Chapter 55

Latham only caught half of Dorothea’s phone conversation.

“Oh, so you’re not a pushover today p>

Dorothea frowned, a little annoyed. “Mr. Stephens, do you really enjoy

eavesdropping on other people’s calls p>

Latham grinned. “Ungrateful, aren’t you? I should have just let you fend for yourself that day p>

Dorothea realized her words had come out wrong and quickly tried to make up for it with a smile. “Mr. Stephens, if you didn’t like the cruise gift, I can get you something else p>

He looked right at her, a slow smile tugging at his lips. “Alright. How about a pair of couple’s watches p>

Dorothea blinked, caught off guard. She hesitated, then asked carefully, “Do you want a matching men’s set, or one for a guy and a girl p>

Latham’s smile disappeared in a flash. “A set for a guy and a girl. Dorothea, I really don’t need to explain what a couple’s watch is, do I p>

She forced a smile, pressing her lips together. Latham really was impossible to predict.

Elise realized right away she’d been blocked. When Layton asked her about it, she didn’t even dare bring it up. Layton just thought she’d already smoothed things over with Dorothea.

It was the first time Elise had ever seen Dorothea lose her temper. She knew she was biased, but with Eaton gone, she had to think about her future. If she didn’t support Carola, how could she hope to keep her place in the Brown family?

Carola noticed her mother’s unhappy face, then glanced at her father, who didn’t look much better. “Dad, Mom, did Dorothea cause trouble again p>

The way she said it, she couldn’t have made it more obvious she was trying to stir things up.

“Carola, if Dorothea were half as thoughtful and sensible as you, things would be so much easier,” Elise said, somehow managing to praise one daughter while criticizing the other.

Carola’s smile was sweet and innocent. “Mom, Dorothea’s probably still mad at me. You might not know, but when she used to work as Albert’s secretary, I think she liked him p>

“What?” Elise was stunned. “She actually had feelings for him p>

Carola nodded, acting generous. “But Albert only cares about me, so I can’t blame Dorothea for being upset with me p>

“Don’t worry, she won’t bother you two again. After all, she’s already p>

“Enough,” Layton cut in, putting a stop to it. “I’m sure Dorothea doesn’t care about Albert anymore. Let’s eat p>

Carola shot Layton a questioning look, then glanced at Elise. They’d stopped right in the middle of a sentence. What were they hiding? Was there something she wasn’t supposed to know?

But she had a lunch date with Albert today, so she let it go and went upstairs to get ready.

Albert had cleared his schedule just to pick Carola up. As usual, she’d dressed cute, all soft colors and sweet details. Sometimes, just standing next to her, Albert felt like a grown-up with a kid.

He couldn’t help but slip into an older, protective tone. “It’s chilly today. Aren’t you cold wearing so little p>

He went to the trunk and pulled out a blanket, draping it over her legs.

Carola stuck out her tongue at him, grinning. “I knew you’d never let me freeze.” “Oh, and Albert, Dorothea and my mom had another fight a couple days ago.” Albert’s fingers paused on the steering wheel. “What kind of fight p>

Carola pouted. “I’m not sure, but Mom was furious. I think Dorothea made Alonzo apologize to her or something. Everything at home’s been a mess lately. Dad even kicked Alonzo out p>

She made it sound much worse than it probably was, throwing shade at Dorothea whenever she could.

Albert didn’t react much. “As long as she didn’t give you a hard time. Let’s go. Don’t let people who don’t matter ruin your mood p>

Carola beamed, feeling triumphant. “She wouldn’t dare. Not when I’ve got you on my side p>

That evening, Albert checked into The Gresham again. Dorothea happened to be showing a new security staff member around the hotel. Normally, this wasn’t her job, but Nash’s child was sick, and Dorothea wasn’t, the type of boss to turn someone down when they needed help.

Their paths crossed in the lobby.

Dorothea gave Albert a polite nod but didn’t plan to say anything. The only reason she even acknowledged him was because he was a guest. Anywhere else, she wouldn’t have spared him a glance.

“Dorothea, do you know that guy we just saw?” the new staff member asked.

She shook her head. “No. Just a very important client. The customer’s always right, isn’t that what they say?” Her tone was a little self-mocking.

“Heh, guess that’s true p>

Albert watched Dorothea as she walked briskly away, then finally turned to head into the elevator.

By the time Dorothea finished the tour, it was almost eight in the evening. “Alright, that’s it for today. I’ll count this as overtime, so you can go home now p>

“Thank you. Sorry you had to stay late with me p>

Dorothea smiled. She actually had a good impression of this new hire. He learned fast, handled himself well, and when she’d run through possible emergencies, he’d responded quickly and calmly. As far as she was concerned, he d passed her first test. Whether he’d make it through the three-month probation was up to him.

as she was concocal net

Dorothea was about to swipe her card at the elevator when a tall figure suddenly blocked her path.

“Dorothea, do you want to have this conversation here, right under the cameras, or should we talk somewhere more private p>

Albert’s eyes were sharp and determined.

Dorothea kept her expression cool. She didn’t want to cause a scene at her own hotel. “Let’s go to the service corridor. But just so you know Albert, only have five. minutes. My husband’s coming pick me up after work p>