Everything was a deal until divorce novel Chapter 87

Everything Was a Deal Until Divorce

Chapter 87 Crossing the Line at Work

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Finished

Sienna didn’t expect him to grill her that hard, so she answered honestly, “It was at Verse Kitchen. Arden was with me.”

Dorian flicked his eyes toward Arden again. She’s been here this whole time, and she hasn’t looked at me once.

He rolled the pen between his fingers. “So you drank last night?”

“Yeah.”

Arden got tipsy the second alcohol hit her system, and a work dinner like that was basically a drinking

contest.

Charles from SkyRise Group was the type of greasy, womanizing middle–aged guy who loved taking advantage of young girls fresh out of school.

So she’d rather drink herself sick than call him.

“Who told you to go?”

“Huh? Our planning team always works like this, whoever owns the project handles the client relationship. SkyRise’s ownership percentage changed, and I’m the project lead, so I had to go. And Arden just got assigned to my group,” Sienna added quickly. “I wanted her to learn fast, so I brought her along.”

Dorian’s face stayed cold. He didn’t say a word.

Sienna and Arden both got nervous.

Every time Sienna stepped into the CEO’s office, her stomach knotted up, like one wrong sentence could get her fired.

“I just wanted to ask, Mr. Vale, what range of shareholding changes we can accept,” she said carefully. “If I know the limit, I can negotiate properly.”

“SkyRise really thinks they’re something special,” Dorian said with a sharp laugh. “Go negotiate. Keep the original percentage. We don’t give them even one point. If they can live with it, fine. If they can’t, we pull our funding.”

That’s brutal. Rich–people confidence is unreal.

“Got it, Mr. Vale.”

Dorian didn’t miss a beat, he saw the whole game instantly. “They need investors right now, badly. That whole lots of investors are interested‘ rumor is just smoke, they’re trying to pressure us into giving up more. Vale Group’s investment is the biggest one on the table, they’re the ones who should be watching our reaction. We don’t need to stroke their ego.”

“Thank you

me?”

for the guidance,” Sienna said, finally breathing again. Then she asked, “Can I bring Arden with.

Dorian looked at Arden openly now. “You’re Arden?”

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Chapter 87 Crossing the Line at Work

Wow. He’s really committing to the performance.

“Yes, Mr. Vale.”

“Can you negotiate?”

Finished

Arden stayed calm, not defensive, not desperate. “Sienna’s been a great mentor. I’ll follow her lead and learn.”

“But you just graduated, you have zero work experience, and you haven’t handled a single project,” Dorian said, pressing harder. “That means you’re not qualified to sit in on negotiations.”

His tone turned aggressive. “So tell me what makes you different.”

There was a company rule, employees who hadn’t officially passed probation couldn’t join external negotiations.

One, they might not be capable and could mess up. Two, project meetings involved NDAs and confidential information.

“Sienna, step outside,” Dorian said. “Arden stays. I’m going to test her.”

Arden’s eyes widened. This isn’t about work. He’s doing this on purpose. He just wants to trap me in here.

“Okay, Mr. Vale,” Sienna said quickly.

On her way out, she gave Arden a small, supportive look. Once she left and the door shut, Dorian stood up and walked toward Arden.

That troublemaking look showed up in his face again, and Arden instinctively backed up.

Her voice went tight. “W–what are you doing?”

He kept one hand in his pocket as he closed in. “What do you think I’m doing?”

“Don’t you dare,” Arden snapped. “I’m your employee. I’ll report you for workplace harassment.”

Dorian gave a low chuckle. Seeing her tense up like that clearly amused him. “Getting close to my wife is harassment now?”

“Mr. Vale,” Arden said sharply. “Watch your wording.”

Dorian stopped right in front of her and reached up, lightly brushing at her hair. She slapped his hand away with force, the sound cracking through the office.

Dorian didn’t get mad, he looked entertained. “Why are you calling me Mr. Vale? Call me babe, yeah?”

“You’re unbelievable,” Arden shot back.

Dorian’s eyes dropped to her lips, glossy and soft, and without warning he leaned in and kissed her.

The cold touch of him stunned her. Arden’s lashes trembled, then she kicked him, shoved him back, and immediately grabbed tissues, scrubbing her mouth like she could erase it.

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Chapter 87 Crossing the Line at Work

She looked up at him, icy. “Dorian, what are you trying to do?”

“Kiss my babe.”

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He dragged his thumb over his own lips, like he was still tasting her. She’s too soft. Too sweet.

He didn’t even mean to do it–his body just moved before his brain could stop it.

Arden’s disgust came out sharp. “I hate you.”

“Arden,” Dorian said, voice low, “you’ve liked me for three years.”

Arden’s eyes got colder by the second. “So just because I care, you think you can do whatever you want? Like my feelings don’t matter?”

She’d always been someone who cried easily, and after yelling that out, her eyes reddened instantly.

Dorian’s chest tightened when he saw it, like something tugged hard inside him. He almost said, “Don’t cry.”

But Arden blinked hard, forcing it back, still wiping her lips like she couldn’t stand herself.

Then she said something that hit like a knife. “I think you’re disgusting.”

She stared straight at him. “Have you kissed Mira too? Or Lacey? Kissing is something people do when they actually care about each other.”

Then she stormed to the door, yanked it open, and marched out of the CEO’s office.

Dorian stood there with his brows drawn down. She said he was disgusting.

He’d only ever been with one woman in his entire life. Her.

So how the hell was he disgusting?

He hadn’t kissed anyone else. He’d only ever kissed Arden.

100

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Everything Was a Deal Until Divorce