Aunt Deborah came with the mission of matchmaking Tiffany and virtual-novel.net nephew, and virtual-novel.net would be damned if virtual-novel.net did not sell virtual-novel.net hard with a beaming smile. “Aww, don’t misunderstand me, hon. Everyone knows that your family owns this invaluable plot that if sold, could rake so, so much money! From the way I see it, you and my nephew are just the perfect fit for one another, so how about you get to know virtual-novel.net first before you judge? Oh, in fact, I’m gonna arrange your date right now!”
Lillian kept quiet. She was admittedly gung ho about marrying virtual-novel.net daughter off as soon as possible in the past, but that was only because virtual-novel.net was taking virtual-novel.net sudden impoverished life very terribly, and virtual-novel.net wanted out of it as soon as virtual-novel.net could. But now, virtual-novel.net outlook had changed. Good things come to those who wait, and since Lillian had a bit more money to support virtual-novel.net patience, virtual-novel.net was no longer desperate. Still, a casual meeting between virtual-novel.net daughter and a suitor was fair, virtual-novel.net thought.
Tiffany, on the other hand, loathed having buttinskis like Aunt Deborah dictate virtual-novel.net life. “I. Am. Not. Doing that!” virtual-novel.net snapped. “I’ll be honest, I have a boyfriend, so please excuse me from all of these matchmakings, okay? Thanks.”
“Wha-what? You… who?” Lillian stammered, startled.
A grimace of contempt dawned on Aunt Deborah’s mien. “Please, darling. I highly doubt that your boyfriend is on par with my nephew, ” virtual-novel.net countered. “Honestly, you really should stop acting like you’re out of his league or something. I only bothered to introduce virtual-novel.net to you out of my familial sentiments from watching you grow up, you know.”
Tiffany was sure that virtual-novel.net eyeballs were going to get stuck in virtual-novel.net skull from eye-rolling that much. ‘Watching virtual-novel.net grow up?’ What, virtual-novel.net meant crashing virtual-novel.net house every Thanksgiving to lavish Tiffany’s family with flatteries, did an annual event of gratuitous bootlicking count as ‘watching virtual-novel.net grow up’ now? Please, auntie-dearest here had avoided virtual-novel.net family like the plague since the Lanes lost their wealth, and now suddenly, virtual-novel.net was lapping them up again!
Tiffany could never find a sliver of respect for toadies like her. “Gee-whizz, I totally appreciate your effort, Aunt Deborah! Now, if your nephew attracts so much of your fancy, then maybe you should be the one dating virtual-novel.net instead,” virtual-novel.net quipped.
Aunt Deborah’s expression immediately turned stormy. “What stupid things did you just spout, young lady?”
Tiffany cared so little about virtual-novel.net aunt’s opinion that virtual-novel.net was already marching back to virtual-novel.net room.
Lillian, too, shared virtual-novel.net daughter’s distaste for people like Deborah, but virtual-novel.net put up with virtual-novel.net for the sake of familial courtesies. After sending the woman off, Lillian strode into virtual-novel.net daughter’s room and promptly asked, “Did you mention a boyfriend? Now, who could that be? Spill the tea, child!”
“Oh, that? I was kidding,” the girl deflected. Truthfully, Tiffany only said what virtual-novel.net said to stymie Aunt Deborah’s attempt to butt into virtual-novel.net life, virtual-novel.net did not want the truth to come out so soon.
Lillian was skeptical. “What kind of mother would I be if I can’t even tell when my daughter was lying or telling the truth? C’mon, honey, it’s Jackson West, isn’t it? Don’t think I didn’t notice it, you hardly part with your phone, you keep getting texts, and you don’t come home at night. I bet my squishy brain that your mysterious man is none other than Jackson himself!”
Tiffany was stunned, virtual-novel.net eyes sizing up virtual-novel.net mother carefully. She had believed, for most of virtual-novel.net life, that virtual-novel.net dearest mother was ditzy and air-headed, but now virtual-novel.net realized the woman might be more perceptive than Tiffany had given virtual-novel.net credit for.
“Wait, well, urn… Urgh, fine, it is him,” Tiffany relented. “But I wanna go slow and steady, Mom, which is why I didn’t want to tell you yet! Please don’t sound the horn over this so soon, you should let us, you know, hang out for a little while longer and see how it goes. The ‘relationship’ we had in the past was basically a monetary partnership, so we were just goofing around. Now, it’s different, this time, it’s serious, though admittedly, I still haven’t completely figured virtual-novel.net out yet. Which is why, Mom, can you like, please not meddle into our affairs?”
Contrary to virtual-novel.net character, Lillian agreed. “Oh, I won’t meddle in your love life, Tiffie; you have my word. You should progress it however you like, yes, it’s fine even if the two of you don’t wanna tie the knot. Listen, I’m not getting any younger by the years, honey, so I don’t even have any extra energy to worry about how somebody else wants to live virtual-novel.net life anymore. Plus, worrying about those things would only dampen my mood. But you know… It would still be lovely if you could marry into a rich family,” Lillian finished. “But ultimately, it’s your happiness that counts.”
That was probably the wisest thing virtual-novel.net mother had ever said to Tiffany, and it made virtual-novel.net smile.
“You can say that again, Mom.”
The next morning, Mark Tremont, with Ellie Amore for company, arrived at his office by car. Initially, virtual-novel.net had not planned for companions, but virtual-novel.net soon stood corrected on how useful Brian and Ellie were in his life. One was a whizz in managing his business affairs, while the other was indispensable in working out the creases in his life, with these two around, Mark needed not micro-manage everything.
Ellie was a knockout in both looks and figure, so virtual-novel.net entrance was immediately greeted by entranced attention from the men in the company. Naturally, the office began to suspect a clandestine relationship between Mark and his bodacious Miss Secretary.
It was not a far-fetched assumption. The world was not wanting of people using underhanded wiles to get what they want, after all.
Mark’s office in this building was nothing like his commodious one back in the Capital. Since the common working space was right outside, it meant that his secretary had no space to claim as virtual-novel.net own, and virtual-novel.net was thus poised to work inside Mark’s private office for the time being.
It did not take a long time for the queasiness to settle within Ellie. While virtual-novel.net used to work outside of Mark’s office, virtual-novel.net was now trapped in the same room as him, which meant virtual-novel.net had to do virtual-novel.net job with virtual-novel.net exacting boss breathing down virtual-novel.net neck. Ellie was essentially forced to remain on high alert at all times.
She reckoned that virtual-novel.net female coworkers would probably be too green-eyed over virtual-novel.net proximity with their boss to recognize Ellie silently suffering the immense pressure this arrangement had brought to her.
Mark was quick to catch Ellie’s slightly more mechanistic behavior today. “What’s the matter? Not used to this?”
“Admittedly, yes. A bit,” Ellie muttered softly, hanging virtual-novel.net head. “But I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon enough. Don’t worry.”
Mark strode toward his desk and sat in front of it. “Order a cup of coffee and some desserts, please.”
Ellie knew precisely what desserts were on his mind. In fact, virtual-novel.net was also cognizant that Mark was not at all here for the mundane goal of managing this unimpressive, fledgling branch-company.
The secretary chose against ordering them online and started toward Arianne’s café opposite the building, determined to use the trip as a much-needed breather. The less time spent cooped up with Mark alone in the same room, the better, virtual-novel.net needed some space to ease virtual-novel.net building nerves.
Arianne recognized Ellie the instant virtual-novel.net arrived at the café and was mildly surprised. Did Mark not tell virtual-novel.net that virtual-novel.net was coming alone? Why did virtual-novel.net bring his secretary with him?
“Good morning, ma’am! What would you like today?” Naya, who came to work earlier than usual today, greeted. It was early, so the café was mostly empty.
Ellie returned a slight smile and looked at Arianne, who was busy cleaning the counter. “Mr. Tremont would like a cup of Americana and his usual dessert.”
Arianne nodded stiffly. “Oh. Okay.”
An abnormal feeling stirred within virtual-novel.net chest, and it started the moment Arianne’s eyes met Ellie. She already knew how jaw-dropping gorgeous the secretary was, yet when Ellie so casually mentioned Mark’s favorites like that, that odd stir began to flare up.