No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

"No way."

"I mean, if we're talking looks and presence, how does he even compare to me?" Grant said, puffing out his chest and striking a pose, clearly pleased with himself.

"Did I hear it right that he's the one who funded the startup?" I pressed on for more details.

"Oh, yeah, he's the big boss, the real deal," Grant chuckled, "While everyone calls me Mr. Smith and treats me like I'm someone important, I'm just a high-level employee, same as you and Mr. Collins."

His tone was so casual and friendly.

"Then why doesn't he manage the company himself?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"You kidding?" Grant scoffed at me, "The guy's loaded. Owns a bunch of companies. Why would he bother managing this one?"

I glanced towards the private room's door. Was that short guy really loaded?

Having lived with the Wagner family for years, I thought I had a good sense of who the wealthy players were, and I'd never heard of a Collins in those circles.

"Don't believe me?" Grant saw the skepticism on my face. "You need to get out more."

I was at a loss for words.

"The big boss in there is Jeremy Collins, grandson of Stanley Collins, a big name in the coal industry from Westridge. Might look a bit old-fashioned, but he's only in his early thirties. Now that the coal industry is slowing down, the Collins family is branching out into other ventures. Our Mr. Collins might not look like much, but he's sharp," Grant tapped his temple for emphasis.

That cleared up a lot of my confusion.

Still, I couldn't help teasing, "Westridge folks stretching their hands out this far, huh?"

"Money knows no bounds," Grant shook his head, "And our boss has investments overseas too, bet you didn't see that coming."

"Huh, wouldn't have guessed," I said, feigning surprise, "And here I thought Mr. Smith's Mr. Collins was someone else."

"What did you think?" Grant asked, smiling.

I thought about Ernest's broke-ass look and decided it was better left unsaid.

Despite sharing a last name, Ernest, in terms of looks, intellect, could run circles around Jeremy. But when it came to wealth, Jeremy could send Ernest to the moon.

bet

"Nothing much. Let's not keep the big boss waiting. Wouldn't want get

Said with a laugh, into the private roovel?

Grant stopped me, "Director Hudson, you don't think Mr. Collins and Ernest..."

"No," I cut him off with a laugh, "Ernest is just Ernest."Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

"Ernest's an underdog," Grant threw out there before I walked in.

Pushing the door open, neither Ernest nor Jeremy were speaking They just sat there, looking like they'd just finished a round of some

intense showdown.

My heart skipped a beat. Had Ernest and the big boss had a falling out already?

It was their first meeting; that seemed unlikely.

Seeing the standoff, I decided to lighten the mood, "Sorry for the wait, Mr. Collins."

"It's fine, have a seat," Jeremy's demeanor was down-to-earth, his speech friendly, a stark contrast to his invisible tycoon status.

Grant followed in, reporting earnestly, "Just filling Director Hudson in on our Mr. Collins."

Really? It was pretty clear he was outing me for snooping around the big boss.

Before I could roll my eyes at him, Grant was already explaining to Jeremy with a laugh, "Mr. Collins,

you wouldn't believe how curioumet

Director Hudson was about you. She's been pestering me fora chance to meet you."

"Really?" Ernest chimed in.

Just those two words made my heart flutter, and Grant chuckled, "Yeah, why don't you ask Director Hudson?"

Grant's intelligence, or lack thereof, was becoming increasingly apparent.

"Let's eat, Director Hudson must be starving," Ernest smoothly changed the subject.

Grant looked at Jeremy, who gave a slight nod, prompting Grant to press the service bell.

That confirmed it for me. Jeremy was the big boss.

But why then did Grant seem so deferential towards Ernest?

As I ate, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.