The Heart System Chapter 787

Wow, I was actually on a roll.

I spent the morning reorganizing Nala’s schedule, moving meetings around, canceling the ones that no longer mattered, confirming appointments with clients, forwarding documents, replying to emails she didn’t have time to read, and making sure everyone knew exactly where she was supposed to be throughout the day. It wasn’t exactly exciting work, but it kept everything moving. Considering I had only recently started doing this personal assistant thing, I had to admit I was getting the hang of it.

Even while working, I couldn’t get yesterday out of my head.

Carrie and I had spent the entire day together, and I still didn’t know what to make of it. Friends? Business partners? Something more complicated? This was the same woman who had once tried to kidnap Kim and make my life miserable. I had every reason to hate her. Then she showed me a side of herself I’d never expected to see. She wasn’t some untouchable celebrity behind expensive clothes and bodyguards anymore. She was just a mother trying to hold her life together after raising a son who turned out to be a complete asshole.

It made hating her a lot harder than it used to be.

"And that’s been moved to Thursday," I muttered, locking the tablet and setting it on my desk. "Good. I could use a coffee."

My phone buzzed in my pocket before I had the chance to stand up.

Carrie. I answered immediately.

"Carrie?"

"Mr. Marlowe," she said politely. "I’m on my way to the company. I tried calling Ms. Nolin, but she isn’t answering."

Mr. Marlowe.

I could hear traffic in the background. She was definitely in a car, and judging by the way she spoke, someone else was with her. She was probably trying not to attract attention. Calling me Evan in front of her driver would only raise questions.

"She’s in a meeting," I replied. "What brings you here?"

"I’d like to speak with Ms. Nolin and learn more about Project Phoenix," she said. "These discussions are better held face to face. Do you know when her meeting finishes?"

"Five or ten minutes."

"Perfect. I’ll be there shortly, Mr. Marlowe."

I smiled. "Mr. Marlowe, huh? I kind of like the sound of that."

A quiet laugh came through the speaker. "I’m sure you do."

"See you soon."

"Goodbye."

The call ended.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and stood up from my chair.

So yesterday hadn’t been for nothing after all. Carrie was seriously considering backing Project Phoenix. She wanted to hear the details from Nala herself, and if everything went well, this disaster with Anotta might finally have a solution. For the first time since this whole mess started, things were actually looking up.

Before I reached the break room, my phone rang again. This time it was Esme.

"Hey," I answered while continuing down the hallway. "How are you doing?"

"I’m good," she said softly. "Thanks again for giving me your credit card. I just finished a yoga session with Vessa. It... helped."

"I’m glad to hear that," I said. "I was going to bring her over to your room, but she was overseas for a while."

"I’m happy with doing it online."

"Has Cora called you yet?"

She let out a quiet breath. "No. She hasn’t." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "Do you think this hotel has pizza?"

I chuckled. "I honestly don’t know, but it probably does. Just call reception. Tessa showed you how to reach them, didn’t she?"

"She did."

"Good. They’ll sort you out."

"Okay."

I stopped outside the break room and rested my hand on the door handle.

"I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you after I finish here."

"Okay. See you later."

"See you later, Esme."

I ended the call, slipped the phone back into my pocket, and finally pushed open the break room door. Hopefully, I’d have enough time to grab that coffee before Carrie arrived.

I joined the line in front of the coffee machine and leaned against the counter while waiting for my turn. The break room was busier than usual. Employees came and went with mugs in their hands, chatting before heading back to work. Someone laughed near the vending machine while another group stood by the windows, quietly discussing whatever crisis had landed on their desks this morning.

It didn’t take long before I realized nearly every conversation was about the same thing.

"...heard Ms. Nolin has been in meetings since she arrived."

"Project Phoenix, right?"

"Yeah. Apparently one of the investors pulled out."

"Seriously? That’s bad."

"I heard half the schedule got rearranged this morning because of it."

"I wouldn’t want to be in that meeting."

Neither would I.

Another pair of employees walked in behind me.

"She looks exhausted today."

"I mean, can you blame her? That project is supposed to be huge."

"I just hope they find another investor."

"So do I. It’d be a shame if all that work went to waste."

I quietly waited for my turn, pretending not to hear any of it.

Eventually, the employee in front of me stepped away.

I grabbed one of the company mugs, placed it beneath the coffee machine, and selected plain black coffee. The machine hummed quietly as it filled the mug. Once it finished, I picked it up, thanked the woman beside me who moved out of the way, and headed toward the balcony.

The balcony wasn’t very large. It was only big enough for a handful of people to stand comfortably, but at this hour it happened to be empty.

A light rain had started while I’d been inside.

The awning above kept the balcony dry, while raindrops tapped steadily against the metal roof. Beyond the railing, the company parking lot glistened beneath the gray sky.

I took a slow sip of my coffee before reaching into my pocket. Three cigarettes. That was all I had left for today... well, not left. I was ’allowed’ actually.

Jasmine, Tessa, Kim and the others had decided three a day was my limit, and every morning they counted the cigarettes before handing the packet back to me. I still thought the whole thing was ridiculous, but arguing with all of them at once was a battle I had already accepted I couldn’t win. I kinda hated this new rule, couldn’t lie. But, oh well. Whatever.

I slipped one between my lips, lit it, and took a slow drag before washing it down with another sip of coffee.

Not bad. Not bad at all.