Seeing Director Lawson hesitate, Niamh and the others could tell that neither he nor his bosses had really thought this through–they were just making a shap
decision.
“How about we compromise and hold it at The Thomas Group?” Jonathan suggested, his deep, steady voice making it sound more like a decision than a proposal.
With no better ideas, Director Lawson agreed.
For the next month, Niamh found herself at The Thomas Group every day
The staff there weren’t surprised to see Marina, after all, she was a frequent visitor Whether she was Jonathan’s wife or just the other woman, everyone simply assumed that Marina and Jonathan were a pair.
But when Niamh started showing up, the office was abuzz with shock. She often overheard whispers behind her back–people speculating about whether she or Marina was the mistress.
Eventually, the gossip shifted. It didn’t matter who held the official title, everyone agreed that, in the end, Jonathan would always choose Marina. Even if Niamh was the wife, she’d still be left behind, and the mistress would win.
Every time she overheard this, Niamh couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. It was painfully close to the truth: her divorce from Jonathan was looming, and Marina was about to get exactly what she wanted.
At first, Niamh worried that working with Marina would be a nightmare. But to her surprise, Marina proved cooperative. They each submitted their own designs for the project, and the higher–ups chose Niamh’s. Marina was asked to help refine it, and rather than sabotaging the process, she offered genuinely helpful feedback.
Niamh didn’t fully trust her, of course, but with Marina staying out of the way, progress sped up.
Finally, the design was set, and there was less than a month left for production.
Niamh’s design was for an emerald seal, about the size of a royal signet, functional as both a working stamp and a decorative piece.
Recently, a rare and high–quality emerald mine had been discovered near the Silverhaven border–pure green, with remarkable clarity. Niamh proposed using this newly found emerald as the raw material, and Marina agreed, even
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hapter 198
volunteering to arrange the transportation.
Everything was going smoothly–until the day they were supposed to pick up the
stone.
“What did you just say?”
In the conference room of The Thomas Group, Niamh held her phone, her face draining of color. Marina and the rest of the project team were there with her.
She hung up and looked straight at Marina.
Marina, wide–eyed and innocent, stared back in confusion.
“The driver just called–the truck broke down as soon as it left. Repairs will take a week.”
As Niamh finished, Marina’s face shifted to shock. “How could that happen? What are we supposed to do? I’ll see if they can send another truck.”
“No need,” Niamh said, shaking her head. “I already asked. With all this rain, every vehicle is out making deliveries. Not a single one has come back yet.”
Her gaze lingered on Marina. It was just too convenient–the truck had to break down today, of all days, and so badly.
Niamh had plenty of reason to suspect Marina, but she had no proof. Besides, now wasn’t the time to start an argument.
She tried other transport companies, but none had a truck available to send to Silverhaven right away.
“If the material can’t get here in time,” Marina chimed in, pulling out her own designs, “why not use my design instead?”
