NovelAppBrandon was somewhat uneasy. "No worries, I'll cwith you."
"Just hang on for a sec, I'll see you there first."
Brandon said, about to head back to his room to change, but Sophia stopped him. "Really, there's no need. You haven't slept all
night; you should catch sZ's. Mr. Dempsey is going with me, so chill out."
Seeing that Don was tagging along with her, Brandon could breathe easy and nodded. "Cool, I'm gonna crash for a bit then. Hit me
up if anything pops up."
Sophia nodded. "Sure thing."
Brandon arranged a ride for her with a driver, watched her leave, and then finally headed back to his room to rest.
The Frost Group's tendering party was going down at the Starlight Hotel's grand ballroom, a big-deal event with all the bells and
whistles.
The Frost Group, playing the gracious host, laid out a buffet spread before the bidding got rolling, making it look more like a major
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtbash than a business affair.
When Sophia got to the lobby, Don wasn't there, and she was stuck there without an invite, waiting for him in the hotel's ground
floor lounge.
The place was buzzing, with hotel guests and conference attendees milling about.
Not keen on bumping into Marian, Sophia snagged a corner seat with her back to the door. But while she was on the lookout for
Don, she ran into Ivan by chance.
There he was, parked on a corner sofa, buried in a newspaper, looking like he'd been there a hot minute.
He was all spruced up for the occasion, rocking a sharp suit, not his usual casual office vibe.
Sophia hadn't even noticed him until she was right up close, and was kind of taken aback.
Ivan looked up just then, surprised to see her materialize out of nowhere.
"What brings you here?" he asked, already on his feet, ushering her toward a seat inside.
"Just checking out the tendering party," Sophia said, equally puzzled. "And you? What's your story?"
Ivan gestured to the badge on his chest. "My father's gunning for a slice of this bid, but he's been under the weather these past
few days, so I'm stepping in."
Sophia nodded, recalling his family was in the running, and wondered if they had any design blueprints. So she threw out, "How's
the project design looking? You got eyes on it?"
Ivan shook his head. "Nah."
"I'm just here to hold down the fort; didn't get mixed up in the whole bid prep," he added, shooting her a smile. "You're always on
the clock with that professional itch, huh?"
Sophia cracked a smile too, but let the convo drop.
Just then, the entrance got noisy and crowded.
Sophia glanced over and, sure enough, it was Marian making her entrance.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
She was the lead designer for today's project, and the Frost family must've wanted to hype her up, calling in a bunch of journos
and spretty big names from the industry.
Marian was smack in the center of the hubbub, all smiles for the eager press and guests, looking polite, sweet, and somewhat
naive, yet totally in her element and sparkling with enthusiasm.
Louis and Martin flanked her.
Louis responded to the warm congrats and interviews with equal courtesy, his aged face beaming with pride and a touch of "look
at my girl go."
Martin, on the other hand, was much cooler. Faced with mics shoved his way, he just gave a polite wave-off, declining to chat. His
stern face wasn't exactly bursting with joy; if anything, he seemed a bit fed up and annoyed.
Ivan glanced at Marian in the crowd, too. "The Frost family's got a real soft spot for their prodigal granddaughter, huh?"
Sophia chuckled, "Looks like it."
She couldn't help but sneak another peek at the crowd and spotted Aaron among Marian's entourage. Sophia's brow furrowed as
she caught sight of him, her gaze locking onto Aaron.
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