The Billionaire Heir Fell for the Wrong Girl (Hathaway Whitmore) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38 The Date

Jeremiah and the group headed to a restaurant.

Before the food arrived, Avery was texting Hathaway on WhatsApp.

Hathaway: [I was helping him out. He was after Jessica, but he didn’t know that Jessica’s boyfriend was Jeremiah. Honestly, Jeremiah can get pretty hot–tempered. I was giving him a hand.]

Avery: [For real?]

Hathaway: [Absolutely.]

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Since Hathaway said so, Avery didn’t dwell on it anymore. He put his phone away and started talking to Jeremiah about the project.

Jessica chimed in every now and then. Her insights were unique, and before he knew it, Avery found himself less prejudiced against her.

Elaine was sitting between Avery and Lucas. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise, but she could smell a faint, clean cologne drifting over. She couldn’t tell if it was from the guy on her left or the one on her right.

She was feeling pretty pleased with herself. She never thought she’d get to eat and drink with the heirs of Bayridge’s richest families.

She fantasized about the two guys on either side of her fighting over her. But she wouldn’t pick either of them.

Elaine had zero interest in those over–the–top, toxic romance dramas. All she cared about was rising to the top and putting the Thorne family on the world stage.

On Thursday, Hathaway made a point to share her ideas with Killian in the office.

These were personal suggestions Jeremiah had planned to implement in the future, but hadn’t gotten around to in this

timeline.

Killian took a moment to wrap his head around what she meant.

“Got it,” Killian said. He usually caught on quickly, but today, it took him a bit more effort to understand the program setup Hathaway was asking for.

Just then, Avery’s secretary came in and told Hathaway, “Mr. Blackwood and Mr. Reed are here.”

Hathaway’s heart skipped a beat. She definitely didn’t want Jeremiah running into Killian right now. She quickly turned to Killian and said, “Killian, why don’t you get back to work?”

Once Killian was gone, she stood up to greet Jeremiah and Lucas. Today, they were here for a government–mandated inspection of the factory’s real–time quality control data.

Half an hour later, they pulled up at the factory. The whole place was filled with the deafening roar of machines, and both Lucas’s and Hathaway’s faces fell.

Jeremiah, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed. Avery was already used to it.

By the time they left the factory, it was already getting late.

At dinner that night, of all the places to sit, Lucas chose the seat right next to Hathaway.

“You’re not as fun as you used to be, and your style is so boring and old–school now,” Lucas said, sitting beside her.

Today, Hathaway was dressed in a Dior suit. She used to rock trendy dresses, strappy outfits, and bold coats, always going for that eye–catching look.

She’d clip cute bows in her hair, wear glittery headbands at concerts, but now Hathaway looked like she’d lost her spark. “Come on, don’t tell me Elaine nailed it? You’re actually trying to be like Jessica, aren’t you?” Lucas teased. “Honestly, you should give it up. No matter how hard you try, it doesn’t suit you.”

If this dinner wasn’t being paid for by the company, and if Hathaway didn’t have at least a bit of hospitality, she wouldn’t bother eating. She’d get up and leave.

She didn’t bother arguing with him. She simply ignored him, calmly picking up food and eating, without so much as a glance his way.

“Since you’re not into Jeremiah anymore, how about we hang out this weekend?” Lucas said.

Hathaway finally looked up, making sure Lucas was talking to her. “You and me?”

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Chapter 38 The Date

Lucas couldn’t help but snort. “Who else? We used to hang out all the time, didn’t we?”

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Back then, whenever Jeremiah went out, Hathaway would always find a way to tag along. And of course, that meant she’d always end up running into Lucas, Jeremiah’s best friend. But now, it had been ages since she’d hung out with them.

“This time, how about the four of us, me, you, Jeremiah, and Jessica, go to Howrain House? I heard they opened a horse ranch there. And rumor has it, Jessica might look quiet, but she actually knows how to have a good time,” Lucas said.

When Jessica’s name came up, Hathaway’s expression shifted.

Seeing Hathaway’s mood drop, Lucas cut himself off. “Hey, don’t tell me you still…”

Maybe their voices were a bit too loud, or maybe it was the mention of Jessica’s name, but Jeremiah, who’d been deep in conversation with Avery, suddenly paused and looked straight at the two of them.

Avery turned to look at Hathaway and Lucas as well.

The other execs at the table, seeing the big shots go quiet, didn’t dare say a word.

For a moment, the whole table fell silent.

Hathaway gripped her glass, feeling numb, almost like a ghost in her own skin. Lucas, clearly trying to stir the pot, turned to Avery and said, “Hathaway still hasn’t gotten over it, huh?”

“Looks to me like you’re the one who hasn’t moved on,” Avery replied coldly, stepping in to defend Hathaway. “Hathaway s going on a date with Lorenzo this Sunday, so don’t get any ideas.”

Avery was right.

Hathaway really did make plans with Lorenzo last night to hang out this weekend, and Avery happened to be nearby when she was on the call.

After that, Lucas didn’t cause any more drama for the rest of the dinner.

*****

Hathaway had roped Lorenzo in as a cover story to get the Blackwood family and Edmund off her back. But she’d only ended up digging herself into a hole.

Now she had to keep up the act, faking dates with him every now and then. And of course, that meant dragging Lorenzo along for the ride.

Honestly, hanging out with Lorenzo was easy. They liked the same things and always had a good time together. It was about eating, drinking, and kicking back for the weekend.

On Sunday, Lorenzo and Hathaway went to watch a car race.

The place was buzzing with energy. They sat in the stands, and Lorenzo was totally caught up in the excitement, cheering his head off for his favorite team captain.

Hathaway watched the race cars roar past on the track.

Suddenly, she asked, her tone a little probing, “Lorenzo, if a car’s gone out of control and the brakes don’t work, what could the car behind do to help?”

Lorenzo answered without hesitation, “You shouldn’t try to block it with the front of your car. Use your rear bumper instead.

“And don’t slam on the brakes, or you’ll risk flipping over. The only way is to gradually force it to stop. Why are you asking, Hathaway?”

“I’M curious,” Hathaway said, her eyes thoughtful for a moment before she brushed it off with an easy smile.

After the race, they went to grab something to eat.

As they were nearing the restaurant, a car zoomed by, sending a cloud of dust flying. Hathaway squeezed her eyes shut, bothered by it.

When she opened them again, her eyes stung. Tears sprang to her eyes.

“Hey, you okay?” Lorenzo leaned in, worried.

“I think I got some sand in my eye,” Hathaway said.

Lorenzo, who was a head taller, bent down and gently blew at her eye to help.

“That’s better,” she said, but when she looked up, her eyes were still watery, and a tear rolled down her cheek before she could stop it.

Smiling, Lorenzo quickly pulled out a tissue. Hathaway took it from him, about to wipe her eyes.

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