When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Chapter 419

Chapter 419

Immense envy for youth surged through me. The leniency that came with being a juvenile meant Joycecould speak without reservation and lash out at people as she pleased.

My gaze settled on the glass of water on the table. I stood up and approached her. There was no angerin my voice, but a cold indifference seeped through my words. “Indeed, I’m thirty now. That’s four to fiveyears older than you. I wonder what I was up to when I was your age.”

Quirking an eyebrow, I continued, “I was a newlywed at that time, and my career had just taken off. Thework culture back then was a lot more complicated than what you’re experiencing now. I, too, had myfair share of interactions with some older girls at my workplace. They were all my superiors, but Ifocused on working hard to reach their status instead of sabotaging them.”

“Witnessing your insolent behavior gave me an epiphany—that good upbringing is crucial. My parentstaught me to look up to those who are better than me and follow in their footsteps, not defame them.Ms. Newton, your upbringing sure is… Disappointing.”

Objectively, these were not harsh words, but it was a different story altogether since I involved herfamily and character.

Joyce was still young and easily incensed. Fuming, she raised a hand to slap me.

I was not a naive lady in her twenties. In one swift motion, I intercepted her swinging arm, picked up theglass of water, and mercilessly threw the water in her face.

“Ms. Newton, you’ll get your tongue severed if you don’t watch it well. Remember to choose your wordswisely the next time you decide to run your mouth.” I was in no mood to finish the forms and promptlyleft the office.

An enraged shriek pierced the air. “Scarlett, you vile woman! Just you wait and see!”

I could hear her having a mental breakdown behind me, but I paid her no heed and returned home.

Colin had brought Summer back. The young girl had been acting as my shadow lately, trailing behindme wherever I went. Perhaps my bout of illness had worried her, so she took to following me around forfear that something would happen to me.

Halfway through our meal, Colin suddenly looked at me and said, “A developer from K City will bechecking in at the hotel tomorrow. You may need to entertain him on my behalf and plan an itinerary forhis stay at R Province, which will last for a few days. The higher-ups decided that it would be best forhim to take over the hotel after the incident.”

I paused momentarily before voicing my confusion. “Why is a developer taking over a hotel business?”

Colin smiled wryly. “The land around the hotel is undeveloped. As you rightly suspected, thesedevelopers have no interest in the hotel itself. Instead, they have plans to start up new projects nearthe hotel. R Province has been doing well in the past two years. Paired with the fact that we havebeautiful scenery and a good number of foreign visitors, it would only take a couple of years to developR Province into a tourist destination.”

His reasoning made sense. R Province was not huge, but it had picturesque scenery. Every yearduring spring, the daffodils surrounding the city would be in full bloom, making it appear as if thenondescript city were floating on a sea of yellow.

There were also numerous natural waterfalls and minorities living at the edge of the province. Recenttrends showed that more and more people from busy, bumbling cities wished to live in a tranquilenvironment after retirement. R Province, with its peaceful surroundings, would be an ideal spot.

“What time will he arrive?” I inquired as I piled Summer and Michael’s plates with vegetables. The twochildren had identical preferences for food—both being meat-eaters with a strong aversion to greens.Their picky appetite warranted force-feeding to ensure that they get their nutrients.

Colin finished his food and set his utensils down. “Around noon. Make sure to dress professionally.”

I nodded in understanding. While I had never been a hostess, I had been on the receiving end a fewtimes before, back when I held a high position in Fuller Corporation.

I had a good idea of how things worked.

The following day, I donned the clothes I brought with me from J City. I intentionally selected the outfitwith hopes that I would appear presentable when I greeted the esteemed visitor. I barely bought anyclothes in the last few years I lived in R province, and on the off chance that I did, the clothes werecheap items from night markets. It had been long since I last wore branded clothing, let alonecustomized outfits.

The outfit I had on was a customized piece by a renowned Italian designer, courtesy of Ashton. Aplethora of similar clothing hung in my wardrobe. Back then, I was carrying Summer and had thrown onthis formal attire for convenience when I left.

After arriving at R Province, the outfit had been shoved in a box, never to see the light for years. Theattire that was worth tens of thousands now smelled vaguely of mold, but its exceptional workmanshipshone through. Even years of neglect could not dim its excellent quality.

I stood waiting at the entrance of the hotel.

Coincidentally, Joyce was the receptionist on duty for today. When she glimpsed my luxurious attire,she could not help but make a sarcastic remark.

“Is seducing the manager not enough? Are you targeting the developer now? You’re a mere sparrowhoping to be a phoenix. Do you have no shame at all?”

Taking into account that we were in public, I refrained from commenting and gave Joyce the side-eye.

Our relationship had grown tense after the dispute the day before.

It was known to all that she had a beef with me.

A black Mercedes-Benz pulled up at the entrance. It might very well be the best vehicle in R Province.

Upon noticing the developer’s arrival, Joyce averted her eyes and plastered a cordial smile on her faceas she took her post near the door.

The hotel staff gathered at the entrance and stood in a line to welcome the distinguished guest.