Chapter 37
Courtney looked up in surprise, her smile fading. “Mr. Kinney, would you mind telling us why?”
Oliver shook his head. “It’s an internal company decision. I’m afraid we can’t share the specifics.”
Courtney pressed on, unwilling to give up. “But we were having a great conversation earlier. We were about to enter the prototyping stage…”
“Exactly,” Veronica added, frowning.“Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”
How could a project that was practically a done deal fall apart just because they went to the restroom? Something clearly happened in between.
“Oliver, why are you wasting time explaining anything to them?” Victor interrupted with a sneer, his tone sharp and dismissive. “They’ve offended someone and now expect Rivierre to clean up the mess for them? I’m not afraid to say that this collaboration ends here.”
“Victor,” Oliver chided softly. Then, he turned back with an apologetic expression. “We do need to pause this partnership. Ms. Dolton, your design was truly impressive, and it’s a real shame. I suggest you both wait and see. Maybe there’ll be an opportunity down the line.”
Even though Oliver tried to soften the blow with polite language, the message was clear and not so
different from Victor’s blunt dismissal.
With that, the two left the room first.
Veronica watched them go and pieced together the clues.
Could this be because of Archie? That man never took slights lightly. All she did was step on his ego a little outside the room.
Moreover, Archie’s family just happened to be one of the four major families in Jouver. Hence, they were surely capable of putting pressure on a sportswear brand.
Courtney noticed Veronica deep in thought and asked, “Veronica, what’s wrong?”
Veronica shared her theory, her voice tinged with guilt. “I’m sorry, Courtney. If I knew he was this petty, I would’ve ignored him completely.”
“How is this your fault?” Courtney gave a sharp laugh, a mix of anger and amusement. “That mutt Archie has always been trash.”
Upon hearing her response, Veronica suddenly felt silly for forgetting. Back in the day, Archie had once pursued Courtney just to win a bet with Eleanor.
Veronica hadn’t met Courtney yet, but she’d heard about what happened. Apparently, Archie had left her stranded alone in the suburbs late at night during winter. It was ten degrees below zero, and Courtney had
Chapter 37
to walk all the way back to the city by herself.
2/2
Meanwhile, Archie had been busy plastering Eleanor’s birthday wishes across every billboard in town, not caring about Courtney at all. Nonetheless, Courtney wasn’t one to take things lying down. When she found out it was all a joke, she broke up with him.
After that, she even drugged him using Eleanor’s name, stripped him down, and left him naked in the woods for a night. She pulled it off flawlessly, and thanks to the long list of enemies Archie had made, he never figured out who was behind it.
She only told Veronica about it after the two became close.
Courtney had always had a charmed life. However, even after years later and married, mentioning Archie
still made her want to nail that old grudge to a pillar of shame.
Veronica wrapped her arms around Courtney, hoping the gesture would bring her some comfort.
“I’m fine, Veronica. Don’t worry about me,” Courtney said, brushing it off. “Honestly, I never had high hopes
for this deal anyway. And besides…”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ve always had a bone to pick with that diva Victor. If it weren’t for Rivierre helping Novaro Design during our rough patch years ago, I wouldn’t have wasted my time doing
all this thankless work for the lowest industry rate, no less.”
She added, “Veronica, I should thank you for giving them a chance to break up with us first. You solved a
big problem.”
Veronica couldn’t help but laugh through her exasperation. Courtney really did know how to make
someone feel better.
urtney
erre was demanding, it had evolved into a well–established mid–luxury brand in recent years.
es were low, the partnership had helped elevate Novaro’s visibility in the industry.
touched, knowing Courtney was only saying this to ease her guilt. Her initially low spirits wept over by a warm current.
ortney patted her hand and picked up her bag. “Let’s go. Discussing their collaboration today was secondary. We still have real business to take care of.”
“What is it?” Veronica tilted her head. “Do we have another client meeting?”
Courtney laughed. “Veronica, do I look like a heartless corporate shark forcing my employees to attend two back–to–back business dealings in a single day?”
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Chapter 38
