When He Let Her Sit His Car, I Scrapped It

Chapter 3

My secretary handed me a tablet displaying Adrian's schedule for the past month.

"Ms. Hart, Mr. Foster has been working closely with one particular company. The projects aren't especially important, but he visits at least twice a week, and that doesn't include video conferences."

I took the tablet and scrolled through it.

"Go on."

"There's something else."

She hesitated.

"After Chloe Lane left the company, she joined this one. She's now the assistant to its director of business development."

My hand stopped.

"A recent graduate who was blacklisted throughout the industry suddenly became an assistant to a director of business development?"

"The company isn't on our core partner list. It's a second-tier supplier, so we don't pay much attention to companies that small."

I set down the tablet and leaned back without a word. My secretary stood beside me, afraid to move. After about 2 minutes, I spoke.

"How many active projects do we have with them?"

"Three. Two are still being carried out, and the third was just signed."

"Terminate all of them."

Her pen paused.

"All of them? Ms. Hart, we've already paid an advance on one."

"Write off the advance. If I remember correctly, the termination clause favors us. Have Legal send notice today."

"All right. Anything else?"

I picked up my phone and went through my contacts one by one.

"Compile a list of every supplier that works with them and call each one personally. Any business in this industry that has dealings with Hart Group must cut ties with that company."

"Ms. Hart, if we make a move that sweeping..."

"This barely counts as a move."

I tossed the tablet onto the desk.

"When I make someone disappear, I don't expect her to put on a disguise and pop up somewhere else. Whoever built her a bridge had better tear it down immediately. If they can't, I'll bury the bridge and everyone standing on it."

My secretary drew a breath, nodded, and left. She spent the entire afternoon making calls. At the end of the day, she reported that no one had dared refuse.

Adrian came home that evening with a grim expression. His phone rang constantly. After ending more calls than I could count, another came in.

"I understand. Just calm down!"

I sat at the dining table and continued eating. He ended the call and stared at me.

"Did you do this?"

"Yes."

"Do you realize that canceling those projects hurts us too?"

"I do."

"Then why would you do it?"

"Adrian."

I set down my fork and met his eyes.

"I told you to fire her and scrap the car, and you did. Then you turned around, found her another job, and used company business as your excuse to visit her. Did you think I was stupid?"

His mouth opened, but no answer came.

"You can call me jealous, controlling, or heartless. You cannot treat me like a fool."

I rose and walked over to him.

"This is the last time I'll warn you. Stop playing games behind my back."

Adrian stared at me for a long time, conflicting emotions clouding his eyes. At last, he looked away and spoke hoarsely.

"Couldn't you have left someone else a way out?"

I smiled.

"Who exactly is this 'someone else'?"

He didn't answer.

I turned toward the study. Before closing the door, I left him with one final warning.

"If you defend her one more time, what happens next won't be nearly this simple."