Chapter 15
At that, the conversation between Hayden and Sean screeched to a halt. They’d been hashing out promotional plans for the new property, and Joanna’s out–of–the–blue input caught them off guard. The air turned thick with awkwardness.
I had never studied marketing, but even I knew that celebrities and real estate didn’t really mix, Celebrities weren’t likely to live in that development, so how would that even work?
“And this is?” Sean asked pointedly—he was well aware that Joanna was Hayden’s mistress.
“Hello, Mr. Harnett. I’m Joanna, Mr. Parker’s secretary.” She seemed eager, even without waiting for Hayden to speak.
Sean turned to Hayden, his eyes questioning. “Her level. HR hired her in!”
Joanna’s smile froze.
Hayden’s expression was stern, but he wasn’t seething. He had some connections with Sears, and Joanna’s previous comment indeed showed her Lack of awareness.
“She’s new and still getting the hang of things, Hayden explained casually. Then he looked toward Joanna, his tone serious. “If you don’t understand, keep quiet and listen.”
“Got it.” Joanna’s eyes started to redden with hurt. This was the first time Hayden had ever criticized her.
Sean scratched his nose, uncomfortable with Joanna’s anties. His eyes drifted around and lit on me, a broad smile breaking across his face. “What’s your take on this, Mrs. Parker?”
1 flinched a bit, wondering if he was trying to drag me into this. But since he called on me, I couldn’t pretend I didn’t hear
I walked over with a smile. “About the real estate promotion, why not add an element of cultural heritage? Maybe we could get someone from a news station to do interviews to raise the profile?”
Sean’s eyes sparkled, and he slapped his hands together with enthusiasm. “That’s itt Playing up the cultural heritage would definitely pique curiosity. You’re a genius.”
“You’re laying it on thick,” I replied with a grin, brushing off the compliment. 1 hadn’t taken any classes or anything, but I’d grown up hearing my dad talk about it around the house, so it was second nature to me.
Out of the corner of my eye. I caugla Joanna’s glare, her eyes almost shooting daggers
Joanna wasn’t well–versed and had attended a pretty mediocre college. She’d just been trying to make a splash, but who would have guessed her attempt would flop so spectacularly!
Damn Yvonne. She’s even trying to steal the spotlight Joanna cursed silently
Close by, a few bystanders started murmuring to each other.
“Wow, it turns out Mrs. Parker has a knack for this, I heard she’s amazing on the piano too.”
“Who said she is uneducated and incompetent? Rumors can really be harmful.”
“Did you see that? The mistress looks really upset. Even a fresh graduate wouldn’t dare to say something like that.”
I tuned into their gossip and suddenly got curious about Hayden’s reaction. I turned around instinctively, and to my surprise, I caught his deep eyes staring at me. It looked like he’d been watching me for a while.
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