Flash Marriage To The Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

After much hesitation, Hallie finally replied: [Okay.]
Hallie thought, 'Regardless of what Nelson might think, the only thing that matters now is Berry Bay and that piece of land.'
With that, Hallie sent Nelson a text on WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Nelson was seated at the head of a long conference table, listening as a department manager droned on through a PowerPoint slide about a new financial project. Suddenly, his phone screen lit up.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a text message notification from WhatsApp.
Upon clicking on it, he noticed that the sender had a picture of a cat as their profile photo, and their username was 'X'. He was about to block the sender when he saw the text.
Hallie: [It's me, Hallie.]
Then, it dawned on him that ten minutes ago, he'd asked Peterson to send Hallie some files, so Peterson must have shared his contact with her.
Meanwhile, Hallie was working on her performance review report halfway and decided to check her WhatsApp. When she clicked into the app, she noticed that Nelson had already seen her text.
Hallie thought wryly, 'We've been living together for over three months, and we're only now exchanging personal contact information?
'Forget about being a married couple. Even if we were just roommates, no one would believe it.'
At 10 PM, Hallie returned to the villa. After dinner and a quick shower, she pulled up the documents on her laptop again, cramming like a student the night before finals.
Tomorrow was Saturday, and the hospital staff would have a day off. She had no doubt Nelson had planned it that way on purpose.
Half an hour later, Nelson came home. When he entered the room, he saw Hallie reviewing the documents, and without a word, went straight into the bathroom.
Their usual dynamic was to act as if the other didn't exist—Nelson genuinely didn't care, while Hallie was just trying to avoid conflict. After all, trading barbs was too emotionally draining.
About ten minutes later, Nelson emerged from the bathroom in a gray robe, his damp hair falling messily against his forehead.
His usually sharp, intimidating presence seemed to mellow; the fierce edge in his eyes softened into a quiet, almost lazy calmness, making him look unexpectedly relaxed and dangerously alluring.
Nelson crossed his arms, looking down at Hallie as he announced the arrangements for tomorrow in a businesslike tone. "I'll leave first tomorrow. You can head out 20 minutes later."
Appearing together would indeed raise suspicions. Hallie knew Nelson was deliberately avoiding any potential gossip and staying on guard against her, so she had no objections.
"Got it." Hallie nodded, her face expressionless.
The next morning, Hallie woke up at 8 AM. Then, she and Nelson went downstairs together for breakfast. Just then, his phone rang.
Hallie, sitting across from Nelson, noticed him frown slightly before answering. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance toward the maid standing nearby as if he were making sure she wasn't paying too much attention.
Whatever the caller said only made Nelson's frown deepen further. Finally, he lowered his voice; there was a hint of gentle patience and even resignation in it as he said, "Don't worry. I'll be there soon."
Hallie didn't even need to guess who the caller was. It had to be Regina.
Without finishing his breakfast, Nelson stood up abruptly. He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and headed for the door. Before leaving, he said, "Something urgent came up at the office. Finish your food, and don't make me worry."
"Got it." Hallie nodded with a faint smile, her expression gentle and composed as she watched Nelson leave, looking every bit the picture of a devoted wife. But inside, she felt nothing at all.
She knew Nelson's words weren't for her. They were meant for the spies his grandfather had planted in their villa. If he wanted to put on a show, she'd play her part. It was a win-win situation for both of them.
She soon heard the deep roar of Nelson's beloved Pagani. Within moments, the engine noise faded into the distance.
After finishing breakfast, Hallie checked the time, then headed upstairs to change. She slipped into a sharp, tailored women's suit. The subtle, creative details softened the overall look, making it sleek and professional without feeling stiff or overly formal.
Once twenty minutes had passed, she casually mentioned to the staff at home that she had a hospital team-building event and headed out.
She hailed a cab and, a few hours later, arrived at the development zone in South Callopston.
Sweeping her gaze across the massive lot, she saw nothing but wide, empty ground dotted with a handful of old houses, with only two or three showing any hint of life.
One holdout family was locked in a heated argument with a group of black-suited officials, but they were too far away for their words to be heard.
Most of the area had already been cleared; a few excavators were busy removing concrete debris and rebar, laying the groundwork for future construction.
Hallie had contacted Peterson in advance to meet him here. Within five minutes, Peterson pulled up in his car.
While sitting in the car, Hallie took in her surroundings, looking around. She thought, 'This is prime real estate, and building a hospital here would be perfect. If everything goes smoothly, it might even rival Mentville Medical Center someday.
'No wonder the competition is so fierce. They even went so far as to resort to poisoning.'
Suddenly, she remembered Peterson's allergic reaction from before. "By the way, did they ever find out who was behind that incident with you?"
"It's easier said than done," Peterson replied bitterly.
He sighed, clearly still angry, "Titania Biopharma is backed by a massive foreign conglomerate. Rumor has it they've got ties to some pretty shady underworld connections. They've also got plenty of pull here. Without hard evidence, it's basically impossible to nail them.
Then, he promised with exaggerated confidence. "But don't worry. Nelson already ordered me to make sure you're protected today. Even if Titania tries to pull some dirty tricks, with me around, they won't lay a finger on you."
But Hallie wasn't really worried about her own safety. She thought, 'If they dared to poison Peterson so openly, what's to stop them from going after Nelson too?
'If anything happened to Nelson today, this entire bid would fall apart, and my Berry Bay proposal would go straight into the shredder.'
Hallie pulled out her phone and sent Nelson a message. [Don't eat anything. Avoid contact with strangers. And if you notice any weird marks or cuts on your skin, tell me immediately.]
She had just hit send when she heard Peterson say, "We're here."
She looked out through the car window and saw Nelson standing there, with Regina clinging to his arm, beaming with delight.
Glancing down at the message she'd just sent, Hallie thought, 'How unnecessary of me. Nelson's way too smart to let his guard down. And with Regina by his side, nobody would dare make a move on him right now.'
Hallie stepped out of the car and took in the scene. There was an open-air cocktail party by a vast lake that seemed to stretch on forever.
The water was crystal clear, shimmering under the sun, with fish swimming lazily near the shore. The view was stunning, which was another selling point for the area.
'No wonder everyone raves about South Callopston's environment,' Hallie thought. 'Back in med school, my classmates were always hoping for an assignment here. Hard to believe it's my first time here.'
Hallie stayed close to Peterson as they walked, looking every bit like an ordinary guest, quietly taking in the lakeside scenery. When they passed Nelson, the two didn't so much as spare each other a glance—like complete strangers moving through the same space, each focused on their own path.
Everyone was fine, except Regina, who seethed inwardly, 'I finally managed to get Nelson to keep me company by playing the "emotionally unstable" card, and now Hallie just had to tag along. Why can't she just leave us alone?'