet us. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Parker!”
Lost in thought, Joanna was almost knocked over. She stepped aside, her face pale and her teeth clenched. I could practically feel the anger radiating off her–she must’ve wanted nothing more than to swallow me whole at that moment.
I instinctively glanced at Hayden. For once, his attention wasn’t glued to Joanna. It seemed that he hadn’t completely lost track of his priorities–at least when it came to work
I wasn’t the type to start trouble. But there I was, recalling Joanna’s self–satisfled smirk at the Jackson place. On impulse, I slipped my arm through Hayden’s
I knew I might not mean much to him, but we were still legally bound, and that gave me the liberty to make a point.
Hayden looked surprised by my touch, his body tensing up for a beat before he glanced down at me.
“What game are you playing now?” he asked, his voice low. It was hard to tell if he was annoyed or feeling something else he had a knack for keeping his thoughts hidden,
But at that moment, I wasn’t interested in figuring out what was on his mind. Instead, I smirked, “Didn’t Xander want us to make an appearance together? I’m just playing along, so take it easy”
Hayden looked like he was seeing things. This is the woman who used to be all about me! Now she’s just close to saying it’s for show?
1 briefly glanced back at joanna, who was glaring at me with jealousy. She had tortured me before, and now that I was giving her a taste of her own medicine, she couldn’t handle it!
Without wasting any more time, Hayden and headed upstairs, greeted by respectful nods along the way. As we passed Joanna, I could almost hear her teeth grinding.
We soon reached Hayden’s office, and I quickly let go of his arm at if he were contagious,
My exaggerated reaction annoyed him. “Yvonne, you’ve really changed from before, he remarked…
“What? You want me to cling to your 1 laughed lightly, not wanting to revisat my cringe–worthy past. I decided to switch topics. “Where am I going to work?”
Hayden didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked at Richard Lancaster, his secretary who had just entered. “Take her there,”
Richard glanced at me and said, “Mrs. Parker, your office is in the secretary’s room Please follow me. He pivoted toward the door, taking the lead. Im his secretary!” I didn’t budge, frowning deeply, Given the way Xander spoke back then. I thought I’d at least get a manager or director role. But being Hayden’s secretary? No way!
Richard’s shoulders tensed, and he kept his mouth shot, casting a wary glance at Hayden.
Hayden looked at me, his icy stare holding a hint of a smirk. “Not interested”
Of course I was not interested
Since I didn’t respond, Hayden grinned with a hint of triumph. If you can’t handle it, feel free to head home early and stop causing a scene
It finally clicked—he was trying to make things difficult for me and then push me out. Taking a deep breath, I tried to keep my cool “Does Xander know what you’re up to?”
Kander was
the only one who could keep Hayden in check. But as I brought up Xander’s name, Hayden’s smile stretched even wider. “This is Grandpa’s master plan
What was Xander up to My mind blanked for a moment before it hit me he might be trying to set me up with Hayden by arranging a job for me to be close to him
I had given my word to join the company, and if I backed out now, lashing out a divorce in three months would get messy. Seeing Hayden’s 1–told- you–so look only stoked my competitive spirit.
Losing was one thing, but losing my dignity was out of the question. Plus, my partnership with Marlon still needed the Parker Group’s power, so I couldn’t just walk away.
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Chapter 12
After a moment of silence, I turned to Richard with a newfound resolve. “Let’s go. Show me around so I can get to know the place.
“Yes, Mrs. Parker,” Richard replied, his face finally relaxing.
After following him to the secretary’s office, I spotted Joanna there as well. “Is she also Hayden’s secretary?” I blurted out
“She is your secretary, Richard said.
1 gasped. Damn Hayden–he really didn’t seem to care about keeping things civil. Having me and his mistress under the same roof? Wasn’t he afraid we’d go at it?
Joanna’s face was a mix of surprise and discomfort. She likely hadn’t expected to end up as my secretary.
“No, Ms. Charlotte is far too skilled for that,” I said with a tight smile. “Having her as my secretary would be a waste. Let Mr. Parker enjoy the honor.”
Anyone with half a brain could tell Hayden wasn’t trying to give me a secretary. This was just a slick way for him to see Joanna. But I wasn’t holding back–1 directly called him out.
Joanna’s expression darkened even more. Richard looked a bit uneasy too. “Mrs. Parker, maybe you should take this up with Mr. Parker first!”
“What? I can’t even make a decision on something this minor?” I asserted my authority as Hayden’s wife
Richard probably felt the heat, but he reluctantly agreed, “Yes, Mrs. Parker.”
Then I turned to Joanna and noticed she looked a bit sad. “Yvonne, are you stil mad at met 1 actually told Mr. Parker to go home, but he said that matters of the heart can’t be forced,” she said.
Her voice was tinged with melancholy, and it hit me hard–my carefully maintained authority was crumbling. The room fell into a heavy silence. I was stunned, and Lucy’s words were on a loop in my mind, Joanna is something else.” and she had nailed it.
Joanna had somehow charmed her way into Hayden’s heart in the blink of an eye–something that had cluded me, even after a decade of trying I didn’t know how long it took before I finally
I finally heard myself say, “I seems like my husband really enjoys confiding in you. Did he ever tell you w he’s planning to marry your
The air in the room thickened with tension and howlity. Richard stood frozen, not daring to speak, wishing he could just disappear. He could already sense that the secretary’s office was about to become a banleground.
Joanna clenched her teeth for a moment, then, as if an idea struck her, she smiled smugly. “Mr. Parker said he would give me a home.”
when
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