Chapter 705

I took a quick look before lowering my gaze and heading toward the elevator.

Edward had mentioned before that Joel was his ex-wife’s boyfriend, and the elegant young woman I just saw must have been his ex-wife, Jane Leigh. Jane was in Sandanyo, and Edward was here too. Did they plan to meet up here? ‘I guess I was just being self-important, thinking he came here for me,’ I thought to myself. “Thinking about it, I felt a sudden heaviness in my chest,” I admitted inwardly.

I had to remind myself I was here for work, not because of anyone in particular. In the afternoon, I met with the real estate team to hammer out the final terms of our cooperation agreement. The meeting dragged on until 5:30 PM, and my phone stayed on silent the whole time. Once it was over, I unlocked my phone and saw a bunch of missed calls and more than a dozen texts. As I scrolled through them, I spotted a message from Edward: “Where are you? I’m coming to find you.” It had been sent about an hour ago. The client had just invited us out to dinner as a gesture of hospitality, so my evening was already booked.

Back in my room, I stared out at the ocean, watching people playing on the beach not far away. Jared’s words from our last conversation hit me like a whip, snapping me back to reality. Getting tangled up with Edward might not be the smartest move. But the most dangerous and seductive thing about rules is the urge to cut right through those binding ropes. Even though I knew getting involved with Edward was reckless, deep down I still longed to see him. That messy, conflicted feeling–it was the kind of mindset you only get after all the tough choices adulthood throws at you. I tossed my phone aside and pressed my temples, trying to ease the tension that had built up all afternoon. The negotiation was a real success–definitely a strong start. Thinking about Edward, I realized we’d just landed a major order on his end too. Now we were hashing out the renovation details, blending in some classic luxury styles from two other top brands. Our team wanted to infuse more Eastern elements, and one designer even pitched a Zen-inspired vibe. It was actually a pretty refreshing idea. I picked up my phone and replied to Edward: “The client’s treating us to dinner tonight, so I might not be free. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow instead?”

But my message just seemed to disappear into the void. I couldn’t tell if Edward was upset or just busy with something important–either way, he still hadn’t replied. By 7 PM, we were all gathered in a private room, raising our glasses and swapping stories–everyone was having a blast. I spotted a few young women getting pushed to drink by some middle-aged guys, and I couldn’t help but think how hard it is for women to get ahead in the business world. Being a woman myself, I knew exactly how they felt, so I spoke up for them and helped smooth things over. Sitting at the head of the table now, my words actually mattered. With just a few sentences, everyone suddenly got a lot more polite, finally letting those girls dig into the food on the table. “Ms. Murphy, there’s a fireworks show on the beach tonight. Want to go watch it together?” The client’s representative, a woman in her forties, said with a warm smile. “Fireworks show?” I grinned and nodded. ‘Sure. I’d love to check it out.” By 9 PM, dinner had wrapped up, and some of the more inebriated guests had already stumbled back to their rooms. I was feeling pleasantly buzzed myself, and something about being in a strange place always woke up that restless, adventurous side of me. There was no way I could fall asleep now. The client’s rep, Linda–who insisted I just call her Linda–had arranged a car for us, and she personally came along to keep me company at the fireworks show.