Chapter 5 Delivering the Wallet
Upon returning from the airport, Colton found that his wallet was gone. It has to be the kid at the airport. He’s the only person I’ve come into contact with, he thought.
Nicole was instantly irritated by the man’s egotistical remarks. Struggling to suppress her anger, she explained, “You dropped your wallet yourself, and I’m kind-hearted enough to call you to return it to you.”
“Have it delivered to the Central Pavilion Hotel, or else you’ll suffer the consequences,” Colton said in a cold voice before hanging up right away. He didn’t want to say anything more than necessary to such a woman, but there were several cards in his wallet that were quite important, and it would be a hassle to have them reissued.
Nicole nearly went berserk when she heard the disconnect tone on the phone. What a f*cking screwball! How could he order me around like he’s entitled to do so?! She clenched the wallet in her hand, wishing she could just throw it into the toilet and flush it down. Nevertheless, she forcibly fought back her desire to do so, not wanting to invite unnecessary trouble since she had just returned from abroad. Putting the ID card in Hayden’s hand back into the wallet, she asked worriedly, “Did you touch anything else in the wallet?”
Hayden looked totally innocent and harmless with his black, round eyes. “Nope. All I did was take a look at his ID card.”
Nicole shoved the wallet into her handbag with a nod before taking out her cell phone to order a takeout for Hayden. Staring at her son, she said in all seriousness, “Thanks to you, Hayden, I’ve got to leave home in a while and won’t be back until about three hours later. Can you manage on your own?” The journey back and forth from here to Central Pavilion Hotel would take two hours. Considering the time she would be spending at the hotel, it would take about three hours before she got back.
“Yes, I can.” Hayden nodded with a hint of determination in his eyes.
Nicole instructed, “Well then, Hayden, just go to your room to sleep if you want to after finishing your dinner. I’ve tidied your room.” What a bad year for me, getting into so much trouble as soon as I came back.
Hayden nodded obediently while responding in a childlike voice, “Yeah, I got it, Mom. Just go, or else it’ll be late when you come back.”
Somehow, Nicole felt like Hayden was eager for her to go. It’s probably just my imagination…
Meanwhile, at Central Pavilion Hotel, a group of people were having an animated conversation when one of them suddenly recalled something and said, “If my memory serves me, Gardner Corporation is gonna partner up with Ms. Lisa of F&M Apparel. Wouldn’t it be the icing on the cake? With Ms. Lisa taking the helm, Gardner Corporation will definitely strengthen its position as the leading enterprise in expanding the fashion market.”
Colton replied impassively, “Mm-hmm.”
“Isn’t it said that Ms. Lisa would be arriving in the country today? Did you get to meet her?”
Upon hearing the question, Colton turned his gaze to Queenie, who was next to him.
Queenie had thought that this was nothing important, so she didn’t expect the subject to be brought up. Having no other choice, she said with a tight smile, “Nope, I didn’t. Something came up, so I missed the opportunity.”
Colton’s voice turned chilly all of a sudden. “What happened?”
Startled by the man’s frosty eyes, Queenie hummed and hawed for a long time before uttering, “Well, you happened to be on the same flight today, so—”
However, Colton had always been strict in keeping business-related matters and private affairs separate. “You’re the one who asked for the job of assistant, and now you’re not even capable of something as simple as picking someone up.”
Queenie felt somewhat hurt. “I just thought that you—”
Colton interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “As an assistant, it’s your most basic professional duty to keep work-related matters and your private affairs separate!”
Suppressing the urge to retort, Queenie hung her head low and clasped her hands with all her might, not daring to speak.
Colton didn’t spare her feelings at all, though. “Now that you’ve taken up the job of assistant, you have to do your duty.”
“Understood…” Queenie replied in a whisper.
Colton’s expression was still somewhat frosty, though. Resting his slender fingers on the table, he continued, “F&M Apparel’s annual dinner will be held at the Crown Hotel half a month later. You’d better not mess that up.”
Meanwhile, Nicole arrived downstairs at the hotel by taxi. After paying the taxi fare and getting out of the taxi, she entered the hotel lobby and called the pompous man.
It took an eternity before the phone call was finally answered. “I’ve arrived at Central Pavillion Hotel. Please come down to collect your wallet, or I’ll leave it at the hotel’s front desk,” Nicole said quickly, fearing that the man might once again think she was having designs on him.
“Bring it upstairs to Room 816,” Colton said before hanging up right away.
Be patient! Nicole clutched the cell phone in her hand with all her might. I’ve got to be patient! Now that I’ve arrived at the hotel, the matter will be over once I hand the wallet back to that guy!
After taking the elevator to the eighth floor, she quickly found Room 816. Thanks to her good manners, she knocked on the door and didn’t open the door and go in until she heard a voice saying, “Come in,” from the inside.
Inside the room were a dozen men and women, but Nicole spotted Colton sitting across from her at a glance. Dressed in a suit and a pair of leather shoes, he sat bolt upright, drawing her gaze at once with his commanding presence. Well, this freak is bad-mannered and domineering, but his looks and demeanor are indeed out of the ordinary…
Suddenly, a shrill cry snapped her out of her reverie. “Why are you here, Nicole?!”
Seeing Queenie next to Colton, Nicole was wholly surprised for a moment…
