She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 116

Caspian raised an eyebrow, shooting a death glare at Dylan.

Warm up?

Was he a toddler?

Hulda's icy expression didn't thaw in the slightest at the absurd excuse.

Dylan was sweating bullets. He signaled the staff to load their luggage onto the shuttle while forcing a painfully bright smile. "You're already here, Ms. Atherton! Let's not make things complicated. Ladies, please, hop on. The sun is brutal out here."

Hulda weighed her options. If she didn't clear this debt now, she and Caspian would be stuck in this endless, miserable tug-of-war. She decided to swallow her pride just this once.

"Come on, Abby. Let's get in."

Pulling a tight-lipped Abby with her, Hulda climbed into the shuttle. They took the seats directly in front of Caspian.

The man lowered his dark gaze, his brow twitching in irritation as he stared at their stubbornly linked hands.

Seeing them finally seated, Dylan wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a massive sigh of relief.

It looked like he was in for a brutal two days.

Just as the shuttle carrying Hulda entered the resort's winding, scenic pathways, a luxury coach bus carrying Herbert, Sylvie, and the H&J Technologies team rolled up to the gates.

The bus was stopped by security for identity verification.

Inside, Sylvie gazed out the window at the stunning paradise before turning to look at Herbert. Seeing his handsome, relaxed profile, her heart did a familiar flutter.

Justin Jameson had run into a last-minute family emergency and had to bail on the retreat.

That seamlessly made Sylvie the only person who would be by Herbert's side the entire weekend.

Staring at him, she subconsciously curled her fingers into her palms. They hadn't even checked in yet, and she was already buzzing with anticipation.

In the grand lobby of the resort's main building, Hulda and Abby stood at the reception desk.

"Ms. Atherton, one Presidential Suite and two Executive Suites are ready for you. Here are your room keys. The elevators are to your left. Enjoy your stay."

Hulda took the keys, handing the Presidential one and one of the Executive ones to Dylan.

The Presidential Suite was for his highness, Caspian. The Executive Suite was for Dylan. The remaining one was for her and Abby to share.

"No."

Herbert's face stiffened. Used to being the center of attention and highly respected in his field, he was entirely unprepared for such blatant dismissal. A year ago, his pride would have dictated he walk away immediately from such a degrading interaction.

But he couldn't afford pride today. His company was drowning.

He desperately needed the kind of leverage Caspian possessed.

Taking a deep breath, Herbert forced a polite smile. "That's quite alright. Here's my card. Perhaps we can reintroduce ourselves now."

He held the card out, but Caspian didn't so much as glance at it. After an agonizing second, Herbert settled for handing it to Dylan instead.

Dylan took it with polite indifference, making no move to offer a card in return.

The silence stretched, suffocatingly awkward. Sylvie stepped in, hoping her charm would thaw the ice. "Are you vacationing alone, Mr. Sterling?"

Caspian actually smirked at that. "No. I'm here with my date."

He pointedly looked back toward the elevators, right where Hulda was waiting.