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Mia swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, then stepped out to welcome the guest. Moments later, she led a stylish woman in her thirties into the office.
Mitchell quickly stepped forward with a smile. “Winona p>
Winona Keller smiled and nodded warmly. “Mr. Garrison, it’s been a while p>
Winona had that sharp, put–together look about her. Short cropped hair, a crisp white chiffon top with three- quarter sleeves, a black pencil skirt, and heels that looked a solid three inches high.
Her makeup was polished, her smile perfectly professional, and aside from the sleek watch on her wrist, she didn’t wear a single extra accessory.
lan walked right up to her. “Welcome back, Winona p>
Winona’s tone became respectful. “Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Hamilton p>
Ian said, “Mia, from now on, Ms. Winona Keller and Mitchell will be your left and right hands. They both have their own strengths and will divide up the work to support you p>
Mia’s face grew serious. “Ian, are you planning to resign p>
Ian replied, “Once you’re officially promoted to executive vice president in a few days, I’ll be taking a break for a while p>
Mia didn’t dwell on it. Ian’s health had been getting worse lately. He really did need a break.
Half an hour later, Mia and Winona stepped out of Ian’s office. Mia couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Keller, did lan mention how long he’s planning to take off p>
Winona replied respectfully, “Miss Hamilton, just call me Winona.” She glanced around at the passing colleagues, then suggested they take a look at Mia’s office, using the tour as an excuse to avoid the curious
stares.
Inside Mia’s office, Winona scanned the place and couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose. “Miss Hamilton, who actually deals with the mess in here p>
Mia mumbled, feeling a little sheepish, “I don’t really like people touching my stuff. I’ll straighten things up myself later p>
After taking a moment to get used to the place, Winona finally spoke up. “Honestly, Miss Hamilton, Mr. Hamilton personally came to my place three separate times just to convince me to come back p>
Mia’s face went through a whole mix of emotions.
Winona went on, “I don’t really know what Mr. Hamilton is thinking, but I did agree to sign a five–year work contract with Hamilton Group, and I’ll be working as your assistant p>
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After Winona left, Mia sat alone in her office, lost in thought for a long time. ‘Why would Ian go so far as to personally talk Winona back into being my assistant, and even tie her down to a five–year contract?
‘Could it be he’s got stomach cancer or something, and he’s just making arrangements for what comes next p>
Mia felt a wave of unease wash over her. Not wanting to let her imagination run wild, she forced herself back into her work.
At noon. Patrick showed up with lunch for Mia. When he walked into her office, he saw Mia sprawled out on her desk, fast asleep. Patrick set the food down, then gently scooped Mia up, carrying her over to the couch.
His movement stirred her awake. Mia, eyes still closed, sat up and snuggled into Patrick. “Patrick, just let me nap a bit longer, okay? Please don’t leave p>
Patrick gently wrapped her in his arms, his voice soft with concern. “Ian’s a piece of work, letting you run yourself ragged like this p>
Patrick murmured a few complaints, but when he looked down, he saw Mia had already fallen asleep nestled in his arms. Patrick’s gaze was plainly full of concern. He peeked at the office door, then gently pressed a soft kiss to Mia’s forehead.
Patrick muttered, sounding more jealous than he wanted to admit, “My little dummy finally grew up, just has zero clue when it comes to love.” He carefully laid Mia down on the couch, slipped off her high heels, and draped his own jacket over her.
Then he rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning up the office, which honestly looked like a tornado had hit it. Once he was done and saw Mia still asleep, he quietly set her phone to silent and slipped out to go find Ian.
Ian was standing all by himself, spaced out in front of those huge windows.
Tall and hunky, he wore black slacks and a white button–down, his arm sporting a black armband. With his back to the door, even his super put–together figure couldn’t hide the tiredness and quiet loneliness that clung to him.
Patrick walked over and grabbed the ashtray from in front of Ian. “Seriously, Hamilton Group’s got nobody else? Why are you forcing Mia to toughen up and play the corporate shark p>
Ian shot Patrick a sideways glance. “If you’re really worried, why not jump in and give her a hand yourself p>
Patrick snorted. “You want the future boss of Lewis Group to come work for your Hamilton Group? Not a
chance.
“With your brother in charge, you’re just the backup kid. Come over here, I’ll actually let you prove yourself p>
said Ian.
Patrick rolled his eyes at Jan, then got serious. “Mia’s already twenty–four. You’re working her to death–she doesn’t even get a chance to fall in love. What are you going to do when she’s still single and the whole mess falls on you p>
Ian gazed out at the towering buildings of Kingsford. “You like her, but you don’t have what it takes to make her like you back. So maybe stay out of her love life p>
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lan’s words struck a sore spot, and Patrick instantly shot back, “Sure, you married the woman you loved, but you didn’t keep her, did you?
“Big man, right? Then stop drinking till you throw up, stop regretting it, stop moping around. Go on, make Chloe forgive you if you can p>
Ian’s expression turned thunderous, so Patrick hurried to backpedal. “Hey, man, chill out. I’m just joking with you. Don’t take it so seriously p>
Sheesh, look at the mess I just stirred up, Patrick grumbled to himself. ‘Better watch it or I’ll hit a nerve and he’ll just drop dead in front of me p>
Patrick sighed, trying to lighten the mood. “Thanksgiving Day’s right around the corner, you know. Having everyone happy and healthy together–that’s really what matters most p>
Ian nodded, a storm of emotions crossing his face. To him, his own life wasn’t worth much. But for the sake of his family, he’d fight to keep breathing.
After Patrick left, Ian’s headache hit with full force. He was just about to pop a handful of sleeping pills when Miranda stormed in and caught him in the act.
Miranda snatched the bottle from his hand, her eyes brimming with tears. “This is what you call taking your meds and getting real treatment p>
Miranda couldn’t hold it together. She started plucking the pills out of his palm one by one. “Taking five at once? Seriously, you call that ‘no big deal p>
lan gave a strained smile, took the bottle from Miranda, screwed the cap on tight, and shoved it into his desk drawer.
He tried to brush it off, “I just spilled out a bunch by accident, Mom. I wasn’t going to take all these–really, there’s nothing to worry about p>
Miranda stood right there in front of Ian’s desk and dialed up Chloe, making the call right in his presence. The call connected, and Miranda hit speaker. “Chloe, how bad is it for the body when someone takes way too many sleeping pills p>
On the other end of the line, Chloe went quiet for a beat, then her voice came through, steady and professional. “Overdosing on sleeping pills is dangerous, especially if it happens a lot.
“It can make you dizzy, groggy, dependent, mess with your breathing, upset your stomach, give you headaches, memory problems, even make you need more to get the same effect. And if you quit cold turkey, you could have nasty withdrawal symptoms. ”
Miranda blurted out, desperate, “If lan comes to you, will you help him p>
Chloe hesitated for a moment before responding, “Of course, Miranda. I’m a doctor, so if he schedules an appointment and goes through the proper process, I’ll do everything I can to treat him p>
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Chapter 267