Chapter 241
Daron muttered to himself, “Make it up to you?”
He rolled the phrase around in his mind, then let out a bitter, self–deprecating laugh.
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‘She broke off our engagement out of nowhere, and not once did she ever try to make things right with me, Daron thought.
‘Let’s be real, it’s all because Lavern is someone special to her,‘ he admitted to himself.
Just the thought of losing to a guy like that made Daron’s chest tighten, his breath coming up short.
He looked away from Marina and gestured for her to leave.
“Leave,” he said.
Marina nodded and turned to walk out of his office.
Just as she stepped out, the restaurant delivered Daron’s lunch, so Marina had to double back with the lunch in hand.
When she pushed open the door and walked in, she found Daron sitting in his office chair, lost in thought.
He looked like he was wrestling with something he just couldn’t figure out, his brows tightly furrowed.
When he saw her come in, he glanced up, and there was a flicker of emotion in his deep, dark eyes that Marina couldn’t quite decipher.
“Mr. Zamora, your lunch is here,” Marina said.
Daron nodded.
Marina set the lunch on the long table off to the side, arranged everything neatly, then slipped out of the office and headed back to her workstation.
There were still a few files piled up on her desk.
But this time, instead of just dropping them off quietly like before, her coworker had left a little sticky note on the folder.
It was basically a plea for help, something like, “Hey, could you help me out? I’m drowning in work over here.”
Just then, Bella walked over grinning at Marina.
“Marina, have you had lunch yet? Want to eat together?” she asked.
Marina busied herself with the extra files on her desk, finally fishing out Bella’s folder from the stack.
“Sorry, but I won’t be able to cover for you guys anytime soon,” Marina said.
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Chapter 241
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Her smile looked friendly enough, but it was all business, and you could tell she was keeping her distance.
Bella blinked in surprise, then took the folder from Marina with a sheepish grin.
“Alright, guess I’ll just take care of it myself,” she replied.
Marina nodded, still smiling. “Really, sorry about that.”
Bella’s face grew even more awkward, and she gave a sheepish chuckle. “It’s fine, really. I was the one asking for a favor.”
“Seriously, it’s no big deal. I shouldn’t have bothered you in the first place,” she added.
Marina just pressed her lips together, didn’t bother replying. She glanced at the clock, scooped up her folders, and headed straight for Chloe’s office.
The rest of the team, who’d been acting like nothing was wrong, quickly swooped in to reclaim their own files from Marina’s desk.
With the last folder finally out of her hands, Marina wasted no time and made a beeline for the cafeteria to grab lunch.
Daron’s afternoon schedule was packed.
After lunch, Marina went to Daron’s office to clean up the lunch containers, then headed back to her workstation.
She was so wiped out that she barely had time to check her messages.
Ever since Ross Group started running smoothly, she hadn’t been this worn out in forever.
She couldn’t help but think to herself. She just didn’t have the stamina she used to. Leaning her head on her arms, she took a quick nap.
It was two o’clock.
Daron glanced at the time. Marina still hadn’t come by to give him a heads–up about his upcoming trip in half an hour, and his brow furrowed.
He got up and walked out of his office, heading for the executive suite.
As soon as he stepped into the workspace, he saw Marina slumped over her desk, her head tucked into her arms, sound asleep.
Bella spotted Daron heading over in the little mirror on her desk and paused for a moment, debating whether she should wake Marina up.
But that idea vanished almost instantly, her own self–interest won out, and she decided to just let it slide.
She acted like she hadn’t seen Daron at all, sat up straighter, and pretended to be totally absorbed in her work.
22:29 Sat, Feb 7
Chapter 241
Daron walked straight over to Marina’s desk, stopped, and knocked on her desktop.
Marina looked up at him and quickly stood up.
Marina started, “I…”
But Daron just said coolly, “If your heck isn’t good, don’t nap at your desk.
Bella, sitting nearby, heard every word Daron said, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
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She could barely hold back her curiosity. She just had to sneak a peek at Daron’s face to see what he was thinking.
She still remembered all too well, the last person who dared to nap at their desk during work hours got shown the door that very afternoon.
‘Is this really the take–charge Mr. Zamora?‘ Bella thought, stunned.
A flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes, and she didn’t even notice she’d mistyped a number on her computer.
As soon as Daron reminded her, all those memories Marina thought she’d buried came rushing back, hitting her out of nowhere.
A flash of embarrassment crossed Marina’s eyes, and she just lowered her head.
“I understand,” she said softly.
Daron gave a quiet “yeah,” checked the time, and said in his usual serious tone.
“Pack up. We’re heading out,” he told her.
Marina glanced at her watch and realized it was already two o’clock. Her face froze for a second.
She’d only planned to rest her eyes for a bit, but ended up totally knocked out.
Guess she hadn’t slept well last night and got up way too early. Her phone was on vibrate, but even that couldn’t wake her.
Marina rushed to the restroom, gave herself a quick once–over to make sure she looked sharp, then hurried after Daron, falling in step behind him as they headed out.
When they arrived at their destination, Marina got out of the car and opened the door for Daron.
Just as she was about to follow him inside, Daron paused and said coolly, “Wait for me in the car.”
Marina nodded, quietly stepped aside, and waited until Daron had gone into the estate before she slipped
back into the car and waited.
She’d already caught a decent nap at her desk, so now, sitting in the car, she felt wide awake. After reviewing Daron’s schedule for the rest of the day, she glanced up at the house.
22:30 Sat, Feb 7
Chapter 241
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Daron walked straight over to Marina’s desk, stopped, and knocked on her desktop.
Marina looked up at him and quickly stood up.
Marina started, “I…”
But Daron just said coolly, “If your heck isn’t good, don’t nap at your desk.”
Bella, sitting nearby, heard every word Daron said, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
She could barely hold back her curiosity. She just had to sneak a peek at Daron’s face to see what he was thinking.
She still remembered all too well, the last person who dared to nap at their desk during work hours got shown the door that very afternoon.
‘Is this really the take–charge Mr. Zamora?‘ Bella thought, stunned.
A flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes, and she didn’t even notice she’d mistyped a number on her computer.
As soon as Daron reminded her, all those memories Marina thought she’d buried came rushing back, hitting
her out of nowhere.
A flash of embarrassment crossed Marina’s eyes, and she just lowered her head.
“I understand,” she said softly.
Daron gave a quiet “yeah,” checked the time, and said in his usual serious tone.
“Pack up. We’re heading out,” he told her.
Marina glanced at her watch and realized it was already two o’clock. Her face froze for a second.
She’d only planned to rest her eyes for a bit, but ended up totally knocked out.
Guess she hadn’t slept well last night and got up way too early. Her phone was on vibrate, but even that couldn’t wake her.
Marina rushed to the restroom, gave herself a quick once–over to make sure she looked sharp, then hurried after Daron, falling in step behind him as they headed out.
When they arrived at their destination, Marina got out of the car and opened the door for Daron.
Just as she was about to follow him inside, Daron paused and said coolly, “Wait for me in the car.”
Marina nodded, quietly stepped aside, and waited until Daron had gone into the estate before she slipped back into the car and waited.
She’d already caught a decent nap at her desk, so now, sitting in the car, she felt wide awake. After reviewing Daron’s schedule for the rest of the day, she glanced up at the house.
22:30 Sat, Feb 7
Chapter 241
Daron was currently visiting a retired scientist.
:
His specialty had always been electric motors and control systems.
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With new energy vehicles blowing up these past couple of years, the Zamora Group’s push into the auto industry was really turning heads.
Marina knew Daron was aiming for a major breakthrough on the tech front.
Someone as top–tier as Apollo Skinner had probably been getting offers left and right from companies wanting to bring him back ever since he retired.
But he never joined any of them. Clearly, he had zero interest in going back to work.
Marina pulled out her phone and started looking up some info on Apollo.
Most of what she found were lengthy articles praising his work achievements.
There was barely anything about his family or his personal life.
After sifting through all those write–ups, Marina finally stumbled upon an article highlighting how Apollo’s wife was frugal and managed the household with care.
She read through the article, then tracked down the old interview and paid close attention to every subtle look and gesture between Apollo and Karissa. By the end, Marina already knew what her next move should be.
Getting Apollo back wasn’t really about convincing him. It all hinged on whether Karissa would give her blessing and agree to let him return to work.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
