9 Chapter 49 – Unexpected Client Meeting
The morning disappeared quickly. I finished the presentation, which impressed my boss so much that he praised my competence and attention to detail. The compliment made me feel genuinely proud. I had lunch with my department colleagues, and they were all entertaining, especially Scarlett, who was quickly becoming a real friend.
“Hazel, these are
“you.” Chl appeared from the b
arrangement of red tulips I’d ever seen.
carrying the most stunning
It felt good to dive into my new position, which was turning out to be more manageable than I’d expected. Several colleagues stopped by to chat, and Scarlett dragged me away for a coffee break. Everyone at Apex Galaxy had been incredibly welcoming. I never imagined it would be this easy and comfortable, though I couldn’t help missing Owen.
The software we were about to present was revolutionary in the market and essentially connected every aspect of a company’s operations. If one department experienced any inconsistency, it would immediately reflect in the others, and the administrator would instantly know and resolve the issue before it could escalate. It was more sophisticated than that, but essentially it functioned like a continuous audit system with zero tolerance for failures. I found myself thinking that Liam could really use something like this in his company. It would prevent the disaster he was dealing with now. But that wasn’t my problem anymore.
“I’m falling apart, Chl. This makeup is doing overtime to hide these dark circles. I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus.”
“I’m not buying that, friend. But what happens if Chl asked, searching my eyes.
e doesn’t give up”
“Hazel, how are you feeling today?” he asked, looking at me with genuine concern. Before we even reached the office, my phone had buzzed with calls more than twenty times. Liam was relentlessly trying to reach me, and I rejected every single attempt. The intercom buzzed, and Chl hurried to answer it while I focused on feeding Leo his breakfast. Watching my little boy was the only thing that kept me grounded these days. He was pure joy, pure love, and just looking at him reminded me that I could survive anything. Those bright violet eyes sparkled as he looked up at me, and my
49 Chapter 49 Unexpected Cliant Meeting
heart felt like it might burst.
“But he’s not backing down. And honestly, he’s clearly miserable and genuinely sorry.”
“My beloved Hazel,
I scooped up Leo and walked to the living room, his little hand gripping mine tightly.
“He’s such an ass, Chl. He can’t just do this to me,” I cried into her shoulder, my voice muffled by her shirt.
They were absolutely breathtaking, perfectly arranged in an elegant crystal vase with a rich red ribbon wrapped around it. I stood there staring, completely mesmerized. I’d never received anything like this before. Actually, I’d never received flowers at all.
Hazel’s POV
“Excellent. I need you to join me for a client meeting this afternoon, and I’ll need you to put together the presentation. Here’s all the client information. The meeting will be here at our office. We’re pitching the security software. This is a new and very important client. West specifically requested that you work with me on this,” he said with enthusiasm.
“I’m doing well, Mr. Morris, thank you.”
Tulips represent perfect love, and you are my perfect love, the woman who owns my soul, and there will never be another who could replace you in my heart. I’m a complete fool. I made an unforgivable mistake, and I will spend every day for the rest of my life earning your forgiveness. Even if it takes forever, I will never stop fighting for
you.
Soon my boss called me for the meeting. We stepped into the elevator and discussed the software while we rode up. Apex was a technology company that specialized in corporate systems.
“Holy
cow, Hazel, these are in
I have a pretty good guess who sent them. Please tell me you’re not going to toss them in the trash. Can we please keep them right here in the living room?” Chl gave me that puppy dog look, clasping her hands together and widening her eyes like she always did when she wanted something.
“Hazel, it’s obvious that you’re head over heels in love with him, and I don’t doubt for a second that idiot is crazy about you too. Maybe you should think about forgiving him
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40 Chapter 49–Unexpected Client Mooting
Instead of torturing yourself like this?”
I was drowning in exhaustion. The past week had been a whirlwind of chaos, and sleep had become my enemy. Every night ended the same way tears soaking my pillow until I finally collapsed into restless dreams. Yesterday’s conversation with Liam had only made everything worse, leaving me feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
“Good morning, gorgeous. How are we holding up? Chl swept into the kitchen and cupped my face in her warm hands, studying me with those concerned eyes.
“Of course we’re keeping them, Chl. The flowers didn’t do anything wrong. They really are gorgeous. Is there a card?” I already knew who they were from, but I needed to see it for myself.
“That sounds wonderful, sir. I’ll get the presentation ready and send it to you. Just let me know what time we need to be there, I responded with a smile.
“Good, let him be miserable, I said stubbornly. “I guarantee you he’ll forget I exist within forty–eight hours.”
When I settled into my cubicle, my boss approached with his usual cheerful demeanor. “You’re mama’s whole world, sweet boy,” I whispered to him. He clapped his tiny hands and blew me a kiss that made my first genuine smile of the day spread across my face. By the time I reached the end, tears were streaming down my face again. Chloe gently took the card from my trembling hands, read it quickly, and pulled me into a tight hug. Chapter 49 – Unexpected Client Meeting
Chl handed me the small card, and I recognized Liam’s handwriting immediately: Always yours, Liam”
“He will,” I said with more confidence than I felt, wiping away my tears. “Now let’s get Leo to daycare and head to work.”
“Chl, I can’t just pretend he didn’t say those horrible things to me. I have some dignity left.”
My boss held the conference room door open for me to enter, and when I walked through, I came face to face with him. Liam.
