Chapter 19
Emily was soaking in the big bathtub at the resort, her eyes half–closed, letting the soothing music wash over her.
Harper must’ve seen her post by now and was probably fuming.
Emily’s phone buzzed.
She opened her eyes, reached out a foam–covered arm, and grabbed the phone from the sink to check the message.
It was a bunch of photos from her mom, Sable Long.
In the pics, Harper and Caden were sitting close together. Caden smiled softly, gazing at Harper with deep affection.
Emily stared at the photos for a bit, plotting her next move.
She was eager to get Alex and Harper divorced, and to make Alex feel disgust and hatred towards Harper, just like her father did. She wanted to take everything Harper had.
Alex wasn’t back yet; he was probably still tied up with business.
Emily smirked and forwarded the photos to Alex.
[Alex, do we have a lot of business with the Elikin Group? Harper’s been hanging out with Caden a lot lately.] She added a little nudge with the photos.
Alex was in a meeting when his phone buzzed.
He opened the messages from Emily and his face turned sour the moment he saw the photos. s.
He grabbed his phone and shot a message to Harper: [We’re not divorced yet. Keep your distance from Caden!]
Harper replied quickly: [I’m discussing the amusement park project with Mr. Elikin.]
Alex sneered. Lame excuse.
افداه
He checked the time; it was 8:30 PM.
Meeting a guy alone at night and calling it work?
If it was just work, someone else could handle it.
Alex took a deep.consideration before he sent another message to Harper: [Hand over the amusement park project to Ewan immediately. Get back to the office and arrange the handover, now.]
Harper was fuming when she saw the message.
She’d put so much effort into this project. Now, just when things were going smoothly, he wanted to hand it over to someone else with a single text.
Harper felt a wave of indignation. What the hell was he trying to do? Making things difficult for her even while enjoying his vacation with Emily?
Caden, sitting across from her, noticed her frustration and asked, “Something wrong?”
Harper replied, “Take me back to the office.”
Caden looked surprised, “Is there an emergency?”
“The follow–up for the amusement park project will be handled by the project manager, Ewan. I hope you two can work together harmoniously.”
Even though she was pissed and reluctant, Harper managed to keep her tone calm.
After all, she was just an employee of the Lavien Group. Who handled the project was Alex’s call.
With a sudden brake, the Porsche came to a sharp stop.
Caden turned to her, his face furious, “Alex arranged this? You’ve been on this project forever, it is ridiculous that he hands it over.”
He laughed coldly, eyes full of mockery.
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Alex didn’t get Harper at all.
Had he ever seen her stay up all night for work? Seen her at the construction site at the crack of dawn?
Now, with just one text, the project was handed over to someone else. Did he see Harper as just a tool?
“Mr. Lavien sure knows how to take care of you,” Caden said sarcastically, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Harper. “Harper, I don’t get it. You’ve given him six years of your life. What have you gotten in return? Is this how he treats you?”
Harper stayed silent, not saying a word.
She opened the car door and stepped out.
Caden seething with rage. “Wake up, Harper. Sooner or later, he’s going to destroy you and leave you with nothing.”
Harper paused for a moment, then walked away without looking back.
She walked for a while before sitting down on a bench by the roadside, feeling weak and drained.
Caden’s words echoed in her mind, making her even angrier. How could Alex make decisions with just one sentence, without even considering her feelings?
She dialed Alex’s number.
He picked up quickly, his impatient voice coming through the line. “Are you back at the office?”
“No.”
“Why aren’t you back yet? I told you to return to the office immediately.”
Harper tried to keep her tone calm. “Mr. Lavien, I’ve put a lot of effort into the amusement park project. Why are you letting Ewan take over?”
She wanted to understand, to get a reasonable explanation.
“This is the company’s arrangement, Alex replied dismissively.
“From the day you joined the company, you should have understood that you must unconditionally obey the company’s arrangements. Anything more to
add?”
Just then, Emily’s soft voice came through the phone.
“Alex, why aren’t you coming to take a bath? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, and the water is getting cold.”
Harper felt like she’d been punched in the gut. The pain was intense.
So, they were taking a bath together.
A man and a woman alone in a room–it was only natural they’d end up having sex, right?
Thinking about the body that had slept beside her for five years now holding another woman made her feel a wave of nausea.
Without waiting for Alex to respond, Harper hung up the phone.
She didn’t want to hear anymore. Just thinking about it made her heart ache unbearably.
She sat on the bench for a long time, staring blankly at the dark sky, before slowly getting up and taking a cab back to the Lavien Group.
After all, Alex was the CEO, and she had to follow his orders.
After completing the handover, it was very late, and Harper ended up sleeping on the office sofa.
The next morning, she was woken up by Alex.
She opened her sleepy eyes and saw that Alex had returned.
He was dressed in a sharp suit, with a gaudy tie on, probably chosen by Emily.
Harper smiled bitterly.
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Alex never liked flashy things. He was always steady and low–key, yet he accepted the tie Emily chose for him.
Love could change a person, but the one who changed Alex wasn’t her.
On the contrary, she had changed a lot for Alex, even giving up her pride.
In this way, Harper was the real loser.
She had never won a bit of Alex’s love.
Alex’s face was gloomy, and he didn’t even glance at her, directly ordering, “Bring the documents to my office immediately.”
Even for an ordinary employee, he would politely say, “Thank you for working late. I really appreciate your hard work.”
And for her? She was supposed to be the wife to be cared for the most, yet he didn’t even have a word of concern, not even a gentle look.
Harper answered softly, got up, and carried the pile of documents on the desk into his office.
At that moment, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor approached.
Then, Emily’s voice sounded in her ear. “How can you do things like this? Don’t you have any manners?”
