Closest People
Hazel curled her lips and looped her arm through Eddie’s as they walked toward the resort. “You almost looked the part, but the moment you opened your mouth, it all fell apart. Try
not to talk too much later.”
“Aren’t we here to meet a client? Why am I dressed up like this?”
“Remember, your role today is my boyfriend.”
A sleek black Bentley rolled to a stop at the resort entrance. Kin lowered the passenger-side
window, carefully observing the figure walking into the resort.
“Mr. Price, I think that might’ve been Miss Queen just now.”
Damon chuckled softly. “She’s probably busy dealing with those old geezers at Queen Corp.
How could she have time to come here? You must be mistaken.”
Kin frowned slightly but raised the window back up.
He had heard about the recent chaos at Queen Corp. It was already surprising that Miss Queen had managed to become the group’s president in the first place.
Jonah, unwilling to accept her position, was constantly opposing her, and Queen Corp’s internal power struggles were a mess.
Now that Mr. Price was also making things difficult for her, it seemed nearly impossible for Miss Queen to show up at a place like this under her current circumstances.
“Mr. Price, are you really not going to back off from Miss Queen’s side?”
Currently, Price Corp was blocking small projects from Queen Corp. Queen Corp was far from its former glory and couldn’t withstand much more pressure.
If this continued, Miss Queen might not be able to hold on for much longer.
After all, she had been with Mr. Price for three years. Surely he had some feelings for her. He
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Closest People
wouldn’t really go this far, would he?
+25 BONUS
“I’ll stop when Hazel comes to Price Corp for collaboration. But until she bows her head to me, I won’t let up!”
The memory of being flipped over her shoulder still circulated online as a running joke, a
meme that had yet to die down. It gnawed at Damon’s pride.
“Alright, Miss Ryu is probably tired of waiting. Grab the documents and let’s head in.”
Just as they stepped out of the car, another vehicle pulled up behind them. A glance at the license plate confirmed it was another heavyweight arrival.
Damon paused, only to see Omar Cohen stepping out of the car.
This man was an old friend of Damon’s grandfather. Damon had seen him often in his childhood, but their encounters grew sparse over the years.
All he knew was that Omar ran the Omar Corp in Vernon, a company almost on par with
Price Corp in scale.
However, since Omar owned a disproportionately large share of his company, he had absolute authority. Many people sought to curry favor with him because of this.
Compared to other presidents with minimal shares or no real power, someone of Omar’s caliber was undeniably in a league of his own.
“Grandpa Omar? What a coincidence. Are you here for the hot springs too?”
The resort was most famous for its natural hot springs in the back hills. The management
had done an excellent job utilizing these springs, even hiring international experts to develop therapeutic baths.
People with health concerns often came here for relaxation and healing.
Omar stared at Damon for a moment. “Damon Price?”
“I didn’t expect Grandpa Omar to recognize me after all this time. I thought you’d forgotten
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Closest Prophes
about me by now.”
“Hmph! Forgetting you would’ve been better.”
Omar’s tone was curt. “I have someone important to meet, so I won’t keep you.”
With that, he walked off, brushing past Damon without another word.
The dissatisfaction in Grandpa Omar’s demeanor was evident, leaving Damon puzzled about the source of this disapproval.
+25 BONUS
Perhaps it had something to do with the older generation. Damon didn’t dwell on it and
turned to leave.
After parting ways, Omar headed straight to the private room Hazel had reserved in
advance.
As soon as Hazel saw him, she quickly got up to greet him. “Uncle Omar, why didn’t you let me know earlier? I could’ve come to the entrance to welcome you.”
Omar was an old friend of Hazel’s father. The two even had some familial ties and were of
the same generation, which was why Hazel addressed him as “Uncle Omar.”
After that fire years ago, Hazel had fled to Omar’s home, where she recovered from her
injuries. It was only after leaving the Omar family that she got entangled with Damon.
Now in his sixties, Omar had never married or had children. Hazel was probably the only younger person he genuinely cared about.
“I’m not incapable of walking, so I don’t need you to fetch me,” he said with his usual sharp
tone.
Hazel, having long grown used to his way of speaking, just smiled.
“It’s just a way of showing respect, Uncle Omar. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
With that, she pulled Eddie forward. “Uncle Omar, this is my new boyfriend, Eddie.”
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+25 BONUS
Omar was well aware of Hazel’s three-year marriage to Damon. He’d also been keeping an eye on the events following their divorce, which explained his frosty attitude toward Damon
earlier.
Now scrutinizing the man by Hazel’s side, his expression remained cold.
“If you ask me, focusing on managing Queen Corp is far more important than wasting time on a boyfriend. They’re all useless, anyway.”
“Come on, Uncle Omar. Dating is just for fun. I’m still taking the company seriously.”
The only reason Hazel had Eddie pretend to be her boyfriend was to avoid Omar worrying
that she still had lingering feelings for Damon.
Though he appeared stern and critical, Omar was incredibly perceptive.
In a way, they were the closest people to each other in the world. Hazel couldn’t bear the thought of making Uncle Omar fret over her love life at his age.
“You look decent today. You should dress up more often. It makes you seem confident and
keeps others from thinking they can push you around,” Omar said.
He was a stickler for appearances and often criticized Hazel for her preference for casual
wear, which he said looked like pajamas.
“Got it, Uncle Omar. Actually, I invited you to dinner because I need your help with
something.”
She leaned in slightly, her voice lowering. “I found a hard drive at the fire scene. It might contain the truth about what happened, but it’s badly damaged. I was hoping you might know an expert who can recover the data.”
Hazel had married Damon back then because of his aunt, who had also been at the fire
scene.
Those three years in the Price family weren’t for nothing. Before her divorce, she’d managed to obtain the hard drive from one of Damon’s aunt’s trusted aides.
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Closest Peopla
+25 BONUS
“I do know someone who specializes in data recovery, but he lives abroad. Coincidentally, I’ll be traveling there soon. Bring the drive to my place, and I’ll personally take it to
him.”
“Thank you, Uncle Omar.”
The hard drive was severely damaged, and Hazel didn’t dare hand it over to just anyone.
Turning to Omar was her safest option.
After dinner, they enjoyed a massage before leaving together.
Just as they stepped out of the resort’s entrance, Damon and Kin emerged as well,
accompanied by a striking woman in a bright red dress.
The woman’s style was reminiscent of Hazel’s tonight-both exuding an elegant, noble
vibe-but Hazel’s look was more understated.
“Hazel? So it really was you. I thought Kin was mistaken,” Damon said, his voice tinged with surprise.
***
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