Danielle waved a hand dismissively. “That’s really not necessary.”
When Harold saw her decline, he pressed his lips together for a moment. “Well, if you need anything, you can always call me.”
He was always the perfect gentleman—never overstepping boundaries, never insisting if someone refused.
Danielle didn’t give the conversation much thought. When you’re away from home, unexpected things are bound to happen; as long as everyone’s safe, that’s all that matters.
She and Harold took the technical team up into the nearby hills for a survey. The air among the trees was damp and chilly, and Danielle had dressed a little too lightly for the weather.
“Are you cold?” Harold asked. “I brought an extra jacket; want me to grab it from the car?”
Danielle hugged her arms and rubbed her hands together. “That’d be great, thanks.”
As soon as she spoke, she lowered her gaze and went back to jotting notes. She approached her work with unwavering focus, personally inspecting every detail and making careful observations.
Harold had someone fetch the jacket and drape it over her shoulders.
This survey turned out to be especially successful.
By the time they finished, it was already late afternoon—five, maybe six o’clock. The sun hung low on the horizon, casting everything in a warm, orange glow.
Despite the somber landscape, Danielle found it strangely beautiful. She couldn’t help but pull out her phone and snap a few pictures.
“Do you like the scenery here?” Harold glanced at her profile. “There are some really incredible views around the resort. Since you’re here for work, why not take a couple of days to relax?”
Danielle tucked her phone away and shook her head with a faint smile. “No, I’ve got a lot waiting for me back home.”
Tonight was her last night here; her flight back to Northridge City was first thing in the morning. What weighed on her most was her daughter, waiting at home.
You couldn’t survive this long in the business without some real skill. Even so, maybe she was just along for the ride, playing the assistant while others did the heavy lifting. Out in the world, she was hyped up as something special.
“She’s just a college grad, no matter how impressive she seems,” Liam remarked, glancing at Millie. “At best, she’s an assistant on this project. What, are you starting to see her as serious competition?”
Millie laughed, waving her hand with a scornful smile. “Her? She’s not even in my league.”
“I just think her so-called success makes a mockery of everyone who actually works hard.”
She felt sorry for those people. If you could climb the ladder and make a name for yourself just by latching onto a man, then what did everyone else’s hard work really count for?
It was a complicated question—one that only someone like Millie would care about, with her sense of fairness and her habit of digging beneath the surface.
“Sometimes, in this world, you get ahead however you can,” Liam said with a shrug. “If landing a man who’ll go to bat for you is a skill, well, that’s still a kind of effort. And if all those hard-working folks could do the same, maybe they would.”
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