Chapter 160 The Necklace Is Gone
“Okay, I understand. Thanks; you’re the best!” Vivian took off her shoes and leaned against the sofa. At first, she was smiling. Then, she seemed to have thought about something, and her expression turned solemn. “By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask you. Didn’t you tell me before that Alex has a girlfriend now? Is it that lobby manager named Courtney Hunter? It’s nothing; I saw her today. She’s quite pretty. Alright, I can’t chat anymore. I have things to do. I’ll invite you out for dinner some other day. Bye.”
After hanging up the phone, Vivian put her phone down. Hugging her knees on the sofa, she fell into a daze while leaning against a pillow. She thought back about the woman she saw this morning. That woman is quite young, but she’s not prettier than me. Judging by her temper, she seems to be quite obedient and submissive. I didn’t see anything special about her; she certainly doesn’t look like the type Alexander would like. Is it really because he’s getting older that any woman would do? She wondered. Whatever; in any case, it doesn’t matter what kind of woman it is. Any woman standing beside Alexander is my enemy. When I came back this time, I vowed to take back what I had. I’m going to reconcile with Alexander.
At noon the next day, Courtney was patrolling the lobby area when she saw a familiar car parked at the entrance. Her eyes instantly brightened at the sight, and she quickly walked over. Before she could approach, she saw two figures coming out of the car, one after another—it was Alexander and Vivian.
“Alex, treat me to lunch today. I gave you such a valuable contract out of respect for you. In the future, you won’t need to worry about customer turnover for all the major hotels across the Eastern region anymore, whether during the peak season or the off-season.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Otharian food, of course. I’ve been overseas for so long, and there was no way to get authentic Otharian food there.”
While they were talking, they saw a figure that was standing not too far away looking at them.
“It’s you again,” Vivian said with a frown. “Didn’t I already tell you? I don’t have the authority to manage the employees here, but I don’t want to see such an irresponsible person like you during my stay here.”
Courtney’s complexion paled, and she couldn’t help clenching her fists. At first, she had wanted to call out to Alexander. However, looking at the current situation, calling out to Alexander would only embarrass him. Thus, she lowered her head, wishing that the ground would swallow her up. “I got it. My apologies.” After saying that, she turned to leave.
Frowning, Alexander looked at Courtney’s back and asked Vivian, “What was that about?”
“Oh, her?” Vivian didn’t seem to care as she briefly explained what happened yesterday. “Severe pollen allergies can cause respiratory failures. It’s not like it is an unprecedented incident overseas. Isn’t she the lobby manager? How can you hire people like her as the lobby manager? It’s time for you to do something about the human resources department.”
“That’s such a trivial matter.” He glanced at her. “You never used to care for small details like these before.”
“Well, I didn’t have to worry about managing such a large company before.” She winked. “The workplace is harsh. After fleeing overseas and working so hard, I had to be more sensible about such matters.”
Alexander wasn’t sure if he could believe her. Still, he felt somewhat uncomfortable as he stared in the direction Courtney had left. “I’ll take you at your word, but let it go this time.”
“Let it go? This isn’t like you, Alex. In the past, you would have fired the employee on the spot if you saw them being so irresponsible! What’s wrong? Did you fall for that woman because she’s pretty?”
“She’s my fiancée.”
Upon hearing those words, the smile on Vivian’s face froze, and her gaze darkened instantly.
That night, the audit team from SG Travel Group’s Eastern Branch joined the employees of Sunhill Enterprise for dinner at the hotel. It could be regarded as a pre-celebration of the approval for the contract. Naturally, Courtney was invited too. She sat beside Alexander, feeling rather uncomfortable due to what happened earlier.
Vivian lifted her wine glass. “This toast is for Miss Hunter. I wasn’t aware that you are President Duncan’s fiancée. I apologize if I have offended you.”
There was more to her words than what was implied on the surface. First of all, apologizing made her seem very magnanimous. Furthermore, she was secretly implying that her apology was made out of respect for Alexander. It made Courtney out to be an incapable woman who relied on nepotism to get to where she was.
“No, I was at fault too. I should thank you instead, for not taking offense at my mistake.” Courtney forced herself to raise her glass, feeling very conflicted inside. Just as she was about to drink, Alexander grabbed her hand to stop her. Then, he looked at Vivian and said, “I will drink this on Courtney’s behalf. She doesn’t drink much.” After saying that, he took the glass out of Courtney’s hands, lifted his head, and gulped it down.
Watching his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he drank the wine, Courtney felt the gloom covering her disperse a little. She quietly comforted herself, It may have been a loss from a career perspective, but it’s a win from a relationship perspective. I guess I can’t have it all.
However, nobody noticed that Vivian’s expression was extremely ugly when she heard Alexander saying that he would drink on Courtney’s behalf.
During the dinner, Alexander drank quite a lot with that group of people. It was rare to see him drink so much. Most of it was drunk on Courtney’s behalf. When he finally appeased everybody, he went to the restroom.
Initially, Courtney waited for him at the lounge area. However, he did not return even after a long time had passed. Worried that he might have thrown up in the restroom, she went to the reception desk to get some hangover medicine and a warm towel. Then, she went looking for him in the restroom. Just outside the restroom door, she heard a woman’s voice coming from inside and immediately stopped at the door. She subconsciously glanced at the sign on the door—it was definitely the men’s restroom. Listening closely to the voice coming from inside, she froze in shock the moment she heard the voice clearly.
“Alex, I know I made a mistake six years ago. But, I was stupid at the time. I wasn’t even 20 yet at the time. I didn’t understand what love was. All I wanted was to escape our arranged marriage. I never even thought to ask myself if I loved you.”
Courtney stood at the door of the restroom and saw Alexander’s side profile. His tall and large figure was enveloping a much smaller figure—Vivian was leaning against his chest weakly while crying prettily. “Alex, I know you love me. You will never abandon me. Gale told me that you used your grandmother’s jade pendant to customize a necklace for me. That was something your grandmother told you to give to your wife. I know and I understand.”
At that moment, Courtney felt as if something in her brain had snapped. Her mind went blank, and she completely lost the ability to think. Although she wanted to escape the scene in front of her, her legs felt as heavy as lead and she couldn’t move.
Then, she saw Alexander lifting his hand and hugging Vivian. His low and hoarse voice echoed in the large restroom. It wasn’t loud, but it was very clear. Moreover, it seemed to be filled with deep regret. “Mikayla, I lost the necklace.”
Courtney couldn’t bear to continue listening any longer. She didn’t know where her strength came from as she turned and fled. She kept running until she was very far away from the hotel. She didn’t know where she was, and traffic was passing by all around her. Standing next to a bed of flowers, she bent over with her hands on her knees and panted heavily. Only then did she notice that she was still holding the hangover medicine and a towel that had long gone cold.
