Chapter 43

“Morning.” I smiled at them, then sat down at the table and started enjoying my oatmeal.

Jared shot me a sidelong glance, but he never actually met my eyes.

“We should pick Yvonne up this afternoon. Can’t have her stay at my mom’s place forever. Otherwise, my mom will start thinking there’s trouble in paradise,” Jared advised coolly as he ate.

“Sure, but work’s got me swamped lately. How about you go pick her up, babe?” I immediately tried to wriggle out of it.

“We’re going together,” Jared said, shutting down my excuse before I could even finish. “I’ll get Yvonne a present she’ll love, and you can just take the credit for it.”

“No need to make up that kind of lie,” I said coolly. “Yvonne isn’t some clueless kid. She already understands a lot about people and how the world works.”

“I’m just doing this for your own good.” Jared’s face darkened when he saw I wasn’t having it.

“No thanks. Marriage is about fate, and the bond between mother and daughter is the same. Just because she came from me doesn’t mean she owes me forever.” I grabbed two slices of bread, threw my bag over my shoulder, and walked out.

Jared watched my back, his eyes following me until my car was out of sight.

When I stopped trying to be the perfect wife and mom, I started growing some thorns. Eventually, they’d become my armor.

Today was another day spent discussing the renovation. My memory is good, so I just copied some of the best hotel styles I had experienced before.

In 2014, the economy here was already picking up, but it was still just beginning.

I wasn’t just running the hotel. I was also learning to invest. I knew when to buy stocks, when to go for gold, and when a downturn was coming, so I could weather any storm.

The model rooms I designed amazed the designers. Bringing in fresh ideas was really eye–opening.

With the templates ready, it was time to get Jared’s approval for the funding. But first, I had to go through Tracy.

At the conference table, Tracy looked like a boss with her arms crossed, studying the images on the screen. She raised an eyebrow. “Good, Mrs. Holcomb. The design firm you picked has vision. These styles are unique. I think we can move forward with this.”

Jared was still giving me the cold shoulder, but he was sitting at the head of the table with his eyes glued to the pictures. He asked, “Who’s the designer behind this? We should definitely keep working with them.”

The designers exchanged glances, then one of the leads spoke up. “Mr. Holcomb, actually, all these designs came from Mrs. Holcomb. We just did the drawings. Every setup and color scheme was all her request. She’s the real mastermind here.”

The room went dead silent after that.

Jared forgot all about his silent treatment. He looked at me, his eyes a little wide with surprise. “You came up with all these designs?”

I smiled. “I can’t draw. I just come up with these ideas.”

Tracy’s smile faltered, but she kept it up. “The ideas are great, but honestly, I’m not sure about the colors. Maybe we could change them a bit?”

“I’m not changing them,” I replied instantly. “These are classic Clusian colors. They’re the most striking combination.”

Tracy’s smile froze, and she turned her head away with a hint of mockery and disapproval tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Jared glanced at her and then turned to me. “Maybe Tracy’s just trying to help. She’s seen a lot of things from all over the world.”

“Babe, this is my project. I really don’t like outsiders meddling in,” I said, making it clear.

I knew Tracy was impressive, but I wasn’t going to let her steal the spotlight. If the hotel made profits, everyone would give credit to her. No way was I letting her take what was mine.