Chapter 110
The chef turned his head and saw Marina, greeting her with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Ms. Finley,” he said.
Marina replied, a bit spaced out, “Hello.”
She couldn’t remember where she’d seen him before, so she gave him an awkward smile.
The chef said, “Daron’s in the kitchen.”
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“Okay,” Marina replied, nodding gently. Knowing her boundaries she quietly excused herself from the kitchen.
Anyone who could call Daron by his first name must be pretty close to him.
Maybe she had actually met him before.
With questions swirling in her mind, Marina walked up to the study door and knocked.
“Mr. Zamora, I’m here,” she said.
“Come in,” Daron’s deep voice called out.
Marina pushed the door open and stepped inside. She paused for a moment, deliberately leaving the door open, then walked over to Daron and began updating him on her work.
Daron kept his
locked on his computer, eyes
didn’t even look her way. Marina couldn’t tell if he was even listening.
Marina continued with her report, then passed him the tablet she’d brought and placed it in front of him.
“These are some suspicious contracts I found at the company today. I suspect Lavern is quietly siphoning off company assets,” she said.
That’s when Daron finally tore his eyes away from the screen, grabbed the tablet, and started checking it out.
Marina leaned in a bit, pointing at the photo of Yara on the table. “See this guy?” she said.
“I’m thinking of starting with him.”
“Once we’ve got all the proof, we can get back about 1.5 million dollars for the company.”
Daron looked up at her, his eyes as deep and dark as ink.
“You really think I’m only after the money?” he asked.
“Of course not. Just getting the money back isn’t enough. Anyon who messes up should pay the price. If we don’t set an example, with all the companies and assets under Zamora Grou, people will start following suit–and then the whole company could get drained,” Marina replied.
She answered with a calm, businesslike tone, not showing the slightest bit of hesitation or sympathy about Lavern possibly ending up behind bars.
Daron set the tablet down, his eyes dark and unreadable as he stared at her for a moment.
Marina kept her cool, meeting Daron’s probing gaze head–on–ven though her heart was racing for no reason she could
name.
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“He was your boyfriend for seven years. He embezzled a huge amount from the company. If he gets convicted, he could be looking at serious jail time. Can you really live with that?” Daron asked.
Zamora Group’s legal team was famous for being ruthless–they always pushed for the maximum penalty in court.
Marina kept her expression serious. “Mr. Zamora, it’s true Laver and I were together for seven years, but we’re done now. There’s nothing between us anymore, so I don’t feel anything about letting him go, one way or the other.”
She genuinely felt no regret at all.
For the past six months–maybe even longer–Lavern had been plotting something major behind her back.
Moving the assets was probably just his first step. He was deliberately running Ross Group into the ground, racking up massive bank debts, and making sure it all collapsed so the debt would end up on her.
By the time Yara showed up again, she’d be completely powerless to fight back.
But Lavern probably never realized that she’d already dealt with moves like this when she was just a teenager.
The traps Carter set for Finley Group still haven’t been dealt with, even now.
He probably never expected her to be so dead set on leaving him, so she wasted no time selling off her shares in Ross Group.
“Business is war. If I go soft on my enemies, I’m just handing them the sword to stab me in the back. I’m not that stupid,” Marina said.
As soon as Marina finished speaking, she caught a hint of admiration deep in Daron’s eyes.
Noticing that his stern look had eased, she finally let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Daron finally looked away from her.
“You’re not that dumb, but sticking with a guy like that for seven years? Doesn’t say much for your judgment,” he said.
Marina was speechless.
She thought, ‘Dating him turned into a stain I’ll never scrub off my life. Bad luck.
Daron’s lips curled into a faint smile as he picked up the tablet from the desk and handed it to her.
“Since you brought this to me, I’m sure you’ve already got a way o handle it. Take care of it however you think best–I’ll be looking at the results,” he said.
Marina took the tablet with both hands.
“Thanks for trusting me, Mr. Zamora. I’ll make sure you get the utcome you want,” she said.
Daron frowned, shooting her a sharp look that made it clear he wasn’t pleased.
Marina was confused. She mentally replayed her words, sure she hadn’t said anything wrong, but her eyes still clouded with
confusion.
Daron gave her a cold, indifferent look, then went back to his computer, shutting her out.
Marina awkwardly wiggled her toes, having no idea what she’d said wrong.
‘Working with him really is like walking on eggshells,’ she though.
She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and made her request.
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“Mr. Zamora, the office space on my floor is still empty. Do you want to send some of your people over? Most of the folks at Ross Group are still Lavern’s guys, and the only one I can reallyount on is Robert,” she said.
Daron didn’t respond.
Marina pressed on. “The sooner your people get here, the soone That way, when I’m done and ready to leave, the transition will
they’ll get the hang of how things work at Ross Group. way easier.”
She was just trying to make the Zamora Group’s takeover of Ross Group as smooth as possible.
There was no reason for Daron to turn her down.
But the man in the office chair looked up at her with a blank face his eyes so intense that Marina suddenly felt like she’d done something wrong.
“W–What’s wrong?” she stammered.
With a hint of hesitation in his eyes, Daron finally spoke. “Are you really in such a hurry to finish up and get out of here?”
Marina didn’t hide it, just nodded.
“Yeah, that’s right,” she said.
Honestly, her whole stint at the company was just a silent game of give–and–take between her and Daron. They both knew they were just using each other.
Now that her sister was having health issues, Marina just wanted to wrap things up and get back to the capital as soon as possible.
Daron looked at her, his voice low and husky. He nodded, speaking in a quiet, indifferent tone, “Alright then.”
Marina was totally baffled by how Daron went from looking annoyed to acting like he didn’t care, all in the blink of an eye.
Thankfully, a knock at the door broke the tension, and the chef voice came from the hallway.
“Dinner’s ready. Let’s talk after we eat,” he said.
Daron nodded. “Alright.”
Marina hugged the tablet to her chest and said politely, “I’ll head back now.”
Daron’s voice was low and calm. “Stay for dinner before you go.”
Marina was just about to refuse when Daron’s deep voice cut in again.
“It’s just an extra pair of fork,” he said.
With that one sentence, Daron completely shut down any chand she had to refuse.
Marina could only nod respectfully and do as she was told.
As Daron got up from his chair, his eyes landed on Marina’s bare feet, and he froze for a second, clearly surprised.
Marina noticed where he was looking, glanced down, and let out an awkward little laugh.
“I couldn’t find any slippers when I came in,” she said.
Daron frowned. “Wasn’t there a pair of slippers?”
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Marina laughed it off, making up an excuse. “Guess I didn’t notice. Honestly, it’s kind of nice–keeps my feet cool.”
‘No way I’d mess with his woman’s stuff, Marina thought to herself.
She wasn’t about to cross that line.
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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.
