Chapter 61: A Misstep
Though I had long been used to the tense exchanges with Fletcher, his repeated taunts this time still provoked a wry laugh from me. “Well, if I’m just a pebble, Mr. Lynton, how did you manage to tolerate me for six years?”
Why didn’t he just cut ties with me cleanly from the start?
My words caught Fletcher off guard. He fell silent, staring at me with eyes like swirling vortices, as if they might swallow me whole at any moment. It was a rare sight. I had never seen Fletcher like this before.
Just as I began to feel increasingly uneasy under his gaze, a familiar soft voice suddenly cut through the tension. “Letch, Charlene,
what’s going on?”
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I turned toward the voice and saw Davina standing a few steps away, her face filled with confusion, her small hands clutching her skirt tightly, watching me with an anxious, defensive look.
Her posture was one of caution.
I felt a bit awkward, thinking back to how Fletcher had humiliated me earlier. It was a bitter moment I couldn’t quite express.
“What’s going on?”
The deep voice came again, closer this time. I casually glanced at Fletcher beside me. He had regained his usual composure, his expression calm and detached once again- like the ever–imposing CEO he was.
Davina walked up to us quickly, gave me
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a glance, and said, “Mr. Wood just got the news, so he said he wanted to apologize to you personally.”
Apologize?
A bad feeling stirred in my chest.
Suddenly, I heard Davina add, “Free Spirit won’t be able to make it today.”
I was taken aback.
With Fletcher’s status and influence, there were few in Myslana who would dare stand him up. Let alone when he had previously arranged a meeting time with Free Spirit- how could he just cancel like this?
It was all too sudden.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught
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Chapter 01 A Mestep
Fletcher’s sharp gaze. His displeasure was evident.
“Letch, don’t be mad,” Davina noticed the tense atmosphere surrounding him and quickly tried to calm him. “Mr. Wood said there’s a reason for it, and he’ll explain it to you personally.”
Fletcher lifted his eyes slightly. “A reason?”
Davina paused for a moment, her beautiful eyes suddenly darting to me. “Maybe you should ask Mr. Wood yourself?”
She probably didn’t mean to spark my curiosity, but her words definitely did.
Fletcher caught onto that just as sharply, his voice cold as he asked, “What reason did Mr. Wood give?”
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As soon as he spoke, Davina’s gaze turned back to me, her lips parting as if she had something to say but held back.
Fletcher was sharp as ever, immediately sensing something off from Davina’s expression. He said, “It’s fine, just tell the truth.”
Davina twisted her fingers nervously, casting a timid glance at me before saying, “Mr. Wood said that Free Spirit isn’t the type to go back on his word. The only reason he changed his mind at the last minute must be that something unexpected happened at the gallery, or perhaps he caught wind of something.”
“And?” Fletcher prompted.
Davina took a deep breath and added, “From what Mr. Wood implied, it seems like there’s
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an issue on our end.”
Her implication was clear–Free Spirit’s sudden change of plans might have been triggered by something I did.
Fletcher caught on as well, and after a brief snort of contempt, he turned to me and asked, “Ms. Grande, are you satisfied with th how things have turned out?”
I stared at Fletcher in disbelief, my throat feeling as if it were clogged with glue. I wanted to explain, but no words would come
out.
An unexpected turn of events–because of
me.
I could admit that there was a possibility of that, but how could Fletcher, always so composed, make such a snap judgment
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Chapter biz A Misstep.
a Point
based on a few words from Mr. Wood and Davina? Was he really going to lay the blame at my feet like this?
Could Free Spirit really be so all–knowing, that just the sight of me at the gallery would make him sulk and not show up?
After all, I had never even had the chance to speak with Free Spirit.
Did that make sense?
It didn’t. Yet, at that moment, Fletcher’s eyes -eyes that always saw everything clearly- were filled with a trace of doubt as he looked at me. It was all because of a few words from Davina.
“Mr. Wood is on his way,” Davina, sensing the tension, shot me a quick glance before continuing, “We’ll hear what he has to say.”
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Twenty minutes later, Gary and his secretary appeared outside the gallery.
He first apologized profusely to Fletcher, then turned the conversation to Free Spirit. “We’ve been working together for seven or eight years, Mr. Lynton, and this kind of situation has never come up before.”
The meaning was clear–after all these years, Free Spirit had never canceled on anyone. The problem clearly wasn’t on their end.
“Did he say anything specific about the reason?”
Gary’s face grew a little uneasy as he glanced at me, then said, “He didn’t go into details, just…”
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“Mr. Wood, just spit it out, Fletcher cut in, his patience clearly wearing thin. “If there isn’t
a valid reason, this matter will not be swept under the rug by Lynton Group.”
His voice was cold, laced with an invisible
pressure.
Gary, who had experienced a lot and dealt with all kinds of people, sensed the gravity in Fletcher’s words. He sighed and said, “Free Spirit must have heard something… he mentioned there are some aesthetic differences within your company. He said he’s the type who hates trouble, so…”
The mention of “aesthetic differences” immediately struck me as problematic.
This should have been an internal matter, a company secret. How did Free Spirit get wind of it?
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“That can’t be. We haven’t even met with Free Spirit,” Davina suddenly spoke up, her voice full of confusion. “How does he know about our aesthetic differences, Charlene?”
The sound of my name refocused all attention back on me.
I had already been holding in my frustration, and now it was spilling over. “Are you implying I leaked it?” I asked sharply.
Davina’s expression faltered, and she quickly defended herself. “Charlene, you misunderstood. That’s not what I meant.””
She lowered her gaze, adopting a victimized look, as if to distance herself from any
blame.
I took a moment to steady myself before
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responding. “I’m just speaking factually”
“Factually?” Fletcher suddenly raised his voice, his tone cutting. “Charlene, don’t you realize your mistake by now?”
I looked up at Fletcher, seeing his piercing gaze, sharp as a hidden blade.
“Mistake?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. “Please, Mr. Lynton, enlighten me.”
“You suddenly show up at the gallery and start questioning the guests about Free Spirit. Those people are all sharp as tacks, do you think they didn’t notice anything?”
I had made sure to speak carefully and avoid discussing internal matters, especially anything about aesthetic differences.
But now, a problem had arisen, and Fletcher
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was already convinced that I was the spark that started the fire.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips, but I said nothing more.
There was no point in explaining–it wouldn’t help, so why waste my breath?
“Letch, now isn’t the time to assign blame” Davina cautiously interjected, sensing the tension in the air. “Mr. Wood, something must have happened. If possible, could you let Free Spirit know? We can explain everything to him ourselves.”
Gary stole a glance at me, his words faltering as he seemed unsure.
At that moment, Fletcher added, “Mr. Wood, do you intend to let this matter go just like that?”
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Gary raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly more deferential. “Of course not, but Free Spirit has always been difficult to handle, and he’ll be leaving Myslana tomorrow. I’m afraid..”
“Leaving?” Davina blinked. “Is there a new job arrangement?”
“No, he’s going on a field trip, in the southern part of Mezeth,” Gary answered bluntly. “Mr. Lynton, that’s all the information I can provide.”
Gary’s meaning was simple: he had repaid the favor with this piece of information, but whether we could find and convince Free Spirit was up to us.
Once Gary left, Davina immediately leaned toward Fletcher, saying, “Letch, I think this is
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our opportunity. What do you think?”
“Ms. Grande, what do you think?”
I hadn’t expected Fletcher to bring me into this conversation at this moment, but I sensed he might already have a plan in mind. So, I spoke up, “Mr. Lynton, what’s your plan?”
Although I felt wronged, I wasn’t yet irrational enough to let it cloud my judgment. After all, our ultimate goal was for the game to launch smoothly.
But the next moment, I heard Fletcher’s cold voice. “In that case, Ms. Grande, I’m leaving the task of convincing Free Spirit to you.”