Chapter 88
Theodore’s temper cased a little as he said, “Fine I’ll let it go this time, for El’s sake.”
Deep down, Eleanor’s earlier words had moved him more than he expected.
“El, this time, I’ll make sure you’re wearing the most beautiful gown in the world for the Arclight Awards. You’ll steal the show on that red carpet.”
Eleanor’s cheeks flushed. A rare flicker of shyness crept into her expression. “Thank you, Theodore. It couldn’t have been easy for you, being on such a tight schedule.”
“Don’t worry. If you’re the one asking, I’d never say no,” Theodore replied, his smile warm.
Archie could barely stand the sight of them. He cursed under his breath, disgusted. He thought it was pathetic how Theodore was fawning all over her like a lovesick dog. Who was he trying to impress?
“Heath’s back,” Archie said flatly when he noticed Heath putting down his phone.
“Heath! I just got back. Why don’t we grab a drink tonight? My treat,” Theodore offered casually.
Heath shook his head and said, “I can’t. I need to take care of Miriam at home.”
The three of them exchanged strange looks at his reply.
Theodore frowned. “What about that secret wife of yours? Isn’t she home? Why do you need to go back? Is this just an excuse to turn me down?”
Having only recently returned from abroad, he had not been up to date on Heath’s mess over the past few months.
“Veronica? She hit her head and now thinks chasing some so–called career is more important -just like you,” Heath said darkly.
It took Theodore a second to realize that he wasn’t being compared to someone with brain damage. Heath was merely pointing out that Veronica had gone into design, just as he had.
“You never should’ve married her to repay your grandfather’s debt,” Theodore muttered, now even more irritated by the woman he had never met. “A woman who can’t even stay home to
raise her kid? Absurd.
“Heath, so long as you keep your hands out of this, I’ll make sure that she never gets another chance in the industry. She’ll have no choice but to stay home and take care of the kids.”
Heath was tempted by that offer. The logic was simple. If a caged bird kept trying to fly, one just had to break its wings.
Naturally, he had ways to crush Veronica’s future in the industry. However, making a move
Chapter
himself would look petty. If Theodore was offering to take care of it, then so be it.
He nodded. “Alright. I’ll leave it to you, then.”
“Not a problem.”
From the side, Eleanor quietly studied Heath’s expression, her mind elsewhere. In the end, the group’s gathering for the night never happened.
Heath left first, and Archie made up some excuse and left soon after.
Theodore dropped Eleanor off at her venue for a last–minute shoot, then returned to his
company.
“Mr. Baker! Something’s wrong!”
“What’s with the panic?” he asked, frowning.
The head of the design department rushed in, flustered. “We just got word from Ms. Tillman’s team. There’s a problem with the gown. We sent someone to investigate the production process, and it turned out that an intern was careless during the back stitching. They left a needle inside the dress!”
“What?” Theodore instantly stood up, a sharp pulse pounding in his temples. “Who else knows about this? Has Jocelyn’s team said anything to confirm it came from us?”
“N–No. They didn’t take any footage of the unboxing.”
་་
That calmed Theodore down somewhat. “Find an excuse and get them to send the gown back. Tell them we’ll try to fix it, but no promises.
“Whatever happens, that gown with the issue must never be traced back to us. Understand?”
