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홈 / Romance / Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix / Chapter Sixty-Seven

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Chapter Sixty-Seven

작가: Kalliope Zenith
last update 최신 업데이트: 2025-04-22 20:11:04

𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚

The car ride back to the hotel is quiet.

Not awkward. Not tense.

Just… still.

Cameron alternates between texting on his phone and staring out the window, one of his arms draped over the backseat with his fingers tapping out a silent rhythm against the leather. I watch the landscape blur by—stone buildings and narrow alleyways, ancient churches perched atop hills. The sky is beginning to burn orange at the edges, and for the first time all day, I feel the adrenaline ebb from my body like a tide retreating after a storm.

I messed things up. I know I did.

But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

We enter the hotel lobby without a word, both of us nodding politely to the concierge who greets us. The golden glow of the chandeliers bathes the space in warmth, but I feel anything but. My shoulders are still tight, my hands still restless.

We step into the elevator together, side by side. The polished gold doors slide shut, enclosing us in a gentle hum of silence.

I glance at him. “Yo
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  • Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix   Chapter Hundred-and-One

    𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚“Please don’t ask,” she says. “They are things I can't discuss but I was feeling too excited and ended up blurting that out.”“You blurted out that you’re a complete badass,” I laugh, in complete awe of this woman that has many layers to her. “I want to ask badly 'cause I don’t know what to do to get my mind off it.”“How about you tell me how your meeting with the board went?”“Awful—good—almost bad, I don’t know which to pick,” I sigh. “To be honest, Wallace is a thorn in my flesh, and I’m looking for ways to yank him out, I don’t care how bad I bleed.”“I never liked him.” She walks ahead of me when the elevator opens on the ground floor but waits for me to catch up before continuing. “I hoped his older sister would pick up the mantle when her parents died, but she was grieving and in a very bad place.”“Winifred said she refused the position because she wasn’t ready.”“That’s the official story. The unofficial story is that she started struggling with depression and s

  • Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix   Chapter One-Hundred

    𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚“Imagine the nerve of that—” several profanities fall out of my mouth. “How dare he try to pin this on me, and Shanghai? That one is a disaster waiting to happen, but he doesn’t care as long as he fattens his pocket. Why won’t anyone see him for who he is? It maddens me.”“Mr. Wallace’s family has worked in this company for generations as advisers. From the little I read about your family history, they are so far out of the family tree and accepted to only act as advisors as a last-ditch effort to keep their head above water, but never anything more.” Winifred keeps up with my long, angry strides. “He’s from good stock, though. His parents were advisers to your father, and they would have retired with greatness under their belt but their untimely deaths had hit the company hard and pulled their son into the limelight.”“My father only has good things to say about his parents.” He would know how best to handle Wallace, but I am CEO now, and running to Daddy every time I am

  • Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix   Chapter Ninety-Nine

    𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚“Why are these files still on my desk?” I ask with a little whine, tossing my pen across the desk to massage my shoulders. “I sign papers every damn minute, so why aren’t they reducing?”“These are complaints from the IT sector, our new branch isn’t meeting up to required sales and the numbers aren’t adding up,” Winifred says. “Everything is still hush-hush until you have a look at the report. I have the private investigator we use for these cases on standby.”“I can’t look at these files right now, shut down the branch for now; you can use the excuse that we’re renovating. Send the IT guy in so we can discuss the next steps, what next do I have on my schedule?”“The board meeting you rescheduled is for this afternoon and I can’t push it further because calendars were adjusted and we want to avoid ruffling too many feathers,” Winifred says, dropping a small note on my table. “That is the number of the private investigator; I also have a file on him in case you wish to vet

  • Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix   Chapter Ninety-Eight

    𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥Amelia giggles, smiling at me over the rim of her wine glass. “I want to ask you why you invited me here, but I’m sure I’ll have my answer soon enough.”I give her another forced smile, playing with the drink I order. I’m not going to drink it. “Why don’t you just play along and enjoy a great evening out? I’m guessing you haven't had much of those lately.”She rolls her eyes, showcasing her long lashes. “When you have children, then you can relate on my level. It is great to be away from them, but I’m worried about my partner, she’s not very good with children.”“They are two months old and not dead, so I’m sure she’s doing great.” I raise the glass to my mouth but don’t pry them open, it’s all a show and I lick my lips, tasting the harsh whiskey.“She’s perfect,” she says simply. “Who would have thought a mistake at the sperm bank would have brought us together? Can you think of a better love story?”I have nothing to contribute to the topic of love so I don’t resp

  • Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix   Chapter Ninety-Seven

    𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚‘We don’t know each other for long,’ is that a millennial joke? I barely knew the woman and even got the sense that she barely tolerated my presence, yet she leaves me her jewels and a house? I find it so hard to piece together what is going on. Had she do this to send Aren my way? I know that isn’t possible, but the paranoia burrows a hole into my brain.“Hey.” Cameron nudges me with his foot, looking dazed. “You don’t need to think of anything right now. It’s a lot to take in, so take your time. Do I need to give the jewels to you?” That question he directs to the lawyers.They shake their heads, and another speaks. “You don’t need to give it to us. What we needed to communicate has been told. There’s no time limit on her will, and as Mr. Cameron said, it’s a lot to take in, so take your time. You can call any one of us to relay your response.”“We can reach out to potential buyers, get a good price, and send it across to the charities. You won’t need to lift a finger,”

  • Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix   Chapter Ninety-Six

    𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚I look up from my phone and stop mid-stride when I see Winifred behind her desk; a quick glance at the tiny wristwatch hanging loosely confirms that it is 5 a.m., a very unholy time in the corporate world.“I can’t say I’m shocked to see you up and running, Winifred.” I walk past her desk into my office, knowing she will follow. “This isn’t your usual time, and I’m sure I have beaten you here before by about thirty minutes.”Winifred touches her classy gold-wired glasses. “The only time you came to work before me was the day I called in sick, but still decided to come. It took twenty minutes for me to pack my car and another ten to drag myself into the building. You ended up sending me home the minute I walked into your office.”“I did you a favor; remember to send me home if I so much as cough twice.” I groan, counting the files piled on my table. “I was gone for a week—what was so urgent?”Winifred actually winces, which is a first for her. “Mr. Wallace has called every

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