His burning palm pressed down on mine, and my cool fingers trembled instinctively as I pulled away.

“Mr. Jennings, why don’t you just take me home?” I said, my mind a mess. But there was a firm voice inside me, reminding me not to get involved with him.

Edward’s face stiffened a little, his voice rough. “Victoria, can’t we just have a meal together as friends?”

I froze for a moment, looking at him. “Friends?”

“Didn’t you just say it’s hard to find a true friend? I don’t have many friends—most are just business associates. It’s rare to hear anything genuine. Will you stay and eat with me?” Edward looked at me, his eyes full of pleading.

My mind just blanked out.

He’d just said he wasn’t interested in making friends, and now he wanted to be friends? Guess guys can be just as unpredictable.

“As friends, we can have a meal together, right?” Edward said, seeing I was quiet. He flashed me a genuine smile.

He was already good-looking, and that mature, irresistible vibe he had was hard to ignore—especially when he looked at me so sincerely. I could barely hold my ground.

“Alright, I’ll treat you,” I blurted out before I even knew what I was saying.

Edward gave a relaxed smile. “I don’t usually let women pick up the check.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Let’s break that rule tonight,” I replied with a grin.

Edward blinked in surprise, then nodded. “Alright, it’s your treat. I won’t fight you on it.”

Edward had picked the restaurant, and we were having steak. He ordered a bottle of red wine and asked if I wanted some. I took half a glass.

While we were waiting for our food, my phone rang. It was a work call from the home country.

I got up and stepped out onto the balcony to take it. They told me that over in Shaville, we were dealing with one of the city’s elite families about a wedding. They weren’t happy with the contract we’d signed and were stirring up trouble, even threatening to take it online if we didn’t agree to their terms, which could seriously hurt the hotel’s reputation.

As soon as I heard that, I knew it was a big deal. I immediately told them to send me both versions of the contract so I could take a look.

The wedding was for a local tycoon in Shaville, and he had a long list of demands.

From the original contract, they kept tacking on more and more conditions. It’s honestly wild—they love to show off their status, but when it comes to the small stuff, they’re unbelievably cheap.

When the steak was brought over, I was still glued to my phone, reading through the contracts. Edward had already cut my steak up for me. Seeing I was still staring at my phone, he gave a helpless look and said, “What’s got you so stressed?”

I couldn’t help but vent to him. “Running a service business is seriously tough. Just one post online from him and we’re left scrambling.”

Edward said calmly, “They probably see you’re new, want the best discounts, and expect you to bend over backwards for them. People like that only bully those they think are easy targets. Isn’t your ex taking care of this for you?”

I was a little surprised, then shook my head. “I’m running the hotel side of things now. Jared’s got enough on his plate, and I don’t want to trouble him with something this minor.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” Edward looked up at me.

I replied calmly, “I’ll have our legal team review the contract first. If it’s in our favor, we’ll go the legal route. If we really have to accept their extra conditions, then we’ll just have to deal with it.”

Edward grinned. “He’s going after your weak spots. Why not have someone look into his? If you get some dirt on him, you’ll have the upper hand.”

That really woke me up. I immediately stood up and made a call.

If they’re going to play dirty, then reasoning with them is pointless. It’s time to play hardball.