CHAPTER 155

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Samuel, looking confused, asked, “What commotion?”

Emelie replied calmly, “I’m not sure.”

“You better not,” William said as he set aside the newspaper. “Why didn’t you pick up when I called you after the meeting yesterday?”

Emelie casually pulled out her phone, pretending to be puzzled. “I don’t remember seeing any missed calls, Mr. Middleton. What time did you call? Let me check.”

She wanted to see if he had the nerve to say he called at 8:00 pm.

William simply looked at her without saying a word.

Sensing the tension, Jayden tried to lighten the mood and changed the subject. “Finally, here comes Ms. May.”

“Hey, but I bought you guys smoothies!” Patricia protested. “Have you heard about that famous smoothie spot from Capebatt City near the airport? I spotted it while passing by and couldn’t resist joining the queue.”

It was clear that Patricia had a thing for red. She looked stunning in her red knitted dress with a V–neck, giving off an air of sophistication and allure. Despite the chilly weather, she seemed fine with just a beige wool coat thrown over it.

Emelie and Samuel moved aside.

Patricia set the smoothie down on the small table and passed cups to everyone except William, saying, “I know you’re not a fan of this, Mr. Middleton, so I didn’t get you one.”

Her tone was casual.

William just nodded in response.

Jayden chimed in with a smile, “I’m not a fan, either. You ladies enjoy.” He nodded toward Alexis, his secretary.

Alexis took the smoothie from Patricia and offered a polite thank you.

Patricia then handed another cup to Emelie, saying, “This one’s their special blend, Ms. Hoven. Give it a try.”

Emelie thanked her. As Patricia passed her the drink, she gave Emelie a quick once–over.

Emelie’s makeup was light. But her naturally pretty face made her look gorgeous no matter what.

As the boarding announcement reminded passengers to get on board, they made their way onto the plane.

They had all chosen business–class seats, with Emelie and Samuel seated together in one row.

As soon as they settled into their seats, Patricia came over to Samuel and asked, “Mr. Swanson, could you do me a favor and switch seats with me? I’d like to have a

chat with Ms. Hoven.”

Samuel checked with Emelie first. With her nod of approval, he got up to switch seats with Patricia. Patricia settled into Samuel’s seat comfortably and fastened her

seatbelt.

Turning to Emelie, Patricia asked, “Ms. Hoven, how did you do your hair? It looks really nice.”

Emelie had her hair tied up in a loose bun, which had gotten a bit messy from the hustle earlier. Since Patricia asked, Emelie casually untied it and showed her how

she did it.

“It’s actually quite simple,” she said. “Just watch a few tutorials online, and you’ll get the hang of it.”

Patricia complimented, “Well, having hair as full and smooth as yours, Ms. Hoven, certainly helps with styling.”

Emelie politely replied, “You look stunning even without styling your hair, Ms. May.”

Patricia let out a soft chuckle. “I don’t bother styling my hair because the man I like prefers his women with their hair down. I’m just accommodating his preferences, you know. After all, I still depend on him for a living.”

Emelie said nothing to her remarks. She couldn’t help but wonder if William still insisted on his women keeping their hair down.

No wonder Daphne always had sleek, straight hair.

The more powerful a man, the more he seemed to enjoy molding his women according to his preferences.

“Ms. Hoven, we’re on the same side here,” Patricia suddenly said.

“The same side?”

“Exactly. Mr. Samuel is Mr. Bryan’s brother, and I represent Swanson Corporation. So, aren’t we essentially on the same side? Moving forward, we should support each other.”

Emelie found the logic in Patricia’s words and nodded. “Absolutely, Ms. May.”

As the plane ascended and found its smooth flight path, Emelie reached for a blanket and draped it over her knees.

“It’s almost closing time, and there’s hardly anyone around. Ms. Hoven, why are you here so late?”

Emelie stayed silent, so Daphne pressed on, “Are you working around here now? Which company?”

Daphne’s persistent questioning revealed her suspicion that Emelie might have ulterior motives, especially with Cloudex Corporation nearby. She feared Emelie might be there to see William.

Finally, Emelie finished her food and looked at Daphne directly. “You’re here for William, right? Why wait? You might get to see some live commotion.”

Daphne immediately asked, “What commotion?”

Once again, Emelie stayed silent. She drank from her bottle of water.

Clutching her skirt tightly, Daphne couldn’t shake her uneasy feeling. She quickly left the convenience store and headed straight for Cloudex Corporation.

Emelie had planned this. If Daphne showed up, she would come face to face with William’s intimate moments in his office.

Poor William must’ve had a headache dealing with both women competing for his attention.

Consider it Emelie’s way of giving him a taste of his own medicine for making her wait for over two hours.

With all the drama between the three of them, it was only fair for her to settle one score at a time.

Emelie finished her drink, threw away the trash, and left the convenience store.

She called Samuel to give him a quick update on the meeting while walking across the street to hail a cab.

As she waited for a ride, she glanced up and caught sight of William rushing out of Cloudex Corporation. Though he was too distant for her to read his expression, it appeared he was searching for someone.

Emelie, not really into it, said to Samuel over the phone, “Should we just meet at the airport tomorrow?”

“Since you don’t have a car and it’s inconvenient to hail a cab while lugging your luggage, I’ll swing by your place tomorrow to pick you up,” Samuel offered.

“Okay,” Emelie agreed.

After hanging up, Emelie hailed a cab.

Instead of heading straight to her apartment, Emelie decided to stop at the hospital.

With a business trip planned for tomorrow, she couldn’t shake her worries about her mom, Greta.

But knowing that Greta was in good hands with the medical team and caregivers like the nurse and Eliana, Emelie felt a bit more reassured that everything would be okay.

She decided to hold off on making any decisions about the artificial heart until after her return from the trip.

Whether to go through with it or not, she knew she had to make a decision soon.

The next morning, Emelie went downstairs with her suitcase, and she was surprised to see Samuel’s car already waiting.

“Wow, thinking I might keep you waiting, I came down 15 minutes early. But you’re already here. You weren’t waiting for long, were you?” Emelie asked, taken aback.

Samuel was looking quite handsome with his silver–framed glasses. Handing her breakfast, he replied, “I wasn’t waiting. It’s just my habit to be early.”

Getting along with someone like Samuel was a delight. He was caring and attentive. In the two months Emelie had been working with him, she hadn’t discovered a single flaw.

He seemed almost too perfect to be real.

But as luck would have it, even though they left early, they got stuck in traffic due to a car accident on the highway. They waited for the police to clear the road and barely made it to the airport on time.

Emelie hurried into the VIP lounge, breathless, and took a moment to catch her breath.

Jayden handed her a bottle of mineral water. “Take it easy, Ms. Hoven. Don’t be nervous.”

“Thanks, Mr. Gleamfield,” Emelie replied. “I’m not.”

William lounged on the couch with his legs crossed, a newspaper resting on his knee.

“Of course, you’re not. You were kind enough to suggest that others see the commotion last night, How could you be nervous?”

Chapter 157 Changing Seats