10
The two female colleagues next to her didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.
“Mr. Payne is personally overseeing the meeting today. It’s probably going to run late.”
“It’s a huge project. He’s the chairman’s son, so of course he’s taking the lead. No room for error. God, a man worth hundreds of millions. I’m just going to stare and hope some of that good fortune rubs off on me.”
At those words, I saw Chloe’s pupils contract. She bit her lip so hard it turned white.
Watching her look of anguish, it hit me. She regretted it. Of course. The high–minded goddess of pure love from college had gotten
a taste of the real world and finally realized what she’d thrown away.
The elevator doors slid shut, and Nicolai’s figure disappeared into the metal chasm without a moment’s hesitation.
Chloe stood frozen, her face pale.
“Hey, Chloe, are you okay?”
She shook her head, forcing a smile. “I’m fine, just… a little dizzy all of a sudden.”
Chapter 2
70.10
No one knew what she was thinking. Neither did I. Just like I never understood her back then, I didn’t understand her now.
I thought for a moment, then decided to take the regular elevator with Clara instead of using Nicolai’s private one or alerting his
secretary.
Chloe and her colleagues slowly shuffled in after us.
She was staring down at her phone, distracted. Something on the screen seemed to agitate her, and she swayed on her feet. Othe- rwise, I’m sure she would have recognized me, even with my sunglasses on. But she stood right there, dazed and oblivious, with
Clara and me behind her.
Her odd behavior made her colleagues suspicious. One of them, without thinking, read the message on her phone out loud.
“Babe, can we please talk about the ring? You know my situation, I really can’t afford two carats. A lot of my friends are only getting
one…”
