Chapter 44
Hayden hurried over in just a few steps and snatched my phone back. I could hear him softly comforting Joanna outside the door, and my heart suddenly shattered into pieces.
I lay on the bed, turning to my side and pulling the blanket up to cover my ears. If I didn’t hear it, maybe it would hurt a little less.
I lost track of time when, suddenly, the sound of fireworks bursting outside pierced the quiet.
1 opened my eyes, and sure enough, I saw flickering lights outside my window. Curiosity got the better of me, and I threw off the blankets, climbed out of bed, and pulled back the curtains to step onto the balcony. The sky was filled with a kaleidoscope of colors as the fireworks exploded, instantly lifting my mood.
I hadn’t noticed it growing dark, and then it hit me was this the surprise Rita had mentioned: It was fireworks! Just as I thought this, another round of even bigger fireworks crackled outside.
After the pink and purple sparks faded, a huge banner formed in the sky: Happy Wedding Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Parker!
I was momentarily stunned. Is today really the day! I had almost forgotten,
Just then, I heard a car engine starting downstairs. Leaning over the railing, I watched as Hayden’s car pulled away.
He must be off to comfort Joanna. I thought with a bitter smile that he probably hadn’t done a good enough job over the phone.
Before long, Rita knocked and stepped inside, hesitantly saying. “Mrs. Parker, Mr. Parker.
“He left, right! Good, at least it’s quieter now.” I replied flatly.
“Please don’t be sad, Mrs. Parker Rita tried to defend Hayden, but it was clear she was wasting her breath.
I shook my head. “It’s not like this is the first time he’s walked out. What’s there to be sad about! You organized tonight’s fireworks, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I wanted to celebrate your anniversary with Mr. Parker. Who would have thought…” Rita trailed off, likely worried about upsetting me,
If you hadn’t mentioned it I would’ve forgotten that today marks our first wedding anniversary. I turned to gaze at the ongoing fireworks outside. the memories of my wedding day with Hayden flooding back.
He’d been so tense, not smiling at all. I had told myself it would be okay once we were married. Maybe, in time, he would come to love me? But all Those hopes were stripped away by the harsh reality.
“Do you think I shouldn’t have married him?” Lasked Rita, almost as if I were asking myself.
Noticing the disappointment in my voice, Rita choked hack her own emotions, replying, “Mrs. Parker, one day Mr. Parker will understand your worth.”
I forced a smile but didn’t say more.
The beautiful fireworks in the night sky faded quickly, just like my marriage with Hayden. In the blink of an eye, it felt like everything could vanish.
That night, Hayden didn’t come home.
The next day, I got up early and hurried to the office. Joanna didn’t come, and I could easily imagine what went down between those two last night.
It was just the usual stuff between a man and a woman. If Joanna could drug Hayden to spice things up, it was clear they had already…
Catching someone in the act wasn’t really my thing
Shaking off the mental images, I tried to focus on work when Richard rushed in, looking all flustered “Mrs. Parker! I can’t reach Mr. Parker. Mr. Swanson is back and called an emergency shareholders meeting, but we don’t know what it’s about. What do we do?”
“Can’t reach him?” I–frowned. No matter how unreliable Hayden was, he wouldn’t just abandon his responsibilities like that. Was he seriously that caught up with Joanna?
I pulled out my new phone to call him, but of course, it went straight to voicemail. With no way to find him, 1 had to figure out how to handle the situation in front of me.
“Has he never called an emergency meeting before? Why are you so stressed” [ forced myself to ask calmly.
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Chapter 44
“This time it’s different it feels serious, and I’m worried it’s bad” Richard was practically sweating bullets.
Not knowing what Zachary was planning didn’t help, but seeing Richard–the usual composed one–panic like this told me today was probably not going to be a walk in the park.
“Let’s go check it out first,” I said, setting my work aside and heading toward the door.
Richard blinked, then smacked his forehead as if he just realized something. “Right, Mrs. Parker, you’re a shareholder in Parker Group too!
By the time we got to the conference room, it was already packed with shareholders. The atmosphere was heavy: looked deadly serious. I finally understood why Richard had been so anxious.
no one spoke, and every face
Sean happened to stroll over behind me and greeted me with a smile, “Mrs. Parker, please come in.” He probably wanted to win me over since he’d always been nice to me
Not wanting to show any weakness, I followed him inside. “What’s today’s meeting about?”
“You’ll find out soon,” Sean said mysteriously, a grin on his face.
1 frowned at him, feeling a bit annoyed. “Oh, you talk about cooperation and then keep me in the dark about this! Is this your idea of sincerity?”
“Well” Sean seemed a bit stuck..
I was making sense, and with the meeting about to happen, there was no reason to hide this from me. After thinking for a moment, he leaned in and whispered, “We plan to propose ousting Hayden from the president position?!
My first reaction was disbelief. They were dreaming!
“Do you really think you can just oust him? The Parker Group is run by the Parker family!” I shot back with a hint of sarcasm. That was a little far- fetched, wasn’t it?
I was surprised when Sean not only didn’t get upset but looked quite pleased. “Mr. Swanson never does anything without being sure of success. You’d better open your eyes and see who your best option really is
That hit hard, It sounded like Sean was serious. I clenched my jaw slightly as I glanced back at Richard, who was still frantically trying to call Hayden because he obviously couldn’t get through.
How could someone who never made mistakes suddenly vanish? Especially at a time like this?
Seeing me stay quiet, Sean chuckled, “Mrs. Parker, i
make sure you
ou think carefully when it comes time to vote.
I hesitated, still processing his words when suddenly, a commotion erupted behind me.
“Mr. Swanson! You finally made it back?”
“Why was today’s meeting called so urgently? What’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, what’s so serious?”
Curious, I turned around and saw a tall man in a crisp white suit striding confidently in, backlit by the hallway lights.
He had neatly styled short hair, distinct features, and a hint of a short beard–definitely an attractive guy. With his commanding presence, he gave off strong “big boss” vibes. It was Zachary, the vice president of Parker Group.
I had seen him a few times from a distance, but never like this, up close. I was sull lost in thought when be approached me.
“Mr. Parker, long time no see. He smiled, extending his right hand to me.
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Extra Check–I
