Chapter 0222
+25 BONUS
At the end of the work day, Logan received Hazel’s email with the set day and time for his date with Tina St. Louis. Hazel had not attached any additional flare. Just a name, date, time, and restaurant where a reservation was made under his name.
She was likely still mad at him, then. He couldn’t blame her exactly. If their roles were reversed…
His hands curled into fists on his desk. He couldn’t think about that, else he risked breaking something in his rage. Maybe he should leave the office early tonight and hit the gym.
It was already the end of the workday. Surely he could leave without putting overtime in for one night.
Logan thought of running the idea passed Hazel. As his assistant, she would know if there was anything pressing on his schedule.
“Hazel!” he called. He glanced up, looking through the window toward her desk. Oddly, it was empty.
Standing up, Logan walked toward the office door and peered more closely at Hazel’s desk. The computer was shut down, all of her files locked away. Her purse and coat were missing.
Had she left for the day? Rarely had she ever done that without telling him first, or asking if he had any more work for her that day.
She truly was angry with him then. Maybe angry was understating it. For it to affect her work, she was most definitely furious.
Logan wanted to ask one of Hazel’s co–workers, likely Maria, if they knew anything. But, given recent events, he was hesitant to interact overmuch with his employees. His letter had been well–received, but it was best to let everything sit for a few days before he started making demands again.
Even asking after Hazel might have been too big of a request.
Determined to make it up to her, Logan returned to his desk and grabbed his phone. Pulling his credit card from his wallet, he dialed the florist first, with a mental note to call a jeweler afterwards. And then a clothing boutique. And an expensive shoe store. Ah, and he’ll order her a nice dinner as well.
Eager, Logan made his calls.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Maria said as she walked into my apartment with me following her. After work, we’d stopped for takeout, but I invited her over to my place to eat and drink wine, rather than sitting in a crowded restaurant.
We’d butted heads for the past few days. I wanted to make sure our friendship was still intact. I could tell that Maria felt the same way, with how quickly she agreed.
It felt good to have my friend back.
I could have someone in my corner again, ready to be outraged on my behalf. And Maria was, incredibly so, when I told her about Logan’s negotiation.
“So to get everything back to normal, your husband agreed to date other women?” Maria said, her voice. sharp, her face twisted with the same rage I felt burning inside of me.
“Not just any other woman. Tina St. Louis,” I said.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 022
Maria nearly dropped her takeout box. “The princess?”
“Her sister’s the one who married a prince. She’s more princess–adjacent.”
“Still…”
“Yeah…” I was only trying to make myself better. The St. Louis family were practically royalty in their own right, with all their oil money and power. Rumor had it, the prince was honored to married the sister, not the other way around.
“And you picked her?”
“I picked one of the few women more wealthy and powerful than the Hatfield family,” I said.
“You’re hoping she gets bored with him…”
“She won’t need to keep him around,” I said. “Maybe she’d be more willing to play the game of being his pretend girlfriend. Without any hard feelings.”
“It’s a gamble.” Maria lowered her food to the table. Then she headed into the kitchen and picked up a bottle of wine.
“I have to trust Logan,” I said. “I don’t think he would betray me.”
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
“What’s there to be happy about? My husband is going to date other people, and I have to be a willing accomplice or his grandfather will burn everything we’ve all worked so hard for right down to the ground.”