The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 139: Chapter 139
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 139: Chapter 139. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
"Do I have feelings for Keith?" Serena found herself lost in deep contemplation. But whatever the answer might be, one thing was sure—she wasn't ready to respond to those feelings yet.
Perhaps what she felt toward Keith was gratitude, maybe even a hint of fondness, but it fell far short of genuine affection or love.
Serena wouldn't allow herself to get caught up in that kind of relationship again, so it was better to use this time to clear her head and think things through.
Seeing the uncertainty flickering in Serena's eyes, Kristy already knew what she was thinking.
Kristy let out a soft sigh and changed the subject. "Either way, now that you don't have to deal with Keith for a while, just take these two days to rest up. Come on, let's eat! The food's getting cold!"
The lights of Hayland City sparkled to life as evening descended.
Keith frowned at the documents spread before him, his brow furrowed in concentration. When he heard James push through the door, he immediately looked up. "Well? Is Graham here yet?"
Keith hadn't rushed to Hayland to avoid Serena, though that was part of it. The real reason was the project crisis, with the client demanding a face-to-face meeting.
When they arrived, the client suddenly threw another requirement at them—they needed a designer to accompany the team. James had no choice but to scramble to contact Graham overnight.
"Graham's out of commission," James reported with a grimace. "He came down with acute appendicitis during overtime last night. Just got out of surgery and he's laid up in the hospital."
James thought, 'Of all the damn times.'
Graham was arguably the design department's most seasoned expert. Still, with him stuck in a hospital bed, there was no point in asking.
Keith rubbed his temples, feeling the pressure mounting. "Then get another designer from the department. I need someone here by tomorrow—no excuses."
James nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Mr. Brannon. I'll handle it right away."
He hurried out of the room, leaving Keith to deal with the mess.
Meanwhile, Serena's phone rang—Graham calling. "Graham? What's going on?" She picked up immediately.
Outside of work hours, Brannon Creative Group was considerate about not calling employees, so Graham's sudden phone call meant something urgent needed handling.
Graham asked, "You should be free lately, right? I need you to go on a business trip for me."
Serena already knew about Graham's illness, so hearing him say this, she could guess that this client must be really important. She didn't overthink it.
"Sure," Serena said.
Hearing Serena agree, Graham let out a relieved breath. "James' people will send detailed information to your phone quickly. Just coordinate with them for the rest."
"Got it. Take care of yourself, Graham."
After Serena hung up, Kristy, sitting across from her, had naturally overheard their entire conversation and immediately looked disappointed. "Aw, Seri, so you're leaving again? I was planning to sleep over tonight and we could chat!"
"You just got married, and you want to come sleep with me? You're not worried about Callum kicking me out of the house, but I am!" Serena couldn't help laughing.
Kristy felt helpless, knowing Serena was deliberately saying these things to keep her from feeling sad, so she could only pull Serena into a hug.
Kristy mumbled, "Then I'll just wait until you get back from your trip. You'll be back in a few days anyway."
Serena sighed in resignation. Soon enough, she got the flight information.
"Hayland?" When Serena saw the message, confusion flickered across her face for a moment.
But Kristy, standing beside her, looked even more shocked. "You're not going with Keith, are you? Didn't he leave just to avoid you?"
"Something serious must have come up, or Graham wouldn't have been so urgent earlier."
Regardless of the circumstances, work couldn't be delayed. Serena had no choice but to pack her bags.
The next day, Serena caught the earliest flight to Hayland. James had already arranged for a driver and escorted her to the hotel.
"Mr. Brannon, Serena's here." James led Serena into the room. Keith had been absorbed in his work, but he looked up with visible surprise at those words.
Sure enough, there stood Serena right in front of him.
Their eyes met, and both felt the awkwardness settle between them. But this was work time, not the moment for personal matters. Keith quickly composed himself.
"Thanks for coming. We're meeting with the client in three hours, so you should get settled. I'll give you thirty minutes."
Keith glanced at his watch, his usual calm demeanor returning. "Once you're ready, come back here. I'll brief you on the project and the client's personality so we can make a good first impression."
Serena nodded.
Back in her room, Serena's thoughts were in turmoil. She'd assumed there would be enough time to sort through their relationship, but fate had other plans. How strange things worked out.
But Serena knew work had to come first. She quickly gathered her things—it only took about ten minutes—and knocked on Keith's door again.
"It's unlocked. Come in." Keith's deep, pleasant voice called out from inside.
Serena pushed the door open to find Keith already holding the proposal, which he handed her without preamble. "Take a look first. Ask me if anything's unclear, and if everything looks good, we'll head out to meet the client."
"Okay," Serena said.
They worked quietly, each focusing on their tasks, then headed out together.
"Mr. Brannon, hello." At the restaurant, a woman rose briskly from her seat and shook hands with them. "I'm Leah Halton, representing Tims Group."
Serena recognized her from the materials she'd reviewed earlier. Leah held considerable influence at Tims Group, so her personal attendance was unexpected.
"I'll be frank with you both—our company has high expectations for your firm." Leah's tone was direct. "But that's precisely why our CEO isn't entirely satisfied with your current design."
Keith's brow furrowed slightly at her words.
"I hope Mr. Brannon and your new designer here can put your heads together and give us something that meets our standards. Otherwise—"
Though Leah smiled as she spoke, her words left no room for negotiation.
Serena had already reviewed the design drafts—they were competent but uninspired. She had several fresh ideas brewing.
"Mr. Brannon, may I give it a try?" Serena turned toward him, determination flickering in her eyes.
Keith recognized that look—it meant she had something up her sleeve.
After working together for so long, they'd learned to read each other's signals. Though Keith said nothing, Serena caught his subtle nod of approval and turned to face Leah.
"Ms. Halton, let me revise the draft for you." Serena pulled paper and pen from her bag without waiting for a response.
Perhaps what she felt toward Keith was gratitude, maybe even a hint of fondness, but it fell far short of genuine affection or love.
Serena wouldn't allow herself to get caught up in that kind of relationship again, so it was better to use this time to clear her head and think things through.
Seeing the uncertainty flickering in Serena's eyes, Kristy already knew what she was thinking.
Kristy let out a soft sigh and changed the subject. "Either way, now that you don't have to deal with Keith for a while, just take these two days to rest up. Come on, let's eat! The food's getting cold!"
The lights of Hayland City sparkled to life as evening descended.
Keith frowned at the documents spread before him, his brow furrowed in concentration. When he heard James push through the door, he immediately looked up. "Well? Is Graham here yet?"
Keith hadn't rushed to Hayland to avoid Serena, though that was part of it. The real reason was the project crisis, with the client demanding a face-to-face meeting.
When they arrived, the client suddenly threw another requirement at them—they needed a designer to accompany the team. James had no choice but to scramble to contact Graham overnight.
"Graham's out of commission," James reported with a grimace. "He came down with acute appendicitis during overtime last night. Just got out of surgery and he's laid up in the hospital."
James thought, 'Of all the damn times.'
Graham was arguably the design department's most seasoned expert. Still, with him stuck in a hospital bed, there was no point in asking.
Keith rubbed his temples, feeling the pressure mounting. "Then get another designer from the department. I need someone here by tomorrow—no excuses."
James nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Mr. Brannon. I'll handle it right away."
He hurried out of the room, leaving Keith to deal with the mess.
Meanwhile, Serena's phone rang—Graham calling. "Graham? What's going on?" She picked up immediately.
Outside of work hours, Brannon Creative Group was considerate about not calling employees, so Graham's sudden phone call meant something urgent needed handling.
Graham asked, "You should be free lately, right? I need you to go on a business trip for me."
Serena already knew about Graham's illness, so hearing him say this, she could guess that this client must be really important. She didn't overthink it.
"Sure," Serena said.
Hearing Serena agree, Graham let out a relieved breath. "James' people will send detailed information to your phone quickly. Just coordinate with them for the rest."
"Got it. Take care of yourself, Graham."
After Serena hung up, Kristy, sitting across from her, had naturally overheard their entire conversation and immediately looked disappointed. "Aw, Seri, so you're leaving again? I was planning to sleep over tonight and we could chat!"
"You just got married, and you want to come sleep with me? You're not worried about Callum kicking me out of the house, but I am!" Serena couldn't help laughing.
Kristy felt helpless, knowing Serena was deliberately saying these things to keep her from feeling sad, so she could only pull Serena into a hug.
Kristy mumbled, "Then I'll just wait until you get back from your trip. You'll be back in a few days anyway."
Serena sighed in resignation. Soon enough, she got the flight information.
"Hayland?" When Serena saw the message, confusion flickered across her face for a moment.
But Kristy, standing beside her, looked even more shocked. "You're not going with Keith, are you? Didn't he leave just to avoid you?"
"Something serious must have come up, or Graham wouldn't have been so urgent earlier."
Regardless of the circumstances, work couldn't be delayed. Serena had no choice but to pack her bags.
The next day, Serena caught the earliest flight to Hayland. James had already arranged for a driver and escorted her to the hotel.
"Mr. Brannon, Serena's here." James led Serena into the room. Keith had been absorbed in his work, but he looked up with visible surprise at those words.
Sure enough, there stood Serena right in front of him.
Their eyes met, and both felt the awkwardness settle between them. But this was work time, not the moment for personal matters. Keith quickly composed himself.
"Thanks for coming. We're meeting with the client in three hours, so you should get settled. I'll give you thirty minutes."
Keith glanced at his watch, his usual calm demeanor returning. "Once you're ready, come back here. I'll brief you on the project and the client's personality so we can make a good first impression."
Serena nodded.
Back in her room, Serena's thoughts were in turmoil. She'd assumed there would be enough time to sort through their relationship, but fate had other plans. How strange things worked out.
But Serena knew work had to come first. She quickly gathered her things—it only took about ten minutes—and knocked on Keith's door again.
"It's unlocked. Come in." Keith's deep, pleasant voice called out from inside.
Serena pushed the door open to find Keith already holding the proposal, which he handed her without preamble. "Take a look first. Ask me if anything's unclear, and if everything looks good, we'll head out to meet the client."
"Okay," Serena said.
They worked quietly, each focusing on their tasks, then headed out together.
"Mr. Brannon, hello." At the restaurant, a woman rose briskly from her seat and shook hands with them. "I'm Leah Halton, representing Tims Group."
Serena recognized her from the materials she'd reviewed earlier. Leah held considerable influence at Tims Group, so her personal attendance was unexpected.
"I'll be frank with you both—our company has high expectations for your firm." Leah's tone was direct. "But that's precisely why our CEO isn't entirely satisfied with your current design."
Keith's brow furrowed slightly at her words.
"I hope Mr. Brannon and your new designer here can put your heads together and give us something that meets our standards. Otherwise—"
Though Leah smiled as she spoke, her words left no room for negotiation.
Serena had already reviewed the design drafts—they were competent but uninspired. She had several fresh ideas brewing.
"Mr. Brannon, may I give it a try?" Serena turned toward him, determination flickering in her eyes.
Keith recognized that look—it meant she had something up her sleeve.
After working together for so long, they'd learned to read each other's signals. Though Keith said nothing, Serena caught his subtle nod of approval and turned to face Leah.
"Ms. Halton, let me revise the draft for you." Serena pulled paper and pen from her bag without waiting for a response.
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 139. Continue reading Chapter 140 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.