Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1202

“That would totally ruin my image.”

“No way,” Audrey replied, giving the little charm in her hand a playful shake. “These cute little charms add a bit of fun. Clients actually feel closer to you because of them. Look at my brother. He used to come across as distant and hard to approach, but after Camila and Lillian came along, he started carrying around adorable things like this. Suddenly, he was landing way more business deals.”

“Seriously?” Walter looked unconvinced, his eyes fixed on the charm as if it might start singing.

Audrey nodded, her face serious. “I’m not making this up. Think about it. Guys like you—young, successful—there aren’t many of you. Most of your clients are probably around your dad’s age, right? They’ve got families, kids, grandkids. You might not have much in common, but something playful like this can break the ice. They’ll see you as more relatable, maybe even start to like you. Let me tell you something else. At the international Aux AI Summit, those famous CEOs from abroad? They’re all known for being family guys. Nobody else would think to try this kind of approach. Trust me, it could give you a real edge when you’re networking.”

Audrey sounded so sincere, Walter couldn’t help but laugh a little. It all felt a bit far-fetched to him. Could a business meeting really go better just because of a cute phone charm?

“Well, since you put it like that, I’d feel bad saying no. I’ll keep it,” he said, finally taking the charm and hooking it onto his phone. He didn’t want to let her down. Besides, if Dennis Williams could pull it off, why couldn’t he?

Audrey watched as the bright, colorful Helen charm swung from his sleek black phone. It looked adorable, and the contrast was somehow even cuter. She was thrilled. Honestly, most of what she’d said was only half true. What she really wanted was for him to keep the charm, so everyone would see they matched.

That night, the two of them headed home, both smiling and feeling like they’d won something special.

…

The next morning in Cabinda, Sarah Brown and her brother Billy were up early, heading to the airport to pick up their parents. Billy already had a restaurant booked, so after picking them up, he drove everyone straight there for a meal.

Sarah sat close to her parents, chatting nonstop like a kid who hadn’t seen them in forever. Compared to her, Billy was all straight-faced and proper, barely cracking a smile.

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