Revenge Wears My Ring novel Chapter 233

Gwyneth climbed the stairs, automatically dusting off her jacket as if to brush away any lingering traces from the parking garage. Her expression had returned to its usual calm composure.

But she hadn’t even reached her office before she sensed something was off.

Instead of working, the staff clustered in small groups around the open-plan floor, their eyes all darting toward the lounge area. The air was thick with suppressed excitement and curiosity as they whispered among themselves.

“…I heard it’s Ms. Fletcher’s fiancé, Julian!”

“I can’t believe it! They’ve been together for ages, but this is my first time actually seeing him. He’s really handsome!”

“He looks so gentle. Standing next to Ms. Fletcher, they make such a striking pair. And isn’t he Mr. Boyd’s younger brother?”

“I still think Mr. Boyd is more attractive—and he’s got that presence. Too bad he’s with Miss Serena…”

“Still, the way Julian looks while he’s waiting for Ms. Fletcher… He seems really focused. Doesn’t match those rumors about him not liking her at all, does it?”

“They say he came straight from the hospital. Did they get in a fight?”

The hush of gossip cut off abruptly as Gwyneth approached.

Like startled sparrows, the employees scattered back to their desks, pretending to be busy. But she could still feel their sidelong glances, tracking her as she moved toward the lounge.

Gwyneth glanced over the partition and immediately spotted the man waiting for her on the sofa—Julian.

A spark of irritation flared inside her, quick and hot, like dry grass catching fire.

Persistent as ever.

Who let this dog in?

She made a mental note to have a word with reception later.

Forcing down her annoyance, she glanced around; the sneaking looks from her staff felt like a thousand pinpricks.

She might not care a bit about Julian, but she cared deeply about her reputation in front of her employees. She wouldn’t let her personal life become a public spectacle for the whole company.

Taking a slow breath, Gwyneth buried every trace of emotion and pushed open the glass door to the lounge, her face an unreadable mask.

Seeing she still wasn’t responding, Julian gave his assistant, Duncan, a look. Duncan immediately understood, pulling a glossy project proposal from his briefcase and sliding it carefully across the coffee table toward Gwyneth.

Julian leaned in, putting on his most considerate tone, as if he were only thinking of her best interests:

“Gwyneth, I know the Calmgrove City senior living project has huge potential, but it’s a massive undertaking. There are so many moving parts—I doubt anyone could take it all on alone without serious risk.”

He paused to study her face, but she didn’t even blink. So he pressed on, revealing what he clearly thought was his trump card:

“But if we work together, everything changes. Locke Group and Fletcher Group, combining our resources, could make this a flagship project. And—”

He drew out the word, a note of triumph in his voice:

“I can get Nimbus to be the lead architect on this.”

The name “Nimbus” dropped like a stone into a still pond, finally cracking Gwyneth’s composure.

She almost thought she’d misheard. Frowning, her eyes locked on Julian, disbelief and incredulity written all over her face as she repeated, almost involuntarily, “What did you say? Say that again?”