Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 286

Amelia stood in the oddly disjointed office, feeling as if she’d just stepped through the wrong door in some surreal maze.

For a few seconds, she blanked out. Then she caught the look on his face—was he really surprised to see her here?

“Is IntelliQuip part of the Campbell Group too?” She stayed by the doorway, not moving further inside.

Daniel kept his gaze on the file in his hands, apparently unfazed by whether she came in or not. “The Campbell Group has been involved in the low-altitude aviation industry for years.”

Amelia remained guarded. “Did you do this on purpose?”

With a sharp snap, Daniel tossed his pen onto the desk, leaning back in his chair. He stared at her coldly, a mocking hint curling at his lips.

“On purpose? Ms. Turner, are you asking if I orchestrated a partnership with the Institute, or if I acquired an entire company just to see you more often?”

“…”

He continued, “The collaboration proposal was drafted at the end of last year. We bought IntelliQuip the year before that. Tell me, Ms. Turner—am I supposed to be psychic and know you’d come back?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” His gaze pinned her, voice suddenly cutting and dark. “I have no intention of pining after a woman who cheated on me.”

A flush crept up Amelia’s cheeks. No matter how thick-skinned she was, being called out so bluntly was still a slap in the face.

There’s nothing more mortifying than having your delusions outed to your face.

Trying to feign composure, she took a deep breath and stepped further into the office. “That’s for the best.”

Daniel scoffed. “You really think you’re God’s gift, don’t you?”

Amelia stiffened, embarrassment prickling beneath her skin. Her earlier assumption felt even more absurd now.

“Where should we talk? Over in the sitting area?” she asked, striving for professionalism.

But Daniel was still dissatisfied. “No greeting? Is this how senior researchers at the Institute conduct business?”

She could tell he was just picking a fight. Fine, let him. After all, the man was still licking his wounds from being cheated on—might as well give him a little slack.

“Mr. Campbell,” she said crisply, “would you prefer to discuss things over in the sitting area?”

Daniel finally stood, moving over with an air of regal indifference. “Wherever.”

Did he have to be so dramatic about everything?

Amelia bit back the urge to roll her eyes, opened her laptop, and handed over the file with both hands, making sure to appear respectful.

Daniel took it with one hand, his fingertips brushing hers. Startled, Amelia pulled her hand back as if burned.

He shot her a frosty glance. “Would you mind acting a bit more professionally? This is business. If you can’t handle it, go back and let someone else take over.”

If there was one thing Amelia couldn’t stand, it was having her professional competence questioned. The more he pushed, the less likely she was to back down.

Once outside, she felt as if she could finally breathe. Being stuck in a room with that man was suffocating.

Her colleague had gotten a call from her kid’s teacher and left early, so Amelia was heading back to the research institute alone.

When the elevator doors slid open on the ground floor, she nearly ran straight into Violet.

Violet looked sharp in her tailored suit, an IntelliQuip badge hanging around her neck.

The badge was flipped over, hiding her job title.

Amelia kept her eyes straight ahead, pretending not to notice, but Violet called out, “Well, fancy meeting you here. You work at IntelliQuip too?”

There was something pointed about that “too.”

Violet followed up in a half-joking tone, “You’re not Daniel’s secretary as well, are you? HR said he needed two, but so far I’m the only one.”

Amelia stopped, turned around.

“Do you know my qualifications? I have a PhD from Silkwood Institute of Technology. Why would I stoop to being a secretary?”

She didn’t bother hiding her disdain as she looked at Violet. “Oh, that’s right. You bought your degree, didn’t you? Even stole someone else’s thesis. With skills like yours, I suppose backdoor secretary is the best you can do.”

Violet’s forced smile slowly faded from her face.