Chapter 10
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“That won’t be necessary. There’s no reason for us to have dinner today,” Yvonne said crisply without wasting any time. “You’re not Harold Quillan.”
Having exposed him, she observed his reaction. He looked a little startled, but he seemed prepared for it too.
“I mistook you for someone else the other night, but I have no idea why you didn’t clarify your identity. I don’t like meeting someone under false pretenses. Let’s delete each other’s numbers. I’m leaving now.”
Yvonne’s expression remained cold as she grabbed her things and started leaving.
“Ms. Jamison,” Samuel called out as he shot to his feet, his expression a little panicked. Pulling out his business card, he asked, “Don’t you wish to see me?”
Pausing, Yvonne eyed him warily as she accepted the business card from him.
It read, “Samuel Hover, President of Hover Group.”
Lifting her eyes in shock, Yvonne asked in a tense voice, “You’re Samuel Hover?”
Immediately, she sat back down at the table, though her body language was a little stiff now.
She thought the case of mistaken identity on her blind date was merely a clumsy mix–up. However, if the man she’d mistaken as Harold turned out to be Samuel, the man she’d been fruitlessly trying to meet, then it felt like the mix–up was an opportunity instead.
Despite her awkward smile, she was inwardly excited over the situation.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Hover. I didn’t expect it to be you,” she said.
“It’s fine,” Samuel replied lightly as he rested his arm on the table. “I saw your message on my appointment list. You’re the designer who made ‘The Wishful Girl‘.”
“That’s right.”
At last, Yvonne had the chance to broach the subject. “That’s my only creation. When my family, the Jamisons, went bankrupt, all of our belongings were auctioned off. I’d like to showcase my work at the exhibition, so I tried to reach out to you to borrow the sculpture from you.”
Samuel studied her exhibition plan carefully, and for some reason, she started getting nervous. She’d felt a lot more at ease dealing with him when she’d thought he was her blind date.
Now that she realized he was the heir to a business empire here in Jeriton City, she felt the need to maintain a sense of professionalism when talking to him.
But why did it seem like Samuel didn’t intend to explain the reason why he hadn’t clarified his identity from the start?
Still, that no longer mattered. All Yvonne cared about now was loaning her sculpture for the exhibition.
“This exhibition of yours sounds quite intriguing, Ms. Jamison. Since it’s your sculpture, I’m more than happy to oblige by loaning it to you,” Samuel said.
His expression was neutral. He gave off a naturally imposing air, and he was careful with his words as well.
“As for the fee for loaning the sculpture, I’ll have to give it some thought first.”
“Alright. I’ll wait for your call,” Yvonne said, exhaling in relief.
She would have felt even more unsettled if Samuel had said he wouldn’t charge her a fee for the loan. It would seem like he was using his position of superiority in wealth to make her feel indebted to him.
And if he, the Hover family’s future successor, didn’t keep work and personal matters separate, someone of her experience in the business world would surely suspect that he had ulterior motives.
Therefore, it was best that he was dealing with this situation in a professional manner.
Just then, Samuel received a message from the restaurant.
“Since it’s our first time striking a deal, Ms. Jamison, would you do me the honor of having dinner with me?”
“Of course. It would be an honor for me too,” Yvonne said with a smile.
She’d finally settled the Tast exhibit for the exhibition, and that was a worthy cause for celebration.
During dinner, the two went from discussing their love life to talking about work instead. However, Samuel seemed quite busy. As soon as they finished eating, he had to leave after getting a phone call.
“The sculpture is currently at Hover Manor, Ms. Jamison. I’ll let you know when it’s been brought over.”
‘Alright.”
After Samuel took his leave, Yvonne shared the good news with the rest of her team in the group chat while she waited for the elevator. Noticing her chat with Samuel, she changed his contact from “Harold (blind date)” to “Mr. Hover“.
“Yvonne?”
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Puzzled, Yvonne looked back when she heard her name and was startled to see Shane.
“What a coincidence.”
Shane hastened toward her, and with a confused expression, he asked, “Didn’t you receive the news that Jared’s currently in the hospital? Why haven’t you gone over there to take care of him?”
