“Of course. Please return inside—we’ll deliver it to you immediately.”
“Thank you.” Hadley nodded graciously and retreated to the lounge.
Moments later, a secretary entered carrying an insulated mug. “Miss Pearson, here you are. This is Mr. Scott’s cup.”
“Thank you.” Hadley offered her a grateful smile.
“You’re welcome. Please let us know if you require anything else.”
“I will.” Hadley nodded in acknowledgment.
After the secretary departed, Hadley savored the coffee while her mind churned with unanswered questions.
Based on the secretaries’ earlier conversation, it appeared that Eric had suffered defeat at Gifford’s hands.
However, she refused to believe it.
This wasn’t blind devotion to Eric—if Gifford could defeat him so effortlessly, Ferris wouldn’t have moved heaven and earth to bring Eric back to the company.
She had consumed barely half the coffee when the door swung open and Eric returned alone, Phillips nowhere in sight.
“Finished already?” Hadley placed the cup down and began to stand.
“Stay put.” Eric halted her movement, crossing the room in several swift strides. He settled beside her and claimed the cup from her grasp. “I’m parched.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he drank directly from the same spot.
“I drank from that exact spot! Couldn’t you rotate it to a different side?” Hadley protested quickly.
“What’s the problem?” Eric drained the remaining coffee and licked his lips with a mischievous grin. “It’s my cup anyway—I’ve touched every side with my lips. Besides, I relish being intimate with you.”
At those words, Hadley found herself completely speechless.
She decided to cut straight to the heart of the matter. “So, did you lose to Gifford?”
? ? g?ν?
“What?” Eric arched an eyebrow with amusement. “Word travels fast around here, doesn’t it? I just returned, and you already know.”
“So it’s true?” Hadley stared at him in shock, blinking repeatedly as disbelief washed over her. “That’s impossible.”
“It’s true.” Eric spread his hands with casual indifference. “I surrendered a major project to Gifford.”
“What?” Hadley sat there dumbfounded, sensing something was terribly wrong since he appeared completely untroubled by this supposed defeat.
“This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.” Eric drew her into his embrace, his fingers threading through her silky hair. “We’re both recovering from illness. Let’s use this opportunity to rest properly and spend quality time with Joy. She’s improving now, so we can venture out with her more frequently.”
He began thinking aloud, his voice taking on an excited tone. “Where should we explore? Sadly, we’ll need to remain close to Srixby.”
Hadley felt completely bewildered. Eric had supposedly just suffered a crushing defeat to Gifford, yet here he was discussing vacation plans and mapping out family excursions.
.
.
.