Chapter 84 Chapter 28.3
An hour before her scheduled meeting with Mr. Conception, Heaven left her office earlier than usual, worried she might get stuck in traffic. She chose to attend the meeting alone—her secretary already had a mountain of tasks to finish. And just as she feared, she found herself trapped in a slow-moving gridlock, watching the minutes tick by on her wristwatch. The last thing she wanted was to be late, especially when she was about to meet the man who would soon become their business partner.
By the time she arrived at the five-star restaurant, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. A staff member approached her the moment she stepped inside.
“Reservation name, ma’am?” he asked politely.
“Under Mr. Conception,” Heaven replied. The staff checked the list, nodded, and guided her to a private room. When she stepped inside, she released a quiet breath—thankfully, her meeting partner had not arrived yet.
While waiting, she requested a glass of water and reviewed the proposal in her hands. She had read it multiple times before, but she wanted every detail fresh in her mind. She couldn’t afford even the slightest mistake.
Ten minutes later, the door opened, and Heaven instinctively looked up. A tall man stepped inside.
“You must be Jayson Conception?” Heaven greeted with a warm smile. The man nodded and returned her smile.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Conception. I’m Heaven Rosales—the person you’ll be speaking with today regarding our proposal.” She introduced herself pleasantly, extending her hand.
Jayson shook it firmly. “Nice to meet you too, Miss Rosales. Please, have a seat.”
They both sat down across from each other.
“Let’s order our food first,” Jayson suggested kindly. “It’s better to talk on a full stomach.”
Heaven nodded and smiled in agreement. She picked up the menu, told the waiter her order, and waited while Jayson did the same.
“Is it alright if we wait for my boss to arrive?” Jayson asked.
Heaven blinked, confused. “Your boss? Isn’t it you I’m supposed to meet today regarding the partnership?”
“Yes, you’re supposed to meet with me,” he confirmed lightly. “But my boss decided he’ll be the one to meet you instead since he’s free today—if that’s alright with you.”
“Of course, that’s perfectly fine,” Heaven said, maintaining her polite expression. “It’s even better if I can talk directly with your superior so we can finalize things clearly.”
When their meals arrived, they began eating. Between bites, Heaven asked, “Aren’t we waiting for your boss so we can eat together?”
“He had another meeting earlier,” Jayson explained. “He already ate there. He just wanted me to come ahead so you wouldn’t be left waiting too long—and because it’s nearly lunchtime, he didn’t want you going hungry.”
Heaven nodded, appreciating the thoughtfulness, even if it came from someone she hadn’t met. They had just finished eating when the door opened once more—this time revealing the person they had been expecting.
Heaven stood up immediately. The moment her eyes met the newcomer’s, her smile vanished. Desmond’s expression hardened as well. Shock flickered briefly between them.
Why—of all people—did it have to be him?
“Miss Rosales, this is Mr. Velasquez,” Jayson introduced. “He’s my boss.”
Heaven forced herself to smile again, even though her chest tightened. Professionalism—she needed to hold on to that.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Velasquez.” She extended her hand.
Desmond shook it, his face unreadable. “Pleasure to meet you too, Miss Rosales.”
She quickly withdrew her hand and sat down.
“I’ll leave the two of you to it,” Jayson announced.
“You’re leaving?” Heaven asked, startled.
Desmond’s eyebrow raised, but Jayson simply nodded. “Yes, Miss Rosales. I still have other tasks to finish today. Since my boss is here, the two of you can handle the discussion from here.”
He exited the room, leaving a heavy silence behind him.
Heaven swallowed hard, her gaze meeting Desmond’s cold, assessing stare.
“When the two of you were alone here earlier, you didn’t complain,” he remarked, his tone icy. “But now that I’m here, it seems like you don’t want him leaving.”
Heaven clenched her jaw in irritation. Of all the outcomes she imagined today, running into Desmond again wasn’t one of them. If this partnership pushed through, it meant she would be seeing him far more than she wanted. Should she cancel? But her company needed this deal—and Desmond knew that.
She met his gaze with narrowed eyes. “You own PrimeHarvest? Your family still controls Aurora Malls, so why do I have to discuss the partnership with you? When your parents could’ve just handled the discussion with you themselves.”
Desmond’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Let’s be professional here, Miss Rosales. My business is separate from my family’s business. Just because we’re related doesn’t mean I’ll approve a partnership right away. What if your team presents something poorly? Should I blindly agree just because we share a last name?”
Heaven raised her brow but held back her annoyance. She needed to stay composed.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. Velasquez. Straight to the point—”
“Now that I know you’re the one I’m meeting today,” Desmond cut her off, “I want to talk about us. Let’s see if I should even allow you to partner with me.”
Heaven let out a sharp laugh, the irritation finally slipping through. “Like you said—let’s be professional, Mr. Velasquez. We’re not here to talk about our personal matters. We discuss the business partnership. If you’re not interested in hearing my proposal, then we’re just wasting each other’s time. I can find someone else.”
She stood, ready to leave—but Desmond caught her wrist.
“Sit,” he ordered.
Heaven glared at him. “Let go, Desmond.”
“Sit down, Miss Rosales”—his tone hardened—“or should I say, Mrs. Velasquez. Present your proposal.”
“Stop calling me that,” she snapped, pulling her hand free. “I filed for divorce years ago. We’re no longer married.”
Desmond leaned back, an almost amused smile tugging at his lips. “Are you sure about that? Why don’t you go check with the civil registrar? You sent me divorce papers, yes. But are you certain I signed them?”
Heaven froze.
Her heart began pounding—hard.
“What… what are you trying to say?” she whispered, confusion clouding her eyes.
Desmond’s gaze was steady. Unflinching.
“Heaven,” he said slowly, deliberately, “what if I never signed those papers?”
A chill ran down her spine.
Was he telling the truth?
Was she—after everything—still legally Mrs. Velasquez?