His 181St Second (Laverne and Marina) novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99

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Chloe noticed something off in Daron’s expression, quickly entered the passcode and opened his office door, then stood respectfully at the doorway.

She just hoped Daron wouldn’t blame her for messing up.

Honestly, she hadn’t expected to open the door for Marina, and she definitely hadn’t thought Daron would care about her this much.

Marina’s attention was caught by Chloe hurrying over, and she also noticed Daron not far away. She quickly straightened up, and seeing the serious look on Chloe‘ face, she couldn’t help but do the same.

‘What’s going on?‘ Marina wondered. ‘The atmosphere feels way too serious.’

Her desk was the closest to Daron’s, and with him in such a bad mood today, she couldn’t help but worry that she might be the first one to get chewed out.

Marina was feeling pretty uneasy, but Chloe looked even more nervous than she did.

Luckily, when Daron walked into his office, he didn’t say a word.

Marina inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, only to catch Chloe doing the exact same thing.

Their expressions and body language were so in sync that they both froze for a second, then shared an awkward smile.

Once Daron was inside, Chloe respectfully gestured for Marina to go ahead.

Marina, ever humble, insisted that Chloe enter first.

The two of them hesitated for a few seconds, until Daron, walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Chloe hurriedly tugged Marina into the office.

Daron glanced back at them, and the two immediately straightened up, standing off to the side with their best professional smiles.

Marina seized the chance and whispered, “I’ve still got some files I haven’t figured out yet, so I’m gonna get back to work.”

She said it quietly, then hurried off to her desk.

Seeing Marina retreat behind the divider, Chloe had no choice but to steel herself and go over to report to Daron.

“Mr. Zamora, your 12:30 PM flight to Sicester is all set. The crew just reached out for today’s passenger list to

Sicester,” she said.

Daron, expressionless, listed off a few names, and Marina’s was among them.

17:56 Sat, Dec 20

Chapter 99

…

After Chloe finished her report, she left.

On her way out, she cast a quick look toward Marina.

:

Right now, Sicester was packed with tourists, and tickets were almost impossible to get.

Daron and Garret’s tickets back to Sicester had been booked a week ago.

Two days ago, Daron suddenly added Marina’s name to the list.

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Chloe reached out to the airline, trying to get an extra ticket. She finally managed to get one for today, but it wasn’t for the same time as theirs. So Daron just told her to go ahead and arrange a separate flight.

The private jet, which was usually reserved for special occasions, ended up being used just because Marina couldn’t get a ticket for the same time as them.

Chloe was still confused, but it only made her more convinced that Daron had a soft spot for Marina.

‘Seriously, I must’ve been totally out of it today. How could I let Marina stand outside Mr. Zamora’s office for so long?‘ she mentally berated herself.

Thankfully, Daron didn’t blame her, and Marina didn’t hold it against her either.

*****

At the airport, Marina sat nervously across from Daron, unable to stop staring at the fancy food and wine spread out on the table. She was a bit taken aback by it all.

Fortunately, Daron was focused on his financial newspaper and didn’t notice her surprised expression.

Even back when her family was at the top of their game, Marina had never really experienced what it was like to fly private.

She always assumed smoking and drinking were off–limits on planes, but…

Marina caught sight of Garret with a cigarette in hand, and the flight attendant smiling at her.

“Ms. Finley, would you like some red wine or a drink?”

‘Figures. Some rules only apply to ordinary people, I’m not used to this kind of world, Marina thought.

“I’ll just have a soft drink, thanks,” Marina replied.

She’d never had a drink on a plane before, but knowing her own limits, she figured it was better to skip the

wine.

Garret grabbed the bottle from the flight attendant and poured some red wine into her glass.

“Just give it a try, it’s no big deal. This is my cousin’s private stash–he only brings it out for VIPs. It’s rare for him to be this generous, so it’d be a shame not to taste it. Who knows when we’ll get another shot at this?” he

teased.

17:56 Sat, Dec 20

Chapter 99

His cigarette was still dangling between his fingers as he poured.

Marina caught a whiff of smoke and couldn’t help but cough.

“Put your cigarette out,” Daron said, his voice low and clearly annoyed.

With his face hidden behind the newspaper, you could still hear the irritation in his voice.

Garret hurriedly put out his cigarette in the ashtray, giving Marina an apologetic look.

“Sorry, sorry. I tend to get a bit too laid–back when it’s just us,” he said.

Marina waved it off. “It’s fine, really. I’m just not really used to this, that’s all.”

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Daron folded up his newspaper, set it aside, then lifted his glass of red wine from the table and took a delicate sip.

After making sure all the dishes were served, the flight attendant quietly headed back to the galley.

It was Marina’s first time having a drink on a plane, and she was a total lightweight–the whole fancy setting only made it worse. She hadn’t even finished her glass before she started feeling lightheaded.

She hung in there for a few minutes, snacking on some food, hoping it would help soak up the alcohol and keep the buzz at bay.

Daron gave Marina a quick look, then, without saying a word, poured the leftover wine from her glass into his own. He then eyed the bottle Garret had pushed aside.

It was a particularly strong vintage of red wine.

Daron shot Garret a cold, frosty look.

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