Chapter 94 There's Something More Comfortable, Do You Want It?
A familiar company name rang in her ears.
"The Boleyn Group."
She froze, feeling like she'd been struck by gold falling from the sky—too surreal to be true. She reached down and pinched her thigh. It hurt. This was real.
After confirming it was real, the host's voice rang out again.
"The Boleyn Group has won the new district project bid with the most competitive proposal and the most perfect art museum design. Congratulations to the Boleyn Group."
As the words fell, applause thundered through the room. Everyone rose to their feet. Ambrose stood to accept congratulations, and Scarlett, still seated, felt herself pulled by the momentum. She stood too, joining the others in applause.
In that moment, reality finally hit her.
She'd actually won the new district art museum project.
She turned toward Ambrose, her face breaking into a smile—like a flower blooming at dawn, beautiful and unaware of its own radiance.
Ambrose met her gaze, his narrow eyes taking on an unfathomable depth, his thin lips curving upward.
That moment fell under the spotlight.
And it fell into Wesley's eyes from across the room. He clenched his fists so hard they went white. In all these years, he'd never seen her smile this brilliantly—only endless silence and coldness.
Right now, she still wore that black business suit, her long hair pulled back in a low bun. Her outfit hadn't changed, but her spirit had transformed completely.
Like a wilting flower suddenly brought back to life, blooming more dazzling and stunning than ever.
And this breathtakingly beautiful version of her stood next to another man. It should have been him.
Resentment and unwillingness consumed Wesley, tearing at him body and soul. In the end, all he could do was watch from afar as she walked onto the stage, confidently and gracefully explaining her design.
He didn't hear a single word. He just stared at her self-assured presence, lost in thought.
It wasn't until Scarlett finished and received another round of thunderous applause that he snapped back to reality, watching her return to Ambrose's side.
There was no longer any space for him beside her.
Of course, Wesley wasn't the only one feeling bitter. Ulysses wasn't faring much better.
This project had been his for the taking—a sure thing. But Ambrose had swooped in halfway through, and now the project was gone.
Losing the project was bad enough. But Scarlett, the woman he'd been trying to win over, had also gone to Ambrose's company. Looked like he and Ambrose were destined to be at odds for life.
Ulysses watched Scarlett on stage, radiant and devastatingly beautiful, his expression darkening.
At noon, Ambrose held a celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel. Aside from the four city officials who left, most of the companies that had competed for the bid attended.
Even Ulysses stayed. Though he'd lost the bid, everyone knew the Mitchell family would soon take office, so plenty of people still circled around him.
Wesley stayed too, but his eyes kept drifting toward Scarlett. When people came to chat with him, he seemed completely checked out.
Brielle was nowhere to be seen.
Scarlett kept a low profile. At the celebration, she sat at a table with the company employees. Still, quite a few people came over to hand her business cards, which she accepted out of politeness.
Before long, Ryder came over to invite her to sit at Ambrose's table. To avoid drawing too much attention, she declined.
"Ms. Mellon, even you're afraid of sitting with the boss?" Milo teased.
Scarlett was in high spirits today and played along. "Who isn't afraid of sitting with the boss?"
"Occupational hazard for us working folks!" Vida chimed in.
"Ms. Mellon, so your job was to win this art museum project? You kept that secret locked down tight," someone said.
At that, Scarlett smiled slightly. "Mr. Boleyn required confidentiality on this. He was worried something might go wrong with the bid, so that's why we kept it from everyone. I hope you all understand."
"Totally get it. Boss's orders—we're just following them as employees should."
After her explanation, the atmosphere at the table finally warmed up. From that moment on, Scarlett's reputation at the company was solidified.
She'd landed a major project right out of the gate. Her skills spoke for themselves. Even Heath would have to show her some respect now.
It proved exactly what Ambrose had said, "let your abilities shut everyone up."
Scarlett was happy and ended up drinking a few extra glasses with her colleagues. By the time the celebration wrapped up, she was seven or eight drinks deep.
When everyone was leaving, they helped Scarlett walk out, planning to take her home to rest. Chase intercepted them halfway, saying a room had been arranged for her to rest here.
Ewan and Milo from her team handed her over to Chase, who escorted her to the top floor to rest.
After Chase came back down, he leaned close to Ambrose's ear and informed him that Scarlett was drunk. Ambrose had also been drinking, but he was still clearheaded. After seeing off the guests, he headed to the top floor.
The Four Seasons Hotel had a room exclusively for Ambrose's use. He pushed open the door and walked in, immediately spotting the figure lying on the bed.
He walked over and saw Scarlett's flushed face, eyes closed, murmuring about wanting water. He turned to pour her a glass, then helped her sit up to drink.
"Still thirsty?" Ambrose asked after she'd finished the glass.
"Not thirsty anymore. I'm hot." Scarlett said in a low voice, reaching up to pull at her jacket. As the jacket came undone, it revealed an emerald green silk camisole dress that made her skin look even more delicate.
Ever since Ambrose had promised not to show up at Lakeside Garden until she got her shares, he'd been holding back for over ten days. He was already at his limit, and now seeing her like this, his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
He quickly stood up, set the glass on the nightstand, and grabbed the thin blanket from the bed to cover her. The moment he did, she kicked it off.
"So hot," Scarlett mumbled, then rolled across the bed from one side to the other, then back again.
Ambrose's eyes grew darker by the second. He didn't want to upset her, but she kept tempting him.
He took a deep breath, lowered the AC temperature even more, then headed to the bathroom to splash water on his face. When he came back, Scarlett seemed to have quieted down a bit, so he climbed into bed to rest.
He lay beside Scarlett, propping his head up with one hand while using the other to brush the hair from her face, smoothing the strands back.
Thinking about the smile she'd given him earlier, his gaze locked onto her peaceful sleeping face, flushed red and beautiful—like a perfectly ripe apple.
Suddenly, Scarlett pressed herself against him, finding his body cool and clinging tightly. Ambrose had also had quite a bit to drink, and her movement sent his blood surging.
"Scarlett, let go. If you don't let go, I won't be able to hold back," Ambrose said, his voice rough.
Hearing Ambrose's voice, Scarlett actually opened her eyes slightly, her gaze hazy as she stared at him. "Ambrose, how come you're everywhere?"
Ambrose wasn't sure if she was lucid or not, so he tested the waters. "You're everywhere too."
"Of course I'm everywhere. I need to rest, but I'm so hot." As she spoke, she nuzzled closer into his embrace, pressing her face against him.
"You're so cool here. Feels so good."
Ambrose bit down hard. He lowered his head. "There's something that feels even better. Want it?"
Scarlett, burning up from the alcohol, just wanted to cool down. She wanted to feel good. She nodded, her words slurring.
"Yes. I feel awful right now. Make me feel better."