Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

I turned to him with a smile. "In Thorland, gender-affirming surgeries are very advanced and reasonably priced. I have a doctor friend. If you're interested, I can ask around on your behalf." As soon as I said it, a low chuckle rippled through the office.

Mr. Finnley snorted, visibly annoyed. "Don't think your personal admirers give you an edge here. The real skill is what lands projects, not your flings. And stop letting people deliver tea to the office-it disrupts the workflow."

He raised his voice slightly and glanced at Mackenzie for support. "Besides, Mackenzie said that McLennon Group won't be doing business with that hotel anymore."

"Does it matter what either of you says?" I replied calmly. "Last I checked, neither of you can make that decision. If there's a company policy against ordering afternoon tea, feel free to show me. If not, and you're targeting me specifically, I'll happily bring it up with upper management."

Mr. Finnley glared at me but didn't respond. He merely retreated to his office. I, meanwhile, enjoyed my pudding-it tasted particularly sweet today.

...

The next afternoon, the representatives from Gray Realty arrived, led by the heir of the family who managed the company, Mr. Gray.

I was stunned when I saw him. He looked to be around my age, but he exuded the air of a privileged heir with no interest in business. He yawned at least five times during the meeting, barely paying attention to the discussion.

By the end, I couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Gray, what are your thoughts on my design proposal?"

"Design?" He looked at his employees, then shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Looks fine to me."

It was obvious he hadn't been paying attention. His assistant scrambled to cover, asking a few detailed questions, which I

answered without hesitation

This seemed to pique Mr. Gray's interest slightly. "But this is just a framework, right? Where are the details?" he asked.

"Details will be finalized once the contract is signed. After that, we'll work closely with your team to refine everything," I explained.

As I answered his questions, Mr. Gray seemed more engaged. Unfortunately, we were already two hours past office hours by the time the meeting wrapped up.

He checked his watch and said, "Sorry for keeping everyone so late. You can all go home now."

Turning to me, he added, "Rinatta, since you're the project lead, why don't we grab dinner? You can walk me through more of the details."

Reluctantly, I agreed, especially after

noticing the hopeful smiles from my colleagues. If this was what it took

to secure the project, I'd play along.

Mr. Gray graciously offered me a ride, and I hesitantly got into his car. But when we pulled up to Silent Bar, my stomach sank.

"Mr. Gray, isn't this an odd place to discuss work?"

"Not for a birthday celebration," he said with a grin. "Rinatta, today's my birthday."