The Billionaire Heir Fell for the Wrong Girl (Hathaway Whitmore) novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Chapter 87

With the New Year around the corner, everyone was caught up in endless chores.

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Jeremiah had to leave on a sudden business trip. He really wanted to see Hathaway and ask her a few things, but he couldn’t reach her by phone. With urgent matters abroad, he had to leave in a hurry.

The next two weeks flew by in a blur of work.

By the time Jeremiah returned, the New Year was right around the corner.

The Whitmore family didn’t stay in Bayridge for the New Year.

They’d booked a trip early and went traveling together. Since they weren’t in Bayridge, they naturally didn’t go to Blackwood Mansion to pay their New Year’s respects.

Hathaway was out traveling with her family, miles away from home.

She and Celeste spent their days exploring mountains and rivers, snapping tons of photos, and teasing Avery about his awful photography skills. She felt as happy as a bird finally free from its cage.

Except for a quick call to Edmund on New Year’s Day, she’d pretty much forgotten about everyone and everything back in Bayridge.

That was until Leo called and said he was back in Bayridge, home from Dilwaina for the New Year. But by the time. Hathaway finished her trip, he’d probably already left. They’d probably miss each other.

Hathaway hadn’t seen her closest guy friend in forever, and honestly, she really wanted to catch up with him.

She did the math on her schedule and realized she’d be back in the country right before Leo left that afternoon, so they’d have a chance to meet. Hathaway happily texted Leo about it.

Leo was as thrilled and soon sent her the address of the restaurant where they’d have dinner that day.

*****

On the day Hathaway came back, she rocked a long, fiery red dress with bold patterns, radiating the carefree spirit of someone who’d returned from faraway adventures.

The skirt flowed and flared, as if she’d brought the sunsets and all the wild energy of her travels with her.

Her ears sparkled with oversized, dramatic earrings that swung with every step, making her features pop and her skin look more vibrant.

She burst into the restaurant Leo had chosen, jogging in with a fresh, dazzling vibe, so full of life and freedom that everyone’s eyes were glued to her.

Jeremiah, who hadn’t seen her in forever, felt his heart sink the instant she appeared.

The Hathaway standing before him was a stranger, brilliant and bold, nothing like the clingy girl he used to know.

He watched quietly, not saying a word, until Leo wrapped Hathaway up in a hug.

“Hathaway, it’s been ages! You’re more stunning now,” Leo said, so excited he could barely breathe as he playfully tugged at her arm, grinning, until Lucas dragged him away.

“Let’s sit over there,” Leo said, totally unfazed, pointing to two empty seats. “Hathaway, that table’s perfect for us.”

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Chapter 87

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Elaine leaned in and whispered to Jessica, “Look at her. Is she dressing so provocatively on purpose? With all these guys around, she must be trying to catch their attention.

“Or maybe she’s trying to catch Jeremiah’s eye?”

Elaine glanced around and saw that Lucas couldn’t take his eyes off Hathaway, not saying a word. She was about to lose it right then and there.

Jessica watched Hathaway and Leo laughing and joking together, and she felt like slapping Hathaway right then and there. If Hathaway hadn’t misled her, she never would’ve sold her shares in Seraphine Beauty at a loss.

“Hathaway! Did you give Jessica the wrong info on purpose? She sold her Seraphine Beauty shares because of you. She could’ve made a fortune!” Elaine suddenly lashed out.

“Who is she?” Leo asked, totally confused.

To Leo, Elaine was some tagalong; he had no clue who she was. “Hey, miss, looks like we’ve got a freeloader here.”

Leo was about to tell her to leave, but Lucas held him back. “She’s Jessica’s cousin.”

Elaine’s cheeks flushed as she complained, “Jessica hasn’t slept for days because of this.”

Jessica had lost a ton of money selling her shares at a low price, and she looked more washed out than before.

Word had gotten around among their friends that Jessica had bought into Seraphine Beauty at her Monarcia friend’s invitation, but she sold her shares soon after for other reasons.

And not long after she sold, Seraphine Beauty started raking in profits.

Before Hathaway arrived, Jessica sat quietly next to Jeremiah, listening to everyone chat. She only spoke up when someone asked her something, and she seemed so composed and refined.

‘Could Hathaway really be behind all this?’ Jeremiah wondered.

Hathaway shot back coldly, “Want me to pull up the nail salon’s security footage from that day? I didn’t say a single word. You made all those decisions based on your own wild guesses!

“Don’t tell me you lost money and now you’re trying to pin it on someone else?”

She put on a fake scared look.

Jessica had no choice but to grit her teeth and swallow her frustration,

‘Hathaway, keep pretending. Wait and see. You’ll be the one crying soon enough, Jessica thought.

One of Lucas and Leo’s friends, Silas, laughed and said, “Hey, as long as someone in the family is making money, that’s all that matters. With Mr. Blackwood raking it in, Ms. Kingsley, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Go for it!”

Jessica finally cracked a smile.

Elaine felt better, too, and chimed in to comfort Jessica. “Jessica, once Seraphine Beauty goes public, buy the shares back, easy as that.”

Hathaway retorted, “Founder’s shares and public shares are two totally different things.”

Elaine froze for a moment, her face turning red before she stubbornly shot back. “I know they’re not the same thing at all!

“I’m saying, if Jessica reahy wanted, Mr. Blackwood could buy out Seraphine Beauty for her, easy as pie, right, Jessica? Jeremiah?”

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Chapter 87

Jeremiah stayed silent, giving Hathaway a cool, distant glance.

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Silas quickly chimed in. “Yeah, totally! Who in our business hasn’t missed out on millions of dollars? We’re used to it.

“With Mr. Blackwood backing Ms. Kingsley, she’s got nothing to worry about. As long as he’s got her back, ten Seraphine Beauty wouldn’t be a big deal.”

Jeremiah still didn’t say a word, but Elaine raised her chin proudly, looking satisfied. “Anyway, Jessica had a streak of bad luck. She actually knows how to spot a winner, unlike you, Hathaway.”

“Elaine, enough,” Jessica cut her off, not wanting her to keep going.

After all, Leo was the one who set up this dinner, and he was already annoyed that Jessica had brought Elaine along. If Elaine kept running her mouth, Leo might kick her out without a second thought.

Besides, Jessica knew Jeremiah had zero tolerance for this kind of busybody gossip.

Jessica instinctively glanced at Jeremiah beside her.

Then it hit her that ever since Hathaway walked in, Jeremiah hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a second.

Jessica’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her composure and didn’t say a word. Under the table, she quietly took Jeremiah’s hand and whispered, “Jeremiah, I’m sorry.”

To everyone else, Jeremiah and Jessica seemed like a picture-perfect couple, sitting close and appearing intimate. But Jeremiah’s gaze stayed locked onto Hathaway the entire time. never once wavering.

People around them started to pick up on the strange vibe, and the tension in the room began to build.

Jeremiah’s brows were drawn tight, the air around him heavy with tension. Finally, he couldn’t hold back anymore and stood up. “Come here.”

Before Hathaway could react, he reached out and took hold of her wrist. His grip wasn’t rough, but it was firm. She couldn’t pull away, no matter how she tried.

Startled, Hathaway’s head snapped up, her eyes locking with his deep, stormy gaze. “Jeremiah, what are you doing?”

“Come with me,” he said.

Not giving her any room to argue, Jeremiah pulled Hathaway along, heading straight for the private room next door.

Jessica sat there, her smile freezing on her face as she watched, stunned, while Jeremiah, right in front of everyone, grabbed Hathaway and marched her out of the room without a second thought.

The door clicked shut behind them, locking out all the noise from the other room.

Now, it was Hathaway and Jeremiah, alone in the room.

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Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Hathaway was about to resist and unlock the door when Jeremiah’s face darkened.

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He reached out, grabbed her arm, and yanked her back. He looked down at her, his eyes as dark as night, the pressure between them almost suffocating.

“Now it’s so hard for you to say a word? Who was the one always clinging to me before?” Jeremiah said.

Hathaway felt a bit uncomfortable. “That was when we were kids.”

“You call being a sophomore or junior in college being a kid?” Jeremiah shot back.

Hathaway’s face turned cold. “What exactly do you want?”

Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed. “Why are Whitmore Group’s products exactly like what I had in mind? How do you know what I’m thinking?

“Hathaway, how do you know about this stuff? You’d better explain yourself, or you could end up in jail.”

Hathaway shot back, “Don’t try to scare me.”

Jeremiah watched her subtle reactions, his expression growing more serious.

Seeing he wasn’t joking, Hathaway lowered her head and fiddled with her nails. “Someone else taught me.”

“Who?” Jeremiah pressed.

Hathaway kept her head down, and Jeremiah could only see the top of her head with the hair clip in her hair. Jeremiah’s gaze grew colder. “Cat got your tongue?”

Hathaway looked up. “It’s a book named A Thousand Python Algorithms.”

She shrugged. “Once you really dig into it, those ideas pop up.”

Jeremiah was stunned.

‘Wait, is she saying she learned all that from a book?’ Jeremiah thought.

Back in sophomore year, Jeremiah and his mentor compiled that book in his studio.

Blackwood Tech was already running, and he was bored enough to start collecting case studies.

Only one professor helped, and they only published a single edition. When the publisher wanted a reprint, Jeremiah shut it down, so hardly anyone ever saw it.

Even his parents had no clue. When the publisher tried to send him a sample copy, he didn’t bother to accept it.

‘Hathaway’s saying she learned all that from that book?’ Jeremiah thought. ‘But honestly, that’s possible.

After all, that book was born from his ideas.

“I read a book, followed the ideas in it and really dug into them, and that’s how I came up with the product ideas,” Hathaway said.

Her tone was laced with sarcasm. “Business is a two-way street, Mr. Blackwood. You’re not going to throw a fit because you’re losing, are you?”

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Chapter 88

With that, she turned the doorknob and walked out first.

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Jeremiah stood there for a moment after the door clicked shut. Then he took out his phone and dialed “Professor, do you happen to know someone named Hathaway Whitmore?”

his

mentor.

His mentor’s voice came through the phone. “Jeremiah, it’s been a while. I don’t know anyone by that name.

“By the way, I was about to ask you something. The school wants you to come back and give a lecture, share your experience with the students. You’ve always been the pride of our department.”

“I’ll make time for the lecture.” Jeremiah didn’t refuse. “I’d like to come visit you sometime soon.”

His mentor hadn’t expected Jeremiah to agree to the lecture, let alone say he’d come visit. “That’s great.”

After a few more pleasantries, his mentor hung up, clearly pleased.

Once the call ended, the chill around Jeremiah returned. The warmth he’d shown his mentor disappeared without a trace

“Jeremiah.” Jessica knocked on the door, her brows furrowed as she stepped inside. “So, what did you and Hathaway talk about?”