Chapter 26: Chapter 26

“M-Mr. Jasper. I’m out!” Xavier huffed.

The hotel was a tall building with a dozen flights of stairs.

By the time Xavier reached the 38th floor, he was huffing and puffing. His legs went weak. He almost keeled over.

“Be a man. We have two floors to go. Hurry,” Jasper urged emotionlessly as he continued to climb the stairs.

He was 30 this year, only two years older than Xavier. He had been in the Peacekeeping Forces during his younger days.

After retiring from the forces, he regularly worked out and practiced boxing. Thus, his stamina and tolerance were above average.

He knew he could still do it even if he had to climb another 20 floors. After all, the night run in the forces was always more than 30 rounds on the field.

Once they reached the 40th floor, Xavier sat on the stairs to catch his breath. Jasper shook his head at Xavier.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jasper,” said a man who approached Jasper with a professional smile. His eyes made him look young. It was hard to guess his age.

The man continued. “I’m Sean Lynch, Ms. Alyssa’s secretary. She has been waiting for you. Please come with me.”

“Is he implying that we’re slow?” Jasper wondered. He felt a surge of anger. His expression darkened.

Then Jasper responded, “Walking can never be faster than the elevator. I hope she won’t take it to heart.”

Sean didn’t say a word. He simply turned around and led the way, appearing unprofessional in his attitude.

“What’s with his attitude?” Xavier finally regained his composure. He was about to confront Sean, but Jasper halted him.

“Stay here.”

Jasper took a deep breath and followed Sean to the general manager’s office. He had attended many significant events. Yet, he somehow became nervous right before meeting Alyssa in person.

After the sound of knocking, a female voice resounded from the inside. “Come in.”

Sean opened the door and gestured for Jasper to enter the office.

Jasper swallowed nervously. He adjusted himself before striding into the office.

Alyssa was having chocolate while watching them from the room beside the office.

Sitting behind the table was a young lady in exquisite clothes. Her long hair rested over her shoulders, making her look young.

“Is this her? The one who keeps making things difficult for me?” he thought, disappointed. “She looks different from what I expected. She doesn’t have the sophisticated grace and the air of a manager.”

“Mr. Jasper, you must be tired. Please, take a seat.” Alyssa instructed into the earpiece. Her puppet, Mia, echoed her words. However, Mia appeared rather restless compared to Alyssa. Her expression was stiff.

Jasper seated himself on the couch as he scanned the room.

The interior of the office was classic. There was a black plano placed in the corner. Next to the leather couch was a marble table. The one that caught Jasper’s attention was the painting hanging behind “Alyssa.” It was a painting of a tiger in the mountains.

“Nice painting,” he exclaimed.

Alyssa’s chewing mouth stopped, and her heart skipped a beat. If her memories served her right, it was his first time complimenting her.

During the past three years, when she cared for him as his wife, no matter how hard she tried, she could never impress him.

She had never expected to hear a compliment from him right now. Yet, such a thing no longer bothered her.

“You like the painting?” Alyssa smiled ambiguously.

“You can have it if you like. Think of it as a gift for our first meeting.”

“It’s fine. Based on the sharp colors, I bet the painter is famous. It would make me look bad to take that away from you,” Jasper rejected indifferently.