Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Chapter 25

HAZEL

(PRESENT TIME)

The extension of the gallery began the instant payment was finalized with the old man. I paid contractors to pull down the coffee shop and attach the building to the gallery before knocking down the walls of the gallery. If we decide to pull the walls down now, we will be risking the safety of the artworks and I can’t have that.

Safety helmet in place, I walked into the fragment of the coffee shop with Agatha closely behind me to inspect the work in progress. Whilst discussing with the contractor on how long this will take, I took notice of how distracted Agatha is with her phone.

Rounding up the discussion with Riggs, I turned to Agatha and cleared my throat. She looked up, slipping her phone into her jacket. “Did something happen?” I questioned out of genuine concern.

“You’ve been staring at your phone ever since we stepped out of the office.”

She smiled tightly at me. “Everything is fine ma’am.”

Her clipped tone made my eyes squint. She’s either hiding something from me, or she’s lying. “What’s going on Agatha?” She opened her mouth, only to close it without uttering a word. “Agatha,” I hissed through clenched teeth, “What’s going on? Did something happen in the office?”

Exhaling heavily, she straightened her back. “I just read a news online,” I arched my brows, “the venue for Mr. Southwark’s exhibition has been confirmed.”

Is that what this is about? “And?” I asked Aloofly, deciding to play it cool.

“He’s holding it here in Seattle.” She continued, feeling uneasy to reveal that. Licking her lips, she balanced from one foot to another. “The hall which is to be used is a stone’s throw from here and that means you’ll be running into him more often

than not.”

I’m not scared of running into him; I’m more worried about him running into Daisy. “And?” I asked again with an indifferent tone. “Why do you look so worried about Southwark holding his event in Seattle? We don’t own the whole of Seattle, do we?”

She gauged my reaction closely. “You’re not worried about that?”

“About what?” My fingers tightened around the strap of my purse. “Why should I be worried about Southwark?” She opened her mouth to respond but I lifted a finger, silencing her. “That you know few things about my personal life doesn’t mean you should bring it up when we should be working.”

Agatha looked down at her shoes. “I’m sorry ma’am.”

Exhaling, I tore my gaze away from her and focused it on the workers behind her. “You should be.” I winced inwardly when one of the workers bumped into a wall. “Instead of focusing on my personal life, how about you go and approve the request from those artists that want us to exhibit their works.” This place should be ready in two weeks.

“Yes ma’am.” She quickly scurried away and I watched her closely, not slightly surprised when she almost fell due to how fast she was walking. My phone vibrated in my purse, taking my attention away from Agatha.

It was almost lunchtime when David walked into my office with three plastic bags. He grinned widely as he approached me. “How about you spare me some of your time?” He requested as he dropped the bag on the desk. “I’m hungry and I want to eat whilst staring at your

face.”

I’m equally hungry. Standing, I gestured we use the sofa instead. He transferred the bag to the center table, pulled out the take-outs, and passed me a fork. I muttered appreciation before digging in.

Chapter 25

“Are you okay?” David asked out of the blue. Pausing with the fork in my plate, I blinked at him, silently waiting for him to elaborate. “The news is all over the internet,” he continued, “his advertising crew is doing a very good job.”

Frustrated with his evasiveness, I dropped the plate on the table. “Do you care to explain what you’re talking about?”

“Southwark.” He mused and I rolled my eyes. “The news says he’s going to be here for a while, are you cool with that?”

“Why do you all think I’m not going to be cool with that?” I queried, my annoyance seeping through my voice. “All I need to do is keep Daisy away from my office environment until he leaves Seattle.”

“So you’re cool with seeing him or running into him?” David asked skeptically.

“What the f uck is your problem?” I snapped angrily prompting him to frown. “Shouldn’t you be working towards making me fall for you? Why exactly are we discussing my ex-husband while having lunch?”

David blinked slowly at me for a few seconds before chuckling. “You’re bothered about it.” Dropping his empty plate, he picked up a bottle of water. “You always get defensive when you don’t want to talk about what’s bothering you.”

I will not discuss this further. Opting for silence, I picked up my plate and resumed eating.

“What do you think about two weeks’ holiday to Miami, just the three of us.” I almost choked on my food from his ridiculous offer. “You, me, and Daisy can stay in Miami for two weeks until his show is over.”

“Are you high or something?” That’s the only reasonable explanation for his absurd reasoning. “You know I can get fined for pulling Daisy out of school during school sessions just to go on vacation, right?”

“You wanted to homeschool her.”

I glared at him. “Homeschooling and vacation aren’t the same thing,” I stressed, hoping he’ll get the point and drop the topic.

“Yes, I know, but that shouldn’t _”

“Drop it.” I hissed, holding his gaze. “I’m not going for any vacation just because Ravel decided to host an event in Seattle.” I’m not a criminal, so why should I be running? “Keeping Daisy away from the office is the best option.” It’s not like he’s going to force himself into my home.

David exhaled heavily, his grip on the plastic bottle tightening. “Let’s not fight over this or panic, there is still enough time for him to change his mind about Seattle.”

I chortled. “Are you saying that to make yourself feel better or make me feel better?” He noticed the smile tugging my lips which equally made him smile. “You and I know it’s too late to change the venue for the event, He has two weeks left.”

Waving my words off, he leaned back and slowly raked me with his gaze. “I have two tickets for a concert, and I’ll love to take you with me.”

Just to maintain the light mood in the room, I grinned. “Are you asking me out on a date David?”

He smirked, matching my playful demeanor. “You bet your a ss, I am.” Licking his lips, he continued to stare at me through a hooded gaze. “The perfect way to enjoy a concert is to go with a beautiful woman.”

“No need for the flattery David.” Grabbing the napkin on the table, I carefully wiped my lips. “I’ll go with you.” He grinned with excitement, looking even more handsome with his dimples. “Stop smiling like that,” I teased, “You might make a lady lose her focus.”

Amused, he shook his head. “That’s the plan.”

That moment, a thought crossed my mind, a very selfish thought. One of the ways to keep Ravel away is to make him believe that I’ve moved on. Elenor already thinks I have a boyfriend, why not let Ravel think the same too?

“Why are you grinning like that?” David asked, narrowing his eyes with a smile tugging his lips. “You look like an evil witch right now.”

Chapter 25

I blurted out a short laugh. “I know right.” I’m thinking like an evil witch right now. “I’m looking forward to the concert date.”

He bit his lips. “Me too.”

My phone chimed from my desk and I stood up, strolled over, and grabbed it. Clicking on the message icon, my brows furrowed into a frown as I read the message.

I MISS YOU HAZEL. I’LL BE IN SEATTLE SOON AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU. I LOVE YOU.

What the actual f uck is wrong with this man?