Chapter 46
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As Harley reached the door to the private room, he paused and glanced back at Matthew, who was trailing behind him. “What’s Isaac doing talking to her?”
Matthew knew exactly who Harley meant.
However, he genuinely had no idea why Lenora would be meeting with Isaac.
“I’m not too sure about that,” Matthew replied.
Harley frowned, clearly unimpressed. “Look into it.”
Matthew straightened up, nodding. “Will do.”
Harley said nothing further and simply pushed open the door to step inside.
Outside, Lenora, still wearing her sunglasses, made her way out of the hotel, where her car was waiting in the parking lot.
As she opened the door, Lillian, standing nearby, looked like she was holding something back.
Lenora took off her sunglasses, giving Lillian a reassuring smile. “Worried Harley’s going to look into me?”
Lillian nodded. “If he does, I’m not sure we can keep everything hidden.”
Lenora raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not going to bother.”
With that, she put her sunglasses back on, slid into her car, and glanced at Lillian one last time. “Thanks for today. I’m heading home.”
Lillian took a step back, watching as Lenora’s red sports car disappeared down the street.
She glanced back at the hotel, a lingering sense of unease gnawing at her.
Honestly, there was no need for Lillian to worry. Lenora hadn’t exactly been secretive about her assets, even considering coming clean to Harley once or twice.
If he ever wanted to know, he only needed to ask Matthew to check.
But now that they were divorced, she figured he’d have even less interest in her business.
Just when Lenora thought she had Harley figured out, he surprised her.
After a midday nap, Lillian called to tell her that Matthew had been snooping around, asking about Isaac–and, by extension, about Lenora.
Lenora looked out the window at the bright sunshine, rubbing her temples to shake off the lingering drowsiness. “Go ahead, tell him what he wants to know.”
“Understood, Ms. Maynard,” Lillian replied.
As soon as she hung up, a delivery arrived–a gown for the evening, bought by Cassidy.
As she tried it on, she found herself in surprisingly good spirits.
Harley, on the other hand, was anything but.
It hadn’t taken Matthew long to dig up the details about Lenora and Isaac–and he’d uncovered something else surprising.
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Chapter 46
Lenora had once been Samantha’s assistant.
Matthew finished his report and, noticing Harley’s displeased expression had a pretty good guess at what was on his mind.
After a beat of hesitation, he added, “Mr. Brandt, honestly, Ms. Maynard is more capable than you give her credit for.”
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Lenora had always been top of her class.
Matthew had found that out after the divorce.
He didn’t even need to pull any strings–just a quick search online would reveal Lenora’s colorful past.
Besides her family background, she had all the makings of someone who could match Harley.
To say she was “capable” felt like an understatement.
Harley scoffed. “Oh, she’s got a talent for negotiation, alright.”
“That’s just bias, Matthew thought to himself..
He didn’t dare say it out loud but still managed to suggest, “You could always search her online, Mr. Brandt.”
Harley shot him a cold look. “Why would I?”
“There’s nothing special about her,‘ he thought.
Matthew took the hint and made a quick exit, leaving Harley alone.
Sitting there, Harley found himself almost subconsciously typing “Lenora” into a search engine.
He instantly regretted it, but before he could close the page, a familiar face appeared on the screen.
It was Lenora at fifteen–Hobart City’s only national math competition winner.
Harley frowned, recognizing her in a way he couldn’t quite place.
Thirty minutes later, he found himself parked outside Lenora’s villa. His emotions were a tangled mess.
He couldn’t explain why, but the photo of fifteen–year–old Lenora had somehow pulled him here.
Now, staring at her front door, he felt almost foolish.
He was just reaching for a cigarette when Lenora appeared, trash bag in hand.
She stopped, raising an eyebrow as she noticed his car and met his gaze through the windshield.
Harley stubbed out the cigarette and stepped out of his car.
She watched him approach as she finished tossing the trash, and he finally spoke up. “Have we met before?”
Lenora studied him for a moment before replying coolly, “No, we haven’t.”
Looks sharp, but what a dumb question,‘ she thought.
“You came to Hobart City at fifteen for a national math competition,” he continued.
“What, Mr. Brandt–do you think I didn’t deserve to be there?” Lenora replied, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Ever since the divorce, everything she said to him was dripping with thorns. Harley felt a sharp pang in his chest as he met
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Chapter 46
her gaze.
“I saw your award photo. I remember seeing you,” he continued,
Lenora was stunned, but she recovered quickly. “So? If you remember, then why bother asking?”
She turned, slipping back inside and shutting the door firmly behind her without a second glance.
Harley stood there, feeling unsettled. He was sure he’d seen her before, but the memory was vague, distant.
And Lenora clearly wanted nothing to do with it.
Harley lowered his gaze and then pulled out his phone to make a call to Matthew.
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As Lenora reached the villa’s upper floors, she heard the sound of an engine outside. Peering through the window, she watched Harley’s car as it slowly disappeared from view.
Thinking back on their exchange, she couldn’t help but smirk.
‘He can ask all he wants, but it’s too late now. Even if he remembers, it doesn’t change anything. I won’t make the same mistake twice,‘ she thought.
