Chapter 14 : The Unexpected Visit
1491 Words
Elle remained seated long after Adrian left the conference room, staring at the folder in front of her as the other investors gathered their documents and slowly filed out. His words kept replaying in her head, each one irritating her more than the last.
I don't think you're competent enough to handle a project this big.
She had spent months working on Hotel Sienna, reviewing plans, checking budgets, visiting the construction site, and solving problems that seemed to multiply every week. She had earned her position at that table, and Adrian had walked in and questioned everything within an hour.
“Elle?” one of the investors called, bringing her back to reality.
She looked up. “Yes?”
“You handled the questions well. Don't let him discourage you.”
Elle gave him a polite smile. “I'm not discouraged.”
She gathered her papers, but deep down, she knew she was angry. Not because Adrian had challenged the project; she could handle criticism. What bothered her was the way he had done it, as though he had already decided she wasn't capable before she had even finished presenting.
She also couldn't understand why he had been there.
She had never been informed that Adrian Cole would attend the meeting. In fact, judging from the surprised expressions of some of the other investors, his presence hadn't been expected.
What Elle didn't know was that Adrian wasn't supposed to be there at all.
His investment department head had been assigned to attend the Hotel Sienna meeting on behalf of the Cole family. Adrian had only returned to the country that morning, and his original schedule was to go directly to the office after landing.
Instead, he went straight from the airport to Hotel Sienna.
He had seen Elle's name on the project documents before he arrived, and he knew she would be leading the meeting. He could have stayed away and allowed his department head to handle everything, but he wanted to see her.
He wanted to know what she looked like after all this time. He wanted to hear her voice again, even if he had convinced himself that seeing her would mean nothing.
But Adrian couldn't tell her that.
Not now.
There were reasons he had returned, and there were things he needed to uncover before he allowed himself to deal with everything he still felt whenever Elle was around. Until his investigation was finished, she couldn't know why he had come back or why he had chosen to attend the meeting himself.
For now, he had to remain an investor.
Nothing more.
---
By late afternoon, Elle was back at the construction site. The sun was beginning to set, but Hotel Sienna was still filled with activity as workers moved through unfinished areas, engineers checked installations, and supervisors reviewed their schedules.
Elle walked through the property with her project manager, studying the progress around them.
“How many rooms can we complete this week?”
“If everything arrives on time, about forty.”
“Not enough.”
“We're already increasing the workforce.”
“Then increase it again.”
The project manager hesitated. “That could increase the labor cost.”
“Then show me the numbers before you tell me it can't be done.”
He nodded and immediately wrote something down.
Elle continued walking through the property, refusing to let Adrian's words dictate how she handled the project. If he wanted proof that she could manage Hotel Sienna, she would give him proof, and she would make sure every deadline was met, every expense was accounted for, and every unfinished area was completed.
When the hotel opened on time, Adrian would have no choice but to acknowledge that she had been right.
Her phone rang before she could think about it any further.
It was her father.
“Hi, Dad.”
“How did the investor meeting go?”
Elle hesitated. “Fine.”
“Just fine?”
She glanced toward the construction site. “One of the new investors was more demanding than expected.”
“Who?”
“Adrian Cole.”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
“You know him?”
“Yes. We went to university together.”
Her father gave a small laugh. “Small world.”
“Apparently.”
“Don't let personal familiarity affect the business.”
“It won't.”
Elle paused before adding, “He thinks I can't handle the project.”
Her father's tone became more serious. “Then don't argue with him. Show him.”
Elle looked toward the unfinished hotel.
“I will.”
“That's my girl.”
The call ended, and Elle slipped her phone into her pocket. She looked at the building in front of her and reminded herself that she had something to prove now, not only to Adrian but to herself.
---
The following morning, Elle arrived at the office earlier than usual and immediately began reviewing the financial reports from the previous meeting. She cross-checked invoices, examined project expenses, and went through every figure Adrian had questioned.
By lunchtime, she noticed something troubling.
Several of the unbudgeted expenses were connected to the same group of suppliers. Individually, the amounts weren't enough to immediately raise suspicion, but together they represented a significant portion of the additional costs.
Elle immediately called the finance head.
“Bring me every invoice from the last three months involving these suppliers.”
“Today?”
“Within the hour.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
She ended the call and continued reviewing the documents, comparing each expense with the original project approvals.
Something wasn't right.
Before she could investigate further, her assistant entered the office.
“Ma'am, there's someone here to see you.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Cole.”
Elle's head immediately lifted.
“Adrian?”
“Yes.”
She took a slow breath before answering.
“Let him in.”
The door opened, and Adrian walked inside carrying a folder. He glanced at the documents covering her desk before looking at her.
“You've been busy.”
“I'm working.”
“I can see that.”
“What do you want?”
Adrian placed the folder on her desk.
“I requested additional project documents.”
“You could have asked the project manager.”
“I wanted them from you.”
Elle opened the folder and saw several pages of financial projections and construction reports.
“You're questioning these again?”
“I'm reviewing them.”
“You already reviewed them yesterday.”
“Yesterday wasn't enough.”
Elle closed the folder and looked directly at him.
“Do you have a problem with everything I do?”
Adrian remained calm.
“I have a problem with numbers that don't make sense.”
“I'm already investigating them.”
“Good.”
He turned toward the door, but Elle couldn't let the conversation end there.
“That's it?”
Adrian looked back. “What?”
“You come here, criticize my project, question everything, and then walk away?”
His eyebrow lifted slightly. “What do you want me to do?”
“I don't know. Maybe act like a normal investor.”
“I am acting like an investor.”
“No. You're acting like you're trying to find something wrong.”
“Maybe I am.”
Elle stood from her chair.
“Then find it.”
Adrian looked at her for several seconds before answering.
“I intend to.”
There was something about the certainty in his voice that made Elle's frustration grow.
He turned toward the door again.
“Adrian.”
He stopped.
For a moment, Elle almost asked him everything she had wanted to ask for months. Why did you disappear? Why did you never contact me? Why did you kiss me in Spain and then leave?
But she refused to give him those questions.
Instead, she said, “You'll get your reports.”
Adrian looked at her.
“I know.”
Then he walked out.
Elle stared at the closed door, her frustration slowly turning into anger. She had spent months wondering what had happened to him, and now that he was finally standing in front of her again, he acted as though she were nothing more than another person in a business meeting.
She hated how easily he could still get under her skin.
Meanwhile, Adrian walked down the hallway with the folder under his arm, his expression unreadable. He had gone to the meeting because he wanted to see Elle, but he would never admit that to anyone, especially not to her.
Seeing her again had made everything more complicated, but he couldn't afford to let his feelings interfere with what he had come back to accomplish.
Not yet.
He needed to finish his investigation first.
Only then could he decide what to do about Elle.
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