Chapter 108
Carola stared at her phone in disbelief. How on earth were Latham and Dorothea getting married? These two had nothing in common. It just didn’t make sense.
“Dad, you’re joking, right? Didn’t you say the arranged marriage was supposed to be with Mr. Stevens p>
Layton let out a long sigh. Honestly, if he could choose, he’d rather Dorothea be marrying Harper right now.
“Dorothea’s got skills. She found this match herself. I could never convince the Stephens family to agree to anything p>
That only made Carola feel worse. She ended the call and sat there for a minute, trying to calm down.
If Albert found out about this, she knew exactly how he’d react. Men and their pride were impossible to predict, but she knew Albert’s possessive streak and how much he hated to lose.
If Dorothea was marrying just any guy, Albert might not even care. He’d just feel a little insulted and brush it off. But Latham… Latham was his biggest rival. The thought of Albert losing his mind over this made Carola’s head spin. She had to keep this a secret, at least until Dorothea and Latham made it public. She needed to marry Albert before then, no matter what.
By the time the video had been with the police for half a day, the atmosphere at the hotel was tense. The manager on duty looked worried.
“Dorothea, do you think the police could’ve been bribed by Albert p>
Dorothea shook her head. “I don’t think so. Let’s give it a little more time. We have to trust them p>
A little while later, the internet drama finally broke. All the rumors dragging The Gresham’s name through the mud were cleared up with a single statement.
[After investigation, we’ve confirmed that Larry staged the whole incident with the broken violin. The Gresham was not involved. Police will continue to look into the matter p>
It was a plain and simple announcement, but it hit the trolls hard. Dorothea’s online attackers got a rude awakening. Carola’s vague tweet disappeared in minutes, and she even shut down her comments.
Only now, after two days of nonstop hate, did people realize they’d picked the wrong target. Some of the harshest critics even went to Dorothea’s page to apologize.
Dorothea didn’t respond at all. She just wiped her inbox clean with one click and deleted that solo photo she loved from the cruise deck. That was her way of ending the whole mess.
She headed back to the office, all business and no hesitation. Without knocking, she pushed open Walton’s door, startling him so much he nearly spilled his tea.
“Wow, you look relaxed,” she said, her voice icy. “The company’s in crisis, and you’re nowhere to be found. Is this what a general manager does p>
Walton had no comeback. He just stared at her.
“Dorothea, aren’t you the one always charging ahead? With you holding the fort, I have to keep things steady behind the scenes p>
Dorothea wasn’t buying it. “I’m calling a board meeting tomorrow. We’re going to reconsider the
the
executiveNou re
not getting any younger, Walton. If you can’t handle the job, maybe it’s time to retire early p>
Walton jumped to his feet, his face red. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re kicking me out? I’m the
general manager This hotel’s
success is because of me. Have you
forgotten who built all this p>
Dorothea hadn’t wanted to go head-to-head with Walton so soon, but she couldn’t
let the company rot from the inside. She had to act.
“You’re the one who’s forgotten. If it
wasn’t for the bit of family left
between us; you’d have been gonez
You know how
Long age
many of
your relatives you’ve slipped into the
company? Manager or not, I’m the
only major shareholder now.
Right in front of Walton, she picked up her phone and called Nash. “Draft a notice
for me. Walton’s out p>
Nash almost dropped his phone. “Dorothea, did I hear that right p>