Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 82

Rebecca was trying her best to win over Dr. Palmer, but he just sat there in the car, his face set in stone. Watching her, Bruce felt a little sorry for her. Still, there was something else, something that almost felt good, though he couldn’t quite name it.

Ever since Rebecca left NovaStack Cloud, left him, things clearly hadn’t been going her way. Now she was stuck lowering herself, desperate just to get someone’s attention.

Bruce let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

Sonja caught that look on his face right away. She slipped her arm through his and leaned in. “Bruce, looks like Ms. Harper really wants to get in with Dr. Palmer, but he’s not giving her anything, is he? We’ve got Caleb’s contact info… Should we give it to her?”

“She’s unemployed. What makes her think she has the right to connect with Dr. Palmer? We’re here to talk patents and business. What could she possibly need? She just wants a few words with him, so she can brag about it later, use it as social currency.”

Bruce’s smile turned sharp. “Classic sales move.”

Sonja pressed her lips together. “Bruce, that’s a bit harsh.”

He looked at her and sighed. “Sonja, you’ve always had it easy. You’re good-hearted and a little naive. You don’t really know how ruthless people can be.”

She grinned and winked at him. “Fair enough. I did spend years abroad. Guess I never picked up on these so-called ‘unwritten rules’ back home.” She really stressed those last words.

The break ended, and they headed back toward the main hall. Just as they reached the door, Rebecca walked in from outside and they nearly bumped into each other.

For a second, nobody moved.

Bruce stayed cool, barely glancing at her before looking away like she was nothing. Sonja, on the other hand, actually gave Rebecca a small, polite smile.

Rebecca blinked, surprised. She remembered all those rumors Cindy had gossiped about. Maybe Sonja’s academic record was shaky, but she sure seemed nice enough.

She pulled out her phone, ready to text him, when it buzzed in her hand. Stephen beat her to it.

“Wait for me at the entrance.”

She read the message and got the hint. He wanted her at the dinner too.

“Okay,” she replied.

Bruce and Sonja decided to go as well. Since they hadn’t managed to talk to Dr. Palmer yet, maybe dinner would give them a chance to mingle, or at least make the trip worthwhile. They left pretty late, so they were among the last to reach the hotel.

The government had reserved several private dining rooms. Guests were split up and sent to different rooms. Even though the food and drinks were the same everywhere, everyone knew which rooms were for the VIPs and which ones weren’t.