Chapter 578

Chapter 578

Harper had been away from Mr. Barnes for most of the day since she first met him in person.

Yet she hadn't had a single real chance to talk to him about what she came for.

She was starting to get anxious.

Never mind that she couldn't afford to make this trip for nothing.

Back at the company, Dominic was watching her like a hawk. If she couldn't get Mr. Barnes to step in this time, she'd have nowhere else to turn for a while.

She opened her mouth, ready to finally bring up the real reason she was here today.

But maybe it was the nerves, or maybe it was the exhaustion from all the traveling.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Harper's lower abdomen.

Her face went pale. She swayed and nearly fell.

"Harper!"

Mason had been keeping an eye on her the whole time. The moment he noticed something was wrong, he rushed over to steady her. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt? I'll take you to the hospital right now."

But before Mason could even call a car.

Harper pushed him away firmly. "I'm fine. I just need to get checked out."

As much as she hated to admit it, she knew her body was tied to the baby's wellbeing.

No matter how much she wanted to push through, she couldn't gamble with the baby's safety.

It looked like she was going to leave empty-handed this time.

Harper wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, took a deep breath, and forced herself to stand steady. She turned to Mr. Barnes and said a polite goodbye. "Mr. Barnes, I've taken up enough of your time. I should get going."

With that, she left without a second glance.

Even though her steps were unsteady.

She still firmly refused to let Mason come near her.

Watching this, Mr. Barnes felt a strange mix of emotions. He glanced over at Mason, who was clearly reluctant to let her go.

Then it hit him.

Had he completely misread the situation?

Looking at how Harper was acting, there was nothing remotely flirtatious about her. If anything, Mason had been the one throwing himself at her, and Harper had been the one shutting him down.

Realizing he'd misjudged Harper, Mr. Barnes felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

At the same time, he started thinking about why Harper had really come to see him today.

This partnership...

He'd originally dismissed it because he'd questioned her character, worried it might drag him into something that would cost him more than it was worth.

But if she really was as straightforward as she appeared...

How much could he actually stand to gain from this deal?

Mr. Barnes fell into thought. He looked at Mason, who was still staring after Harper's retreating figure with longing eyes, and let out a helpless sigh.

After leaving Mr. Barnes's place, Harper didn't go straight to the hospital.

Because of the toxins in her body, this pregnancy had never been normal to begin with.

Going to a hospital where no one understood her condition would be pointless. It made more sense to contact Kenneth directly.

Harper's face was pale. She told Kenneth everything about the sudden pain in her lower abdomen, then asked through gritted teeth, "What should I do right now?"

Kenneth listened, then quickly asked, "You still have those medications I told you to carry with you at all times, right?"

Harper said yes.

"Good." Kenneth let out a long breath of relief. "If you have the meds, it should be okay. Take them like I told you, then stay still. No sudden movements, and try to stay calm. You need to ride this out before doing anything else."

As it happened, Harper needed some time to sit with her thoughts and figure out her next move anyway.

The way things stood right now.

It looked like Mr. Barnes was a dead end.

She didn't know exactly why he'd turned her down, but she didn't have the energy or the time to dig into it.

She let out a long breath and focused on steadying her breathing.

She sat alone on a bench outside.

Waiting for the sharp pain in her abdomen to pass.

The color slowly crept back into her pale face.

She stared at Mr. Barnes's house in the distance, her mind a mess, thoughts racing, but nothing useful coming to her.

Just as she was about to give up for now and figure things out after she left.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure jogging out of Mr. Barnes's house.

Heading straight toward her.

She was a little surprised. She recognized the woman right away — it was Mr. Barnes's housekeeper.

The woman stopped in front of her, and Harper asked, "Is something the matter?"

The housekeeper was relieved Harper hadn't left yet.

She caught her breath and said, "Our sir would like to invite you back to discuss the partnership further. Would you have time for that, Ms. Orsini?"

Harper felt a rush of excitement.

She was puzzled by how many times Mr. Barnes had changed his mind.

But this was a rare opportunity she couldn't pass up.

There was no reason to say no.

And so Harper found herself back in front of Mr. Barnes. This time, Mason wasn't there, and Mr. Barnes's manner toward her had softened noticeably, though she couldn't quite figure out why.

"Ms. Orsini, I've heard a bit about why you came to see me, and I have to say, I admire your persistence."

"But more than the partnership itself, I'm curious — what do you actually think of Mason?"

Harper frowned, puzzled. She couldn't figure out why he was bringing Mason up again.

Still, she answered honestly. "I think very highly of Mr. Cruz and I admire his sincerity. But please understand, Mr. Barnes — as a businesswoman, I simply don't have the bandwidth to deal with that kind of one-sided attachment."

From Mason's perspective, what he felt might have been touching.

But to Harper, it just felt like a burden.

She gave a small, resigned smile. "Rather than worrying about how he feels about me, I'd much rather see Mr. Cruz focus on building his own career and making something of himself."

Mr. Barnes listened quietly.

The last of his reservations about Harper faded away.

Because the way Harper saw Mason was exactly the same way Mr. Barnes himself saw the young man.

It was the way an older person looks at a kid who still has a lot of growing up to do.

With that, Mr. Barnes felt completely at ease about Harper. It really had all been a misunderstanding.

The two of them set aside any lingering tension, and Mr. Barnes picked up the partnership proposal Harper had brought.

He read through it carefully. Before saying yes or no, he said to her, "I know a thing or two about this Dominic. He's not someone to take lightly, and I think I understand why you came to me."

After all, someone with that kind of reach could only be kept in check by a handful of people.

He was one of them.

But he shook his head, looking troubled. "That said, I can't guarantee anything. I'm at a critical point right now — trying to move up — and honestly, my odds of pulling it off are only about thirty percent."

"If that doesn't work out, then everything we're talking about is just wishful thinking. Do you understand what I'm saying, Ms. Orsini?"

Harper understood.

If she wanted Mr. Barnes to step in, she'd first need to help him move up a level. And the chances of that happening were slim.

She thought for a moment, but didn't give up. Instead, she said, "Mr. Barnes, I looked into some of your public background before coming here. And my guess is that what you're missing right now is one solid, standout achievement."