Alden came home late and entered Hannah’s room. Seeing that Hannah was still awake, he immediately approached his wife. Alden looked guilty for making Hannah wait.
“Sweetheart, you’re still up?” Alden greeted as he planted a kiss on Hannah’s forehead.
“You’re home so late.”
Alden hadn’t sent any messages, making Hannah worry.
“Sorry, there was a meeting that had to be finished tonight.” Alden loosened his tie, looking exhausted. “I sent a message to Edward because he called me. So I asked him to pass it on.”
“Oh, okay. That’s fine.” Hannah just nodded.
“Is something wrong, Hannah? Are you mad at me?”
Hannah weakly shook her head. Why should she be mad at Alden? This was the risk of marrying a businessman, there would definitely be a lot of time consumed. After Alden recovered, he had responsibilities on his shoulders, especially after Maxim’s passing.
The companies that had been neglected were now beginning to stand strong one by one. That wouldn’t have been possible without sacrifices. Hannah understood that.
“Aspen had a cesarean because her baby had to be born prematurely,” Hannah said.
Alden’s face looked surprised. “Oh my God.”
“I went to the hospital because Francesca didn’t know how to pay. So she asked for my help.”
“Help her, sweetheart. That is if you want to.”
“I did.”
“Then, are you staying up this late waiting for me? Or thinking about Aspen?”
Hannah looked straight at Alden. “You.”
Alden hugged Hannah tightly, showering her forehead, cheeks, nose, and lips with kisses. Then Alden held Hannah’s smooth cheeks.
“I wasn’t anywhere else, I was at the office working. Are you afraid I’ll leave?” Alden asked.
“No. I was just thinking about you. Is that not allowed?”
“I’m glad you think about me. It makes me feel like the most important person in the world.” Alden took a deep breath. “But, I don’t want it to disturb your sleep.”
Hannah’s face still looked sad. Alden felt he couldn’t keep hiding things.
“There’s something you should know, Hannah,” he said.
“What is it?”
“Sarah has become the representative of Giantic at Goldtime.”
What does that mean? So Sarah will be working in the same office as Alden? Hannah was confused.
“We’ll be working in the same office, at the same hours. Even though we might not meet every day, we’ll definitely see each other more often,” Alden explained.
“More than you see me?” Hannah’s eyes began to well up. “But, why?”
“Hannah, this is just a work matter.”
However, Hannah’s eyes seemed not to believe it. Out of so many companies, out of so many representatives, why did it have to be Sarah by Alden’s side every day? It really made Hannah’s chest tight.
No wonder Alden came home late, it turns out he was with Sarah all night.
Hannah just bit her lip, trying not to let out assumptions that might not be true.
“Did you know about this beforehand? That she’s with Giantic?” Hannah asked.
“No, Hannah. I didn’t have a clue about it,” Alden replied.
But, didn’t Alden once talk with Bernard, saying that Kenneth was one of Giantic’s directors? How could Alden not know? Hannah wondered.
“I can’t cancel the collaboration after finding out Sarah is the representative from Giantic.”
While Alden was trying to rebuild what was almost destroyed, it would be difficult without support from a big company like Giantic.
Hannah couldn’t be selfish and ask Alden to end the collaboration. Or for Alden to transfer the company to someone else and just monitor from afar. Goldtime could become a very successful company, even two to three times larger than Texco.
However, Hannah’s heart couldn’t lie. She hated hearing that Sarah would be with Alden.
“I want to sleep now,” Hannah said, evading.
“Hannah, please, listen to me first…”
“Please, I don’t want to talk about this. I want to rest.”
Hannah immediately lay down and turned her back on Alden. Alden looked conflicted but he just wanted to be honest. Alden didn’t push anything, he pulled the blanket up to Hannah’s shoulders, and then he left the room.
Hannah cried quietly, feeling very fragile.
…
Meanwhile, Alden went to his room and cleaned up. He sat on the edge of the bed, thinking whether to sleep in his room or accompany Hannah. If Alden slept in his room, Hannah would definitely get more suspicious and angry. But if Alden slept with Hannah, he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.
This shouldn’t be a problem about Sarah, but apparently, Hannah really didn’t like it. How could Alden express his objections to Giantic’s board and ask for a replacement for Sarah?
That would show how unprofessional Alden was by mixing personal matters with business.
Alden decided to go to Hannah’s room, but suddenly his phone rang. He was surprised to see Sarah’s number on the screen.
“Hello?” Alden answered.
“Hi, Alden. Are you home? Am I disturbing you?”
“Well, I was about to rest. What’s up, Sarah?”
“I just got home, and Kenneth is really furious about me being Giantic’s representative at your office,” Sarah said.
Sarah’s tone sounded annoyed, as if she was talking to a boyfriend. Like she was looking for some sort of support.
“Oh…”
Is this something that needed to be discussed? If it’s a personal issue, why doesn’t Sarah resolve it herself? Alden wondered. They were no longer an item, and Sarah should know Alden was married.
“Maybe you should talk to Kenneth, Sarah.”
That was all Alden could suggest, nothing more.
“I know, but he’s linking it to our past relationship.”
“Just make sure he knows that there’s nothing between us anymore.”
There was no answer from Sarah, just a long sigh.
“I want to rest. Good night, Sarah.”
“Wait, Alden!” Sarah seemed reluctant to end the conversation.
“What is it?”
“Does your wife know I’m working with you?”
“Yes, she knows. And she has no problem with it. You and I are just the past. Remember?”
Sarah let out a dry laugh. “Ah, yes… you’re right. Well, then good night.”
Sarah ended the call, and Alden didn’t feel bad or nostalgic anymore. He just felt indifferent. However, if Sarah kept coming like this, Alden didn’t know what to do.
Distancing himself wasn’t possible because they worked in the same office. But ignoring Sarah and pretending everything was fine would eventually cause problems.
Alden was truly confused.