Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Good Proposal

WILLOW

Why the heck was I like this with him?

Finished

The question echoed in my head like a stubborn song lyric I couldn’t shake off. I cleared my throat, refusing to let the silence linger. It might lead him to ask another question I didn’t want to answer.

“Didn’t I say. I was hot earlier?” I said, trying to stay calm. “It’s annoyingly hot.”

He looked genuinely perplexed for a second. Thankfully, he didn’t push further.

With that, I seized the moment.

I reached for his proposal, flipping it open.

I focused hard on the words despite his literal existence being distracting. I scanned the first few pages, then slowed.

Wait.

I leaned back slightly, rereading a section more carefully.

They wanted to create a counterpart of the Dahlia Bag.

With a Dahlia car.

I paused.

That was… actually brilliant.

I flipped through more pages, my brows knitting together in concentration. The concept was clean. The branding strategy tied directly into Fiorane’s identity while giving Hale Enterprises a luxury narrative that went beyond their cars.

It was carefully constructed.

I looked up before I could stop myself. “Did you write this yourself?”

12:34 pm Ppp.

Chapter 19 Good Proposal

Finished

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“This is a secret project,” he added.

I turned my head slightly to face him more directly. “Your family doesn’t know?”

“No,” he answered.

I studied him. Tristan Hale was known for being fiercely loyal to his family’s empire. Everything he did, everything he touched, usually fed directly back into the Hale name.

“So why keep it quiet?” I asked.

He leaned back with a small smile. “I’d like some kind of control to stay within me,” he said. “I can’t be attached to the Hales as always.”

That was not what I expected.

“For once,” he continued, “I want something that’s mine. Something I believed in from start to finish.”

His words settled in the room between us.

It was strange. Hearing him talk like this made him feel less like Marcus’s untouchable older brother and more like a man who was tired of living under a legacy that wasn’t fully his yet.

I looked back down at the proposal, then back at him. “And Dahlia?”

A faint softness crossed his face.

“I wrote this because I admire Dahlia Atkins a lot,” he said.

“I lost my mom at a young age, you see.”

That caught me off guard. Their mom was quite a sensitive topic. Even Marcus got angry when I brought her up, so hearing it from Tristan’s mouth was strange.

“And it feels like she would be like Dahlia if she were alive,” he added quietly.

12:34 pm

ppp.

Chapter 19 Good Proposal

“Strong. Respected.”

“I take a lot of her advice to heart,” he said. “Even now.”

I nodded slowly.

I liked Dahlia Atkins, too.

She had been one of the few public figures I admired. I wasn’t one to idolize celebrities, but she was an exception to that.

“I understand,” I said softly.

Finished

For a moment, neither of us spoke. In the beginning, I was prepared to trash his proposal without even reading through it. I didn’t want to prolong our interactions longer, and along with that, it felt like some kind of revenge on the Hale enterprise.

However, as I read through the proposal, I realized why they called Tristan Hale a competent businessman. It was very convincing.

“So,” he said eventually, breaking the silence, “would you relay this to Miss Florence for me?”

I swallowed, feeling like I would regret saying these words.

“I’ll do that,” I said, clearing my throat as I closed the folder. “Thank you. I’ll relay it to her.”

Relief flooded his face.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “It really means a lot.”

I thought that would be the end of it. However, he stayed seated and kept looking at me in a way that made my skin feel too tight.

I shifted in my seat.

I couldn’t take it.

“You can leave now,” I said, standing up a little too quickly.

12:34 pm P pp.

Chapter 19 Good Proposal

Finished

He raised a brow. “Just like that?”

“Yes,” I said firmly. “Thank you, Mr. Hale.”

“With that formal name again,” he muttered, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I ignored it. I moved toward the door, opening it and stepping aside in a very obvious, very pointed gesture.

He stood. Up close, he was even more distracting.

I reached out and gently pushed him toward the door. I needed him out of my personal space as soon as possible!

Unfortunately for me, he was heavy. He barely budged.

“Are you trying to fire me, Ms. Secretary?” he joked lightly, looking down at me with an infuriating smile.

“Don’t make this harder than it already is,” I said through my teeth.

His lips twitched. Then, finally, he stepped out.

I didn’t wait. I closed the door immediately.

The sound of it clicking shut felt like a release of pressure I hadn’t realized I was holding.

I leaned my forehead briefly against the door, exhaling slowly.

Relief washed over me.

But then-

His scent filled the room. He was only here for a couple of minutes, and this entire space already smelled like him?

I straightened instantly.

“Nope,” I muttered to myself, waving a hand in front of my face. “Absolutely not.”

12:34 pm

ppp.

Chapter 19 Good Proposal

I walked toward the windows and cracked them open.

“Let’s air it out,” I said, shaking my head.