Chapter 199

Watching his back, shoulders tense as he walked away, I still didn’t feel sorry for him. With how things ended in my previous life, I was determined to choose a different path this time.

No matter how great he thought he was, I wasn’t going to get hung up on him anymore.

When my parents woke up and saw all the gifts Jared had dropped off so early, they both seemed a bit heavy-hearted.

“Victoria, Jared’s actually a pretty decent guy, isn’t he?” my mom said, and I could see a spark of hope in her eyes as she looked at me.

“Yeah, he is, but he’s got this bad habit of straying, and he just won’t change,” I said flatly, barely glancing up from my phone as I replied to work messages.

My dad sat there with his coffee, opining, “As a guy, I know how it goes. Once a man gets a taste for something new, he might resist the first time, feel guilty the second, but by the third, all bets are off.”

My mom shot him a glare. “Oh, listen to you. You never fooled around, and now you think you missed out on something in set?”

My dad jumped up, flustered, “Hey, I’m talking in general, not about myself. Can you not put words in my mouth? I’m just saying Victoria needs to keep her eyes open when it comes to guys cheating.”

I laughed and jumped in, “Come on, you two, no need to argue. Honestly, when it comes to cheating, there’s really not much to talk about. If you can put up with it, then keep going. If you can’t stand it, just walk away early. Books never taught us about the gray areas, but the more you go through in life, the more you realize that there’s no absolute right or wrong, only what works for you."

“Listen to that. Victoria’s got a better outlook than we do,” my dad said approvingly.

I stood up. “Alright, Mom, Dad, you two enjoy yourselves. I’m off to work.”

“Victoria, are you really sure you can handle running the hotel? And what if you two end up getting divorced? Won’t everything you’ve done just go down the drain? He’ll just take it all back,” my mom said, worry written all over her face.

“Relax, Mom, I’m just picking up experience right now. It’s not like I plan to be stuck running these hotels forever. As long as I keep moving forward, I’m not scared of anything. Money and power will come eventually,” I said with a grin, flipping my hair and grabbing my bag as I headed out the door.

I never really understood just how much of a weapon good looks could be, but now I totally get it. As long as I kept building my own brand, I was honestly not even a little worried about making bank. Worst came to worst, I’d just hop on TikTok and start selling clothes live. Women’s fashion in Hachester was blowing up right now. If I got in early and caught the wave, I could totally support myself.

When I got to the office, Amy had already started. Compared to Tracy, she had a much more feminine vibe. Tracy was the type who lived for her career, all sharp edges and professionalism, while Amy really knew how to balance work and life. She just seemed to have it all under control.

“Good morning, Mrs. Holcomb,” Amy said with a smile as she walked over. “Mr. Holcomb said he wouldn’t be coming in today. Is everything okay?”

I hadn’t expected Jared to take the day off. When Amy asked, I just shrugged and said, "He probably didn’t get much sleep."

Amy shot me a sly grin, her eyes glinting. “Mrs. Holcomb, I hear Mr. Holcomb is super popular around here. That must put a lot of pressure on you, huh?”

I blinked, then laughed. “Relax. Only someone who’s lost their mind would actually have a thing for their boss.”

“Oh? Is that so? Care to elaborate?” Amy looked at me, genuinely surprised.

I took the coffee my assistant handed over, sipped it, and said, “Some women think they can score big by trying to play office wife, catering up to their boss for money or perks. But honestly, it’s just the boss milking their emotional value to squeeze more work out of them. Just look at your predecessor.”

Amy’s smile turned a bit awkward. She said, “Yeah, I know a bit about what happened with Tracy.”

I shot her a fake smile. “Let’s just get to work. Catch you later,”

Amy stood there in the hallway, looking awkward for a while before she finally walked off.

Guess that was a reality check for her. I wanted to make it clear that if they were here to work, then just do their job. Seriously, nobody's got time for office romance. Around here, everyone was just trying to get ahead.

At lunchtime, Jared asked me to meet him for a bite at a restaurant near the office. He mentioned he wanted to go over some work stuff and told me to just bring the updates straight to him. I didn’t overthink it. I just grabbed the documents that needed his signature and headed right over. As soon as I walked into the private room, I saw Quinn.