Chapter 244
Adam flipped through reports attered across his desk, morning light bouncing off Haven Enterprise’s glass tower. His eyes moved over security protocols and inventory lists, but his mind kept skipping back to yesterday to the warmth of Irene’s wrist under his fingers, the way her pulse jumped when he touched her.
Thomas breezed in, waving his tablet. “Good news. Cops finished with the components. We’ll have everything back today.
“Damage?”
“None. Quality guys are ready to check when they arrive.”
Adam’s screen lit up with Lee’s incoming call. He clicked accept and raightened his shoulders on instinct.
Lee’s face appeared, his expression way more chill than during yesterday’s crisis. He took one look at Adam and smirked.
“That face tells me things worked out,” Lee said.
Adam’s mouth quirked upward. “Thanks for yesterday. Partnership’s back on track.”
“And the doctor?” Lee leaned closer to his camera. “That situation sorted?”
Something shifted in Adam’s expression–a flash of the man behind the business suit. “Sometimes life trumps business. You get it.”
Lee let out a laugh that crinkled his entire face. “First time in thirty years I’ve heard a Haven say anything like that.” His eyes sparkled. “She must be one hell of a doctor.”
They dove into contract details, wrapping up what had nearly crashed yesterday. When the screen went dark, Adam swiveled toward
Thomas.
“Victor’s money situation?”
Thomas’s fingers danced across his tablet. “Hitting up every bank in town. Guy’s desperate.” He glanced up. “Want me to tighten the
net?”
Adam stared out at the skyline, jaw tightening. “Watch him like a hawk. Keep him away from Emerald Garden. Especially…” The unfinished sentence hung between them, but Thomas caught his meaning immediately.
Adam tapped his watch. “My mother today?”
“Breakfast with Natalie Snow,” Thomas scanned his screen. “Shopping after.”
Adam’s mouth thinned to a line. “Mom never was good at taking hints.”
Meanwhile, across town, piano jazz floated through Silver City’s fanciest shopping center as Sophia and Natalie drifted between designer racks, price tags dangling discreetly from silk sleeves.
Natalie held up a cream–colored dress, letting it catch the light. She bit her lower lip and glanced at Sophia.
Mrs. Haven, I only me because our families go way back,” she said voice quieter than the background music. “But Adam practically threw me out, and that Sterling woman looked at me like was stealing her parking spot.”
Sophia fingered a silk scarf, tugging it through her rings. Her perfect poker face hid the irritation bubbling beneath. “Adam’s been through a lot. Makes him prickly with new people.” She waved dismissively. “Trust me, it’s not you.”
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Chapter 244
She patted Natalie’s hand, the gesture both maternal and calculating “I messed up by not warning hind first. Next time will be
different
If you say so. Natalie tucked a strand of hair behind her eat, catching herself mid–nod and slowing down. Too desperate. Dial it back. If he ever needs me, I’m just a call away.”
Behind her carefully composed expression, Natalie’s mind raced. Her comeback to Silver City wasn’t about medicine–it was about Adam Haven. Tall, brilliant, untouchable Adam who’d blown past her in school corridors, who’d aced exams while barely trying, who’d never once noticed her crush during those four years she’d watched him from the back row.
The Snow family bank accounts were bleeding dry from bad overseas bets. They needed Haven Enterprise’s golden touch, and she needed this second chance with the boy who’d never seen her.
“Don’t overthink it,” Sophia said, checking a blouse’s stitching. I’llk to him again. You two have so much in common.”
Natalie plucked a blue jacket from a nearby rack. “This would look incredible on you.” She draped it against Sophia’s shoulders, the color making her eyes pop. “Really brings out your eyes.”
She nodded toward glass doors across the atrium. “That new boutique just got their spring line. You’d rock those designs.”
As they walked, Sophia side–eyed Natalie’s perfect posture and quiet confidence. This girl could be Haven material. This girl could be exactly what Adam needed.
Just as they were crossing the center’s main court, noon light blasted through the shopping center’s skylight. Samantha swung out of a jewelry shop clutching a tiny blue bag when she spotted them–Sophia with some stranger, browsing through clothes like they’d been shopping together for years.
Samantha’s stomach dropped. The way Sophia touched the woman’s arm, leaned in close, smiled at her choices–Samantha knew
those moves. They were the same ones Sophia had used on her.
She clenched her bag and made a beeline across the marble floor. “Mrs. Haven!” she called, keeping her voice just sweet enough.
Sophia turned, not bothering to hide her surprise. “Samantha. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Morning.” Samantha’s eyes slid to the polished stranger at Sophia’s side. “And you are…?”
“Natalie Snow,” Sophia answered before the woman could speak. “From the Snow family.”
Samantha’s smile didn’t slip. Snow who? “Lovely to meet you.”
“Same here,” Natalie purred, all cashmere and sharp edges. “The Snows aren’t as famous as Haven or Wright, so I wouldn’t expect my name to ring any bells. But I’ve definitely heard about you.”
Despite her honeyed tone, her eyes swept over Samantha like she was scanning last season’s clearance rack.
“Have you?” Samantha kept her eyes on Sophia, reading every microexpression.
That’s when it clicked. The way Sophia stood slightly protective of Natalie. The approving nods. The subtle touches. Sophia was grooming her replacement. A new candidate for Adam’s affection. A shiny new almost–daughter–in–law.
Samantha glanced between them, her perfectly trained smile hiding the acid burn in her throat. Moved on to the next model already? Damn, that was fast
Sophia missed every signal, her attention on her phone rather than the storm brewing in front of her. She’d invested so much in Samantha–introductions, invitations, subtle nudges toward Adam–but Samantha had failed to close the deal. As far as Sophia was concerned, that failure belonged to Samantha alone.
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“We should get going. Sophia said, barely making eye contact.
“Of course,” Samantha practically sparkled, “Don’t let me hold you
She watched them glide away, disappearing into some exclusive boutique. The second they vanished, her face hardened into something unrecognizable. She yanked out her phone and fired off essages with stabbing fingers before making a call.
“I need dirt, she hissed, ducking behind a fountain. “Everything on Natalie Snow. Family history, skeletons, weaknesses–all of it.” She listened for a moment. “No–don’t touch the doctor. Too risky, fast watch Snow. She’s the easy target.”
Ending the call, Samantha’s lips curved into a cold smile.
“Now things get interesting, she whispered to the bubbling water. I need to do is wait…”
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