Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
Suddenly, it occurred to her that Jameson was waiting for her. She quickly spun around to find him patiently standing on the side, this time with a straw basket in his hand filled with pink roses that carried an understated beauty.
The breathtaking char m of the flowers reminded her of a quote from Wislawa Szymborska, which said, “Only a rose blooms as a rose, no one else.”
“Ms. Taylor,”Jameson addressed herwhile approaching with the flower basket.
“Oh, don’t step in here! Be careful not todirty your clothes!” she hurriedly stopped him when she noticed his sparkly clean outfit. However, he made his way through the thorny shrubs in an attempt to get to her.
She pursed her lips in embarrassment.
“Ms. Taylor, this is for you.” His eyeswere as soft as the sunset colors when he handed her the basket.
“Thank you, but I can’t accept your gift,”she turned him down with a smile.
The basket might be a small gift, but she thought it would be inappropriate to accept roses from him, which appeared more like a symbol of courtship.
Her rejection was expected. He reframed his act with a smile.”A beauty like you is worthy of the roses. More importantly, I wanted to give you a basket of roses for your research because you seemed interested in them.
“The roses come with soil. You can plantthem in your garden and keep them blooming year-round with proper care.”
Upon hearing that, Alyssa had no reason to turn down his rose basket. After some deliberation, she caved in and took it from him.”Well, thank you, then.”
Suddenly, he frowned and bent toward her. She blinked in surprise, holding her breath as his face loomed before her.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on myface?”
“Yeah.” He nodded in seriousness.
“Where?” She wiped her face inconfusion, leaving a soil mark on her cheek like a dirty kitten.
With a doting look, Jameson took out a white handkerchief and wiped away the stains on her cheek and forehead. It took her a while to react to his swift move, and she frantically said, “I’ll do it myself.”
“It’s fine. You look clean now.”Gazingdeep into her eyes, he quickly withdrew his hand. He had a knack for coming to a stop at the exact moment she started feeling uneasy at their intimacy.
He was flirting. The idea popped up in her mind, but she shrugged it off very soon. Perhaps Jameson was merely being attentive because of his mild temperament and the fact that she was a childhood friend.
They heard a flurry of footsteps in their direction. Alyssa raised her gaze and was instantly stunned. 1
Jeremy was standing stiffly a few steps away from her. He was not agitated nor furious, even though something was simmering in his eyes. It felt like the calm before the storm.
Apparently, Jeremy had observed the interaction between Alyssa and Jameson. He clenched his fists, white-knuckled.
He watched helplessly as Alyssa beamed at Jameson and accepted the rose basket. He also witnessed Jameson gently wiping away the dirt on her cheek.
The two were close to each other, like a match made in heaven.
Jeremy felt the musicles in his back stiffening as he gritted his teeth. His mind was buzzing and in pain from the shock.
He realized that Alyss a wasn’t here to fight for his project. She was here to view the sea of roses with her new lover.
Deep down, he’d rather Alyssa show up as a business rival to seize his partnership opportunity and inflict torture on him.
He’d willingly give her anything she wanted rather than watch her showering another man with all her affection that was once reserved for him.
Jeremy, looking grim, was experiencing an emotional rollercoaster at the moment.
Alyssa did not share the same sentiment. She merely felt unlucky to have run into him.
Bumping into Jeremy in the lovely rose garden was akin to stepping on dog shit¡ªa mood killer. She secretly grumbled, thinking that she might need to start reading her fortune of the day before leaving her house.
Liana, clinging tightly to Jeremy, was an eyesore to Alyssa.
Jameson leaned closer to Alyssa and chuckled into her ear.”Don’t panic. I’m here for you.”
Feeling ticklish, she thought, “What’s there to panic about? I’ll take things as they come.”
“Ms. Taylor, what a coincidence!” Lianawas no longer the belligerent young lady from before. She asked softly,”Is this gentleman your boyfriend? You make a perfect couple.”
Alyssa had a deadpan look in her eyes. She obviously wanted to ignore Liana.
However, Jameson replied, “Thank you for your compliment. Though, I’m not her boyfriend yet.”
Alyss a had not caught the meaning behind his words. Jeremy tightened his fists, looking frosty.
Jameson was implying that he would become Alyssa’s boyfriend one day. Was it an act of provocation or merely a statement of his increasingly intimate relationship with Alyssa?
Liana observed the f row n on Jeremy’s face and sensed the stiff muscles on his arm. She knew that he still had a place in his heart for Alyssa.
Still, she was relieved to learn that Alyssa had a new boyfriend. Between Jeremy and Alyssa, one of them had to be the first to let go of their three years of marriage.
Liana was in awe of Alyssa’s popularity. She was curious about Jameson and his background, given how handsome and well-mannered he was.
“Mr. Walsh, are you here to enjoy theflowers with your fiancee?” A smile crept onto Jameson’s lips.”Better hurry up. The rose garden is closing soon.”
“I’m not as romantic as the two of you.”Jeremy looked into his eyes with rivalry and deliberately ignored Alyssa. “Xavier, call the owner of the rose garden. I need to talk business.”
“Sure.”Xavier quickly dialed a number. Toeveryone’s surprise, they heard a ringing phone. The sound seemed to be approaching them.
“That’s weird. Is he nearby?”Xavier scratched his head and scanned his surroundings in confusion. The ringing phone seemed to grow louder.
“Mr. Schmidt.”
Jeremy was stunned at the sight of the man walking up to Jameson with a ringing phone.
“Mr. Schmidt, there’s a call for you.”Carlpolitely handed the phone to Jameson while shooting a disdainful gl ance at Jeremy.
Jameson chuckled faintly and swiped his finger across the screen to end the call.
At the same time, Xavier watched the call disconnect. He gaped at the scene with the phone in his hand. Similarly, Jeremy was in disbelief. His face paled.
“I am the owner of the rose garden you’relooking for. Regretfully, I have a business partner now. You might have to return with empty hands.”Jameson turned to Alyssa.”Ms. Taylor, I accept your partnership proposal.”
Alyssa glanced at Jameson, who was holding out a right hand. He added, “Let’s work well together.”
She casually gianced at Jeremy’s crumbling expression and his bloodshot eyes.
It was an exhilarating mo ment to witness Jeremy’s defeat. However, she felt as if she was bullying him after winning the battle with little to no effort.
Anyway, she decided to brush off her guilt and celebrate the moment. Dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smilingly shook Jameson’s hand. “Mr. Schmidt, I look forward to working with you.”
Jeremy’s entourage stared at each other in shock, especially Xavier, who looked like he was struck by lightning.
Noticing Jeremy’s grim expression, Liana tried to be thoughtful and quickly comforted him. Jeremy, don’t worry. It’s just a rose garden. You can still reach out to the many rose gardens across the country.”
Jeremy removed his arm from her grip while she was talking. The impact of his movement caused her to stumble backward in an embarrassing moment.
“Let’s go, Mr. Schmidt.”Alyssa didn’tbother to take another look at Jeremy and Liana. She beamed gently at Jameson instead.
“Sure. I’ve made a reservation at therestaurant. We can leave at any time now.”
Jeremy felt suffocated when Alyssa and Jameson exchanged smiles. His brows knitted in anger as he stepped forward to stand in Jameson’s way.
“Mr. Schmidt, let’s talk in private.” Jeremydid not falter even after he had lost the deal.
“If this is about the rose garden project, Ihave nothing more to discuss with you.”Jameson was unwilling to waste more time on Jeremy.
“What if this is for something else?”Jeremy cast an enigmatic gaze on Alyssa.
…
Jameson brought Jeremy to a pavilio n in the rose garden. They sat across each other. They might be surrounded by roses, but the air was tense and frigid.
“Please keep it short. I have a date withMs. Taylor.”Jameson checked his wristwatch impatiently.
“A date? I thought you were talkingbusiness with her.”Jeremy refused to back down in front of another man when it was about Alyssa.”You might be the only one who saw it as a date. I knew my wife of three years better than you.”
“Is that so?”Jameson shrugged andmocked, “Three years of sham marriage. Why are you confident that you know her better than I do?”