The Billionaire Heir Fell for the Wrong Girl (Hathaway Whitmore) novel Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Luckily, Jeremiah’s people didn’t reach out to Killian and Ian again.

The poaching she’d been worried about never happened.

Hathaway’s biggest fear was Killian discovering that Jeremiah was actually J&B.

She didn’t want Killian to end up tagging along and doing whatever Jeremiah said, as he did in their previous life. Thankfully, Killian still had no idea Jeremiah was the famous J&B.

Two months later, the Rivers family came over to the Whitmore residence for dinner.

Celeste’s older brother had two kids, both still in elementary school.

On the side of her uncle, Jonathan, there were also two teenagers in high school. Since Hathaway was a recent college grad in everyone’s eyes, Conrad and Sylvia naturally put her in charge of wrangling all the kids.

After dinner, Conrad and Sylvia stayed behind to chat with Jonathan, while Avery and Celeste went to keep Celeste’s parents company.

Hathaway, not wanting the kids to get bored, suggested taking them to the arcade.

The kids, being at that energetic age, were all for it. When they set out, Hathaway realized her car was packed to the brim for the first time.

As soon as they stepped into the arcade, the kids‘ eyes lit up. Hathaway loaded up a few game cards for them and watched as they started playing.

The two youngest ones were still a bit clueless, so Hathaway flashed a smile and sat down next to them. “Come on, let me show you how it’s done.”

The little kids thought Hathaway smelled really nice and looked absolutely gorgeous. No one in the whole arcade could compare. So of course, they didn’t mind at all when she offered to teach them.

Hathaway gently steadied the joystick and said softly, “Press this button to attack, use the directional pad to dodge, and wait for the right moment to strike. Come on, it’s easy.”

Seeing they were still struggling to get the hang of it, Hathaway demonstrated again.

She moved the joystick with quick, precise movements, hitting the buttons with perfect timing, breezing through the levels, and racking up a high score without breaking a sweat.

“Wow, you’re amazing,” one of the high school girls leaned in, looking way more comfortable now.

Hathaway smiled. “It’s been a while since I last played.”

Back then, she’d been in an arcade like this, with Lucas, full of youthful energy, by her side. They’d squeeze together in front of a game machine, laughing and battling it out to see who’d win.

She could never beat Lucas, so she’d always drag Jeremiah over for backup. She must have been around fifteen or sixteen at the time.

Back then, Jeremiah still smiled at her, but everything changed when he couldn’t stand the idea of a business marriage.

Hathaway didn’t let herself dwell on it. She smiled and played with the kids for a while longer before standing up and giving them a turn.

About half an hour later, Hathaway heard someone calling her from behind. “Hey, Hathaway.”

Hathaway turned around and saw Mia in a cute Lolita dress, with two other girls following her, clearly out having a good time together.

She had different friends with her now.

The girl in the blue shirt was gone.

“Hathaway, you’re here, too?” Mia called out.

Hathaway nodded, her gaze flicking back to the game screen. She asked, “Hey, what about that girl?”

“That girl?” Mia paused, trying to figure out who Hathaway was talking about.

She continued, “Oh, you mean Kiki? She dropped out. My mom was about to have her do time, but her parents literally begged my mom.

“I wasn’t hurt, and all my friends thought we should let it go, so we only made her leave school.”

Mia figured her family had already been super generous about it.

Hathaway didn’t say anything more.

As soon as the kids finished their game, Hathaway said softly, “Alright, that’s enough for now. Let’s head out and give your eyes a rest.”

The Rivers kids listened to her without a fuss. As soon as Hathaway spoke, they scooped up their handfuls of tokens and followed her out, all excited.

Hathaway didn’t bother with Mia anymore. She took the kids to the counter to trade in their tokens for prizes, then headed home.

Mia, left standing there, bit her lip, feeling a pang of disappointment. Hathaway was very distant now.

Mia used to play games with Hathaway, and whenever she lost and got mad, Hathaway was always there to comfort her.

But now, everything was different.

Two days later, Hathaway and her family attended the eightieth birthday party of Calvin’s grandfather.

The noise inside was getting on her nerves, so Hathaway slipped out to the terrace for some fresh air.

The evening breeze, carrying the first chill of winter, made her feel a little better. Suddenly, the glass door behind her slid open.

Hathaway turned around and locked eyes with Jeremiah, his gaze deep and unreadable.

He’d come out to make a call, and as soon as he stepped onto the terrace, he pulled the glass door shut behind him.

The music and laughter from inside became a distant, lively blur, making the terrace feel more silent by

contrast.

They locked eyes in the quiet space between the noise.

Hathaway was the first to look away.

Jeremiah moved to the other end of the terrace to make his call.

As he started talking on the phone, Hathaway, after what happened last time, really didn’t want to overhear anything, so she was about to slip out.

But then, the glass door slid open, and someone poked their head in.

Mia flashed a sweet smile and walked over, reaching for Hathaway’s arm in a friendly way. “Hey, Hathaway, what are you doing out here? Let’s head to the main hall and grab some cake together.”

Hathaway subtly moved aside, avoiding Mia’s hand. She ignored Mia’s awkwardness, turned her gaze back inside, and said in a flat voice, “No, I’m about to head out.”

Mia’s smile froze, and the light in her eyes faded.

Not giving up, she took another step forward, her voice so sweet it could melt sugar. “Hathaway, want to talk about that game you played the other day? I’m actually pretty good at it too, you know.”

Without glancing back, Hathaway headed straight for the main hall, pushed open the door, and disappeared inside without a word.

Mia was left standing there, looking completely out of place.

Disappointment crashed over her like a tidal wave.

She bit her lip, on the verge of tears, when she suddenly realized there was someone else in the shadows, and to her surprise, it was her cousin, Jeremiah.

Mia quickly wiped her eyes, her voice small and a little hurt as she sniffled, “Jeremiah, she really doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Jeremiah glanced up from his phone, his eyes briefly taking in her slightly red eyes before returning to the

screen. “Did you do something to upset her?”

Mia couldn’t help thinking to herself, ‘Wasn’t it you who upset her?‘

But she kept the thought to herself.

“No,” she replied.

But yeah, she did say some things before that rubbed Hathaway the wrong way.

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