Chapter 1510

Hertha's eyes widened as she stared at Alaric, still finding the reality of his presence hard to believe.

There he was, in the flesh – Alaric himself! So, the words she had just heard were also true, right?

Hertha raised her hand, playfully slapping at Alaric's outstretched hand, and said in a brash manner, “Alaric, are you out of your mind? Giving up a cushy VP position at Falconer Group to work for someone else?”

Donovan, overhearing this, panicked at Hertha's blunt approach, fearing she might offend. His jaw dropped as he quickly interjected, “Mr. Falconer, Hertha had a car accident a while back and hit her head pretty bad. If she’s speaking out of turn, please don’t take it to heart...”

Alaric, however, seemed unfazed and laughed it off, “I think it’s not so much that the accident affected her, but that she’s always been this way. Otherwise, why would she always speak without thinking first?”

Donovan, initially worried Alaric was upset with Hertha, was about to explain further when he recalled the conversation. He said in surprise, “Mr. Falconer, you knew Hertha from before?”

“Knew him? More like I was out of my mind to have ever followed him around like some celebrity!”

Hertha rolled her eyes at Alaric, reverting back from her initial shock.

She detested when people suggested she wasn’t all there upstairs. Alaric used to tease her like this in the past, and now here he was, doing it again in front of her manager. It was a wonder Hertha’s temper hadn’t flared up on the spot.

“Huh? Hertha, you actually chased after Mr. Falconer!? You’ve got some nerve by going after anyone you please. First Eamon, then Ambrose, and now I find out you even had a thing for Mr.

Falconer!” Donovan scolded Hertha, a mix of jest and authority in his tone, typical of an interaction between a boss and his employee.

“Donovan, didn’t you say it yourself? I must have really damaged my brain in that accident, or else how could I have been so blind as to chase after him?” Hertha didn’t bother to argue.

Thalassa observed Ethan watching the banter with a smile, guessing that the buyer might be him, and Alaric was the project director with the final say in whether to purchase their jewelry designs.

If Hertha managed to upset Alaric, their chance at this collaboration could be ruined again.

Thalassa nudged Hertha gently, signaling her to stop talking.

But Hertha, caught in her emotions, couldn’t see the bigger picture. Feeling someone pushing at her arm, she shrugged it off and continued her tirade at Alaric, “Weren’t you sitting pretty with the support of the Reed family, firmly in your VP chair? What, did Georgia scold you so harshly you quit your cushy job as the Reed family’s golden boy to become a nobody at Crawley Corp?”

The memory of seeing naked Alaric and Georgia in the same bed three years ago still infuriated Hertha. And to overhear Georgia causing a scene in Alaric’s office, demanding marriage or threatening to ruin him in front of all those shareholders!

Was this the fall from grace she had mentioned?

Hertha’s words made Alaric’s smile vanish, and even his usually playful eyes turned serious and cold. His aura was intensifying the air.

Thalassa urgently tugged at Hertha’s sleeve, whispering, “Hertha, stop...”

Hertha finished without thinking. Sensing Alaric’s expression change and Thalassa’s reminder, she realized that she seemed to have said too much. She's really not saving any face for Alaric by revealing his shortcomings in front of onlookers.

Feeling guilty, she quickly averted her eyes and looked down on the ground, “I was just imagining things. Don’t take it seriously.”

Donovan was sweating bullets, wishing he could literally gag Hertha to stop her from speaking further.

Alaric might currently be a director at Crawley Corp, but he was also the Falconer family’s second son – a man not to be trifled with. Hertha’s straightforward, impulsive nature always seemed to land Donovan in hot water.

Sensing the tension, Ethan stepped in to lighten the mood, “The horses are ready. How about we pick one and enjoy some riding today?”