Chapter 70: Don’t let it get you

Meanwhile, inside her office, Hannah sat in silence.

Her phone rested on the desk, the screen still displaying a familiar name.

Mark.

She had spent half the night debating whether to call him.

When she finally gathered the courage and dialed his number...

He had answered almost immediately.

And she’d panicked.

Without saying a single word, she hung up.

Then, when Mark called back a few seconds later...

She ignored it.

Hannah let out a frustrated sigh and buried her face in her hands.

"Why am I getting nervous?"

She groaned.

"It’s not like we’re dating."

"And it’s definitely not like that night meant anything."

She repeated those words to herself over and over.

Yet...

The more she denied it...

The more restless she became.

"Maybe..."

She switched off her phone and slipped it into her blazer pocket.

"...I should keep my distance from him."

"Whatever this is..."

"It’ll disappear eventually."

With that thought, she stood up and left her office.

As the general manager, Hannah had long since chosen a different path from Dominic.

While he expanded Sterling Group’s corporate empire, she preferred managing the hospitality business.

She enjoyed interacting with guests, solving problems, and ensuring every detail met her standards.

It suited her.

"Good morning, Miss Sterling."

Employees greeted her one after another as she walked through the hotel’s grand lobby.

She smiled politely, occasionally stopping to straighten a crooked flower arrangement or remind a staff member about a minor detail.

"The banquet hall is ready?"

"Yes, Miss Sterling."

"The VIP suites?"

"Already inspected."

She nodded in satisfaction and continued toward the reception area.

Just then...

Someone rounded the corner.

Thud.

Her shoulder lightly bumped into another person.

"I’m sorry, I wasn’t—"

Hannah stopped mid-sentence.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"...You?"

The woman standing opposite her looked equally stunned.

For several long seconds... Neither of them spoke. Then, slowly, a faint smirk appeared on her lips.

"Well... I didn’t expect to run into you here, Hannah."

The color drained from her face. The last person she had ever expected—or wanted—to see... was standing right in front of her.

She was the same woman Eric had been fooling around with behind Hannah’s back.

The same woman who had considered Hannah her rival for years.

And the same woman who had stopped at nothing to win Eric’s attention.

Well... congratulations.

You won.

Hannah forced a polite smile before folding her arms across her chest.

"You’re standing in my territory now," she said calmly. "Does that still count as a coincidence?"

Although Hannah couldn’t stand the sight of Ruby, she knew this encounter wasn’t accidental.

Ruby hadn’t come here just to exchange pleasantries.

She had a reason.

When Hannah had investigated Eric after learning the truth, she’d uncovered his affair with Ruby as well.

Looking back now, she finally understood why Ruby had smiled at her so smugly on several occasions.

She had known all along.

She had known Eric was betraying Hannah behind her back.

Ruby tilted her head, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"You seem awfully confident for someone who was recently dumped."

"I honestly thought you loved Eric so much."

"And yet..."

"He still left you."

Hannah simply smiled.

There wasn’t a trace of anger on her face.

"Well..."

She shrugged lightly.

"I think we both know why that relationship ended."

Her gaze met Ruby’s without wavering.

"I threw the trash away."

"You chose to pick it up."

Ruby’s smile stiffened.

"And before you try to explain anything..."

Hannah continued calmly,

"...don’t bother."

"I already know what the two of you were doing behind my back."

"So there’s really nothing left to discuss."

For the first time, Ruby’s confident expression faltered, but she quickly composed herself.

"Then I guess you also know where you were lacking, Hannah," Ruby said with a smug smile.

She leaned closer until her lips were just beside Hannah’s ear.

"A man has needs," she whispered. "And when those needs aren’t met... he eventually goes looking elsewhere."

She stepped back, the smile on her face growing wider as she watched Hannah’s reaction.

"Anyway, it didn’t take Eric long to realize what he was missing. With you always acting like some untouchable goddess, he simply couldn’t take it anymore."

Ruby paused deliberately before reaching into her handbag.

"But there’s something even more interesting that I think you should know."

She pulled out an elegant invitation card and held it out.

"This is for you."

Hannah’s gaze slowly dropped to the card.

"Eric and I are getting married."

For a brief second, Hannah felt as though all the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

She stared silently at the invitation before finally reaching out and accepting it.

Ruby’s smile became even more triumphant.

"It would be my pleasure to have you witness our union."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, convinced she had won.

As she passed through the lobby, her eyes briefly landed on Mark.

She gave him nothing more than a passing glance before continuing on her way.

Mark had been standing there for quite some time.

He hadn’t intended to overhear their conversation, but by the time he realised what was happening, it was already too late to walk away.

Only after Ruby disappeared did he finally step forward.

"Miss Hannah." His voice startled her.

Hannah quickly snapped out of her thoughts and instinctively slipped the invitation behind her back.

"Mark?"

Surprise flashed across her face. "What are you doing here?"

Although she forced herself to remain calm, the uneasiness lingering in her eyes hadn’t escaped Mark’s notice.

He offered her a polite smile.

"Boss asked me to bring you the details of the delegates who’ll be staying at the hotel during the charity event."

Hannah blinked for a moment before remembering Dominic mentioning it earlier that morning.

"Oh... right."

She forced a small smile. "Please, come to my office."

Hannah turned and started walking, making sure the invitation remained hidden behind her back.

Mark silently followed. His eyes briefly fell on the corner of the invitation peeking out from her hand.

He recognised it immediately. But he chose not to say a single word.

***

"I’ll take my leave now."

After explaining everything about the delegates and the event schedule, Mark gave Hannah a polite nod and turned toward the door.

He had only taken a couple of steps when he suddenly stopped.

The office fell into silence. Behind him, Hannah sat motionless.

She had been trying her hardest to keep the calm mask on her face ever since Ruby had left.

But it was becoming increasingly difficult. Her emotions were a complete mess.

One part of her was still shaken by the wedding invitation Eric and Ruby had handed her. The other... her heart had refused to calm down ever since Mark walked into her office.

Mark remained standing with his back to her.

"You know..." His quiet voice broke the silence. "...you don’t have to avoid me."

Hannah’s eyes widened. "What?"

Mark slowly looked over his shoulder. His usual carefree smile had faded into something gentler.

"You called me last night. When I answered...you hung up. And when I called back...you never picked up."

Hannah parted her lips, only to close them again. She didn’t know what to say.

Mark gave a small, self-deprecating smile.

"I get it." He lowered his gaze. "What happened that night...was probably just a mistake."

Hannah’s heart clenched.

"It’s not like we’re anything." He laughed softly, though there was very little amusement in it. "So you don’t have to force yourself to pretend everything is normal around me."

He wasn’t angry. Nor was he blaming her. He had simply reached the conclusion that seemed the most reasonable. That he had merely been a momentary distraction. Someone Hannah regretted kissing.

He took another step toward the door before speaking again.

"But..." His eyes drifted toward the invitation card partially hidden beneath the files on her desk. "...don’t let your past keep hurting you. You deserve better than that."

Hannah instinctively followed his gaze.

Her breath caught. He had seen the invitation.

"So..." Mark smiled gently. "...don’t let it get to you."

For a moment... the room became completely still.

Hannah looked at the man standing only a few feet away.

She wanted to explain. She wanted to tell him he had misunderstood everything. That she hadn’t been avoiding him because she regretted kissing him...

She’d been avoiding him because every time she heard his voice, her heart forgot how to behave.

But no words came out.

Instead... before her mind could stop her... her body moved first.

She hurried across the office. Mark had barely turned around when Hannah reached him.

She grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand, the other sliding behind his neck.

His eyes widened. " Hannah—"

She didn’t let him finish. Standing on her toes, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his.

Mark froze. Every thought disappeared from his mind.

For several heartbeats... Neither of them moved.

The office remained utterly silent. Only the sound of Hannah’s racing heartbeat echoed in her ears as she realised what she’d just done.