When Love Becomes a Cage by Nora

Chapter 40

Chapter 40



Was it Merritt's warning that did the trick? Clyde had been unusually quiet these days. Even at the office, he'd look the other way when our paths crossed.

Just when I thought he was done making my life difficult, Kayla decided to stir up some real trouble.

Aspire World had sent representatives. And she, for some reason, didn't bother to inform me and left them hanging in the conference room. When I got Vinson's text, I found out he and his team had been at our office for over an hour.

I rushed to the meeting room. "Vinson, you're with Aspire World?"

"I'm so sorry. My colleague didn't tell me you were here. I would've been here immediately if you'd texted me sooner."

Seeing him surrounded by his team, I could tell he held a position of authority. A part of me was secretly thrilled. If Vinson were in charge of the project, it'd be a cakewalk compared to dealing with Bill.

A young lady beside Vinson shot me a disapproving look. "Starting by name-dropping? Ms. Crawford, you made us wait this long. You think this will slide like that, huh? Last time, you made Mr. Jenkins wait, and now, Mr. Davis. What, is this your way of showing dominance?"

smile and kept saying sorry over and over. With

insisted this bakery was worth the hype, so I queued up. My apologies for the delay. I got a variety of the most popular flavors and some

Aspire World team, mostly young folks, livened up with the offer of good food. "This coffee shop's the talk of the town. I

younger crowd, no generation

Crawford did her homework. I haven't seen

I thought we were about to get down to business, oblivious to the room, Kayla barged in. "Already digging in? Are we here for a meeting or a feast?" She sneered at the spread on the table. "Melanie, this is what you serve your guests? Store-bought cakes that cost

a Michelin-starred meal then?" I took a long sip of my coffee,

right? We've been here over an hour, and you've been saying Mr. Patterson was unavailable. What's your point in showing up

suit. "We'll take our leave if your company isn't interested in cooperating. Melanie,

joking. The Patterson Group can afford this little expense." Clyde entered with a forced smile, apparently unaware of Vinson's role with Aspire World, making his entrance somewhat

with a hint of

but she had someone queue up for snacks, causing the delay. Last time, she made Mr. Jenkins wait. Seems deliberate to me." Kayla was quick

fool anyone. The Aspire World team members

in the corporate world long

was blind to it, taking Kayla's word as gospel. "Melanie, be focused when discussing business. If Aspire World walks away, can you bear the responsibility? Will you compensate for the company's

his ignorance. I would have never pursued him if he