Reclaiming Her Heart

John was hovering behind Raymond, thinking the big boss had slipped his mind about their meeting. He was about to pipe up when he caught sight of Selena's face and thought better of it. 'Is she the mystery lady from last night? What's the story with her and the boss?'

The elevator doors slid open and Selena waved them in with a friendly "After you."

Raymond didn't bother with small talk. He just spun around and told John to head back to the office and then stepped into the elevator.

Down in the lobby, the hotel's breakfast crowd was already chowing down.

Selena plopped down next to Raymond by a window view and a waiter quickly served them up some lemon water.

The tangy lemon water hit her taste buds and it was just what she needed to shake off the morning fuzz.

'Might as well grab some breakfast before heading to the hospital,' she thought, 'so I don't pass out from low blood sugar on the way.'

She put her glass down and shot a question at Raymond, "What kind of books do you usually go for, Mr. Montague? I heard from Mr. Ashford you've got a thing for art classes."

Knowing what a client liked could really nail down the design vibe. In most cases, a casual chat could clue Selena in on what they were into.

Raymond probably wasn't into the flashy, detailed American styles. And for an art guy, the stiff Oriental styles might be too dull?

She wanted to get a feel for his taste, but Raymond just shrugged and said, "You figure it out."

Clients like him drove Selena nuts because too many options just made everything more confusing!Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

She was on the hook to decide the style?

As she was mulling over some ideas, a surprised voice cut through the chatter.

"Raymond?"

Lisa's voice led the way as she strutted over in her designer suit, eyes only for Raymond.

"I've been here a few days and didn't expect to bump into you."

Her face, wearing exquisite makeup, lit up with surprise as she looked at Selena. "And who are you?"

Selena was about to say she was Raymond's client, but before she could get a word out, Lisa slid into the seat next to him like Selena was invisible and kept firing questions at Raymond. "I heard your place in Manhattan needs a makeover?"

Raymond wasn't in the mood for chit-chat and gave a curt reply, "Yeah."

Lisa smiled slyly, "I remember how much you love the layout of the house. I know this amazing designer. If you're interested..."

It was clear she was trying to weasel her way in by playing the designer card. But before she could go on, Selena cut in with a smile, "Sorry, but Mr. Montague is my client right now." Lisa finally turned to Selena, her lips pursed. "You're a designer too?"

Her tone dripped with disdain, like she thought Selena was just trying to ride Raymond's coattails.

"Yes, Mr. Montague and I are going to have a great chat."

A great chat? They were spotted at breakfast together early in the morning. Who knew what they were up to last night?

The thought made Lisa's face twist with each passing second. She figured Selena was just showing off how cheap!

Thinking about brushing off this out-of-nowhere woman to avoid any drama, Lisa took a deep breath and decided to play the marriage card. "Since Raymond picked you, there must be a reason. I hope you'll work hard and not let Raymond and his wife down."

Raymond's brow creased a bit.

Lisa had known about Raymond's marriage for years but still chased after him, using it to chase away other women who came after him. Her next words were blunt.

"You know Raymond's married, right?" The insinuation hung in the air: Do you want to be the other woman and mess up someone's family?