After packing Daron’s luggage, Marina came downstairs to find Bette was nowhere to be seen in the living room.
She carried the suitcase down and glanced at the bookshelf. The book Bette had taken down earlier was back where it belonged.
She’d overheard bits of Joyce’s phone call with Bette earlier.
It was obvious Joyce was the owner of the book.
Bette must have come over to help Joyce look for it.
Marina had a guess as to why Bette hadn’t taken it.
‘So that’s it, Marina thought. ‘Bette’s trying to set up Joyce and Daron. By leaving the book here, Joyce will have to come over herself to get it, which means she’ll get another chance to hang out with Daron.’
The Zamora family must be very pleased with Joyce, which was why they were always trying to set her up with Daron.
Marina looked away from the book, grabbed her suitcase, and headed out.
She wasn’t the least bit upset by Bette’s little stunt earlier.
After tossing her luggage into the trunk, Marina made a beeline for Zamora Group.
*****
When Marina got upstairs, Daron was in the middle of a meeting.
She headed back to her desk, and couldn’t help but notice a few new faces in the office.
Everyone was busy at their desks, and no one even looked up when she walked in.
Even Bella didn’t come over to chat with her like she usually did. She looked more serious than ever, totally focused on her work.
It was the most serious and focused Marina had seen Bella lately
Marina couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled, but she quickly looked away from Bella.
Once she had the flight info sorted out, Marina set up lunch for Daron.
When lunchtime rolled around, Daron was still stuck in the meeting room. Marina dropped off his lunch in his office, then headed to the cafeteria to take care of her own meal.
After lunch, Marina returned to the office and noticed Bella was still at her desk.
As Marina sat down, Bella stretched, glanced over, and said quietly,
“Have you had lunch? Want to eat together?” Bella asked.
Marina shook her head, her voice calm. “Already had mine.”
Bella moaned, “Man, if I’d known, I would’ve had you grab something for me.”
Marina didn’t respond.
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Bella leaned in close to Marina’s car and whispered, “Are you really only working at Zamora Group for three months?”
Marina nodded, “Yeah.”
“I’m only here for three months, so you really don’t need to worry about me as your rival,” Marina said.
Bella let out a little sigh.
“Man, I wish I could be like you. Just come and go whenever you want,” she said.
“Guess you haven’t heard yet, huh? The executive office got a major shake–up this morning. Nearly half the staff got fired, Bella added.
As she spoke, Bella glanced over at Daron’s office, pretty obvious he was the one who did the firing.
Marina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? Why?” she asked.
Bella shook her head. “No clue. Early this morning, Chloe called out a list of names and had those folks go with her to the office. An hour later, they all came back, grabbed their things, and were gone for good.”
Marina couldn’t help but be impressed by Daron’s ruthless efficiency. He never hesitated when it came to making big decisions.
She was also amazed at how well he managed things. Even after nearly half the team got axed, the office didn’t miss a beat today.
Bella and Marina were chatting for a bit when they heard footsteps. Bella immediately straightened up in her chair, sitting up extra straight, as if she was worried she might be next on the chopping block.
Marina turned to see where the footsteps were coming from and spotted Daron heading back to his office from the meeting
room.
His gaze landed on Marina, and he said in a deep voice, “Come here.”
Marina immediately got up from her seat and walked over.
As Marina stood up, Bella glanced at her, a hint of envy in her eyes.
Daron strode into his office, and Marina followed right behind him.
Daron walked into the office first, his voice coming out low and steady right as Marina stepped in behind him. “Did you run into Bette while you were packing my stuff?”
Marina said straight up, “Yeah.”
Daron dropped into his chair, seeing that she seemed totally unfazed, and asked, “What did she say to you?”
Marina replied calmly, “Bette didn’t really say anything to me.”
Daron fixed his gaze on her, as if he could see right through her
“You think I don’t know Bette?” he said.
Back when Marina insisted on breaking off the engagement, Bette made a huge scene and insisted on confronting her for an explanation.
If he hadn’t stopped her, she would’ve gone to Sicester to make trouble for Marina without a second thought.
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If Bette had seen Marina at his place, no way she’d keep her mouth shut.
Marina shook her head. “She really didn’t say anything.”
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Seeing he wasn’t getting anything out of her, Daron just said in a low voice, “Whatever Bette said to you, that’s just her own take.”
“She doesn’t know anything about us,” Daron added.
Marina nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself. “I get it.”
She glanced at the long table, looking every bit the dedicated assistant.
“Mr. Zamora, your lunch has arrived,” she said.
Daron frowned, his voice cool. “Got it.”
“Alright, I’m heading out now,” Marina said.
Daron nodded, got up, and settled onto the couch. He pulled out his phone, scrolled through the security cams at his apartment, and dug into his lunch.
Watching Marina and Bette’s exchange on the screen, Daron’s gaze turned dark.
From the way Bette and Marina interacted, it was clear these two had met before.
His expression hardened as he dialed Bette’s number.
Bette picked up right away.
“About time you called me, you brat…” Bette started, but before she could finish, Daron cut her off, his voice sharp with irritation.
“Bette, didn’t I tell you not to mess with her?” Daron said.
When Bette heard Daron’s cold voice, she instantly knew he’d found out she went all the way to Sicester to confront Marina.
Bette’s voice dropped, sounding tense. “So, Marina ran off to rat me out to you,
huh?”
“Figures. I knew she wouldn’t just let it slide,” Bette muttered.
Daron’s reply was ice–cold. “What, you think I can’t even afford surveillance at my own place?”
Bette was stunned into silence by his comeback.
‘Damn, how did I forget about the cameras?‘ she thought.
“Yeah, I went to see her,” Bette admitted.
“Why does she get to break off the engagement whenever she feels like it, and now that she’s having second thoughts, she comes chasing after you?” Bette snapped.
“You know that woman’s been getting more and more ambitious all these years. With the Finley family in shambles, they can’t back you up at all,” Bette added.
Daron scoffed, his tone icy and indifferent.
“If I needed some woman’s family to back me up, I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair today,” he said, voice cold.
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“Is that really how you see your own brother? As some helpless guy who can’t stand on his own?” Daron shot back, his tone sharp.
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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.
