After the Affair Falling into a Billionaire's Arms novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178

“Don’t move, Julian said. “Your hair is caught in my button. We need to untangle it.”

His warm voice came from above her head.

Louisa felt like she was losing her mind. What was happening today? First the accidental kiss, and now her hair was tangled in his button.

Teddy observed the scene with barely concealed delight. “Mr. Tudor, I’ll go get the car ready,” he said before slipping away.

Julian acknowledged him with a brief sound, then focused on freeing Louisa’s hair.

Forced to remain pressed against his chest, Louisa couldn’t see what was happening with her hair.

She could only feel his steady breathing brushing against her ear as he worked methodically to untangle the strands.

The sensation was warm and tingling, making her already chaotic heart beat even faster.

Julian noticed. “Why are you nervous? Am I hurting you?” His low, resonant voice was unnervingly intimate.

Louisa felt her ears burning. “No, that’s not it.”

Their proximity was the problem. She tried to move away, forgetting her hair was still caught.

Another sharp pain made her wince.

“Didn’t I tell you not to move?” Julian said with a sigh. His hand settled at the small of her back, drawing her slightly closer.

Their already minimal distance vanished as her body pressed against his waist.

Suddenly, Louisa couldn’t hear anything except his breathing and heartbeat.

This was torture.

‘Maybe we should just break the strands,” she suggested desperately.

“Got it,” he replied. “It’s free now.”

As he spoke, she felt the tension on her scalp release.

She immediately stepped back. “Thank you.”

She turned to leave, took two steps, then again remembered her car wasn’t in the garage.

She turned back toward the elevator, all her usual efficiency gone in her flustered state.

Julian laughed softly. “What are you doing now?”

“My car isn’t here, she explained.

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Chapter 178

“Take mine.”

“No! No!” she refused instantly. “That won’t be necessary.”

She hurried into the elevator, frantically pressing the button.

Julian watched her panicked retreat with an amused smile.

The morning’s events left Louisa distracted throughout her journey to the office.

When she entered the investment department, her colleagues greeted her with strange looks–some envious, some admiring, some resentful, some

incredulous, and some disdainful.

Her mood sank further.

Inside her office, Marlee followed her in, barely containing her excitement. “Ms. Forbes! You won’t believe it–we’ve sold units at Oakridge Commons!”

Louisa responded calmly. “How many?”

“Three.”

Louisa fell silent. Was that really cause for such excitement?

“Don’t underestimate these three sales,” Marlee continued. “Mr. Adams approved the Oakridge Commons project eight months ago, and since its launch, not a single unit had sold. The issue was escalated to headquarters after the sales office failed completely.

‘Five different managers handled it with zero results. Yesterday, following your instructions, we released the new renovation promotional video with our redesigned sales strategy. In just over ten hours, we’ve sold three units–that’s a miracle!

“At this rate, we’ll sell out within three months.”

Louisa nodded, finally understanding the strange looks she’d received when entering the office.

Marlee deflated at Louisa’s lack of enthusiasm. “Ms. Forbes, aren’t you excited at all?”

“What’s there to be excited about?” Louisa replied. “We’ve done so many meaningful reforms; isn’t it the rightful outcome after all our efforts?”

Marlee was speechless. Such confidence was both impressive and intimidating.

“Ms. Hughes mus be furious now,‘ Marlee added with renewed excitement. “She gave you the most difficult project to make things hard for you, but you turned it around. She inadvertently gave you an opportunity to shine.”

Meanwhile, in the director’s office, Teresa was indeed livid.

Her knuckles rapped sharply against her desk as she glared at her subordinate. “You told me to assist her, but she never gave me the chance. She didn’t request a budget or use the company’s promotional channels–she went straight to outside help. How did she even think of such an approach?*

Hatty stood trembling before her desk, gathering courage to speak. ‘She’s different from us. Tudor Group is a major corporation with established procedures for everything. She’s untamed–willing to use any means to achieve her goals.”

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Hatty glanced at Teresa, testing the waters. “But considering she bypassed Tudor Group’s promotional system and used social media platforms instead… isn t that rather small–time behavior that embarrasses Tudor Group?

Perhaps you could use this angle when appealing to Mr. Tudor?”

Teresa laughed coldly. ‘Yes, her methods are unsophisticated, but she saved the company money and sold the units. That’s beneficial for the company, so

does the process even matter?”

Especially since Julian seemed so protective of Louisa, he would never reprimand her for this.

Hatty thought for a moment before suggesting cautiously, “What if you made a gesture of goodwill toward her? Even if she doesn’t accept it, you’ll have made the effort. When the project succeeds, you could still take credit.”

To her surprise, Teresa responded with fury. “Make a gesture of goodwill to her? In her dreams!”

With the Oakridge Commons project well underway, Louisa found herself with free time.

With no other projects assigned, she spent the afternoon in her office, occasionally chatting with her friends.

As the workday was ending, Teresa appeared at her door–condescending to visit Louisa’s office in person.

“Ms. Hughes, Louisa greeted politely. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Teresa nodded. “Indeed there is.”

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