The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Chapter 1408
Alaric’s gaze was too intense that it unsettled Hertha.
His eyes seemed to hold a lingering thought of her, as if wondering if she had an opinion on whether he should reconcile with
Georgia.
To an outsider, it might seem like he was genuinely asking for her advice. But in reality, what happened between him and
Georgia was none of Hertha’s business.
Meeting Alaric’s piercing eyes, Hertha’s heart fluttered with increasing panic. She quickly averted her gaze and stammered,
“Whether you patch things up with her or not is your deal. Thalassa is waiting for me downstairs, I should go.”
With that, she rushed to the elevator, stepping into the first one that arrived. Just as she was about to hit the close button,
Alaric’s tall figure entered, standing close beside her.
The elevator doors slid shut, and Hertha pressed the button for the ground floor.
In the confined space, it was just Hertha and Alaric. He was standing within an arm’s reach of her, his faint scent of peppermint
and tobacco lingering in the air, mixed with a strong masculine presence.
It was the aroma of a primal choice, the same as the first time she met him–her cheeks flushed, heart pounding and her entire
being yearning to be near him.
Even after three years, the sensation hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
Hertha fought to control her breathing, not allowing herself to look back at him or show any sign of her inner turmoil.
Her inability to meet his gaze earlier was out of fear that he would see right, through her–that she hadn’t let go of him at all deep
down.
Because of her guilt, her nervousness, she felt utterly exposed.
If she had truly moved on, she could face him fearlessly and look him in the eye without hesitation.
“Why didn’t you go down with Georgia?” Hertha blurted, trying to mask the quiver in her voice.

Her question echoed awkwardly in the elevator’s silence.
Alaric glanced at her obliquely, able to see the top of her head and her profile from his angle.
Although she had slimmed down, there was still a touch of baby fat on her face, giving her maturity an edge of cuteness.
The sight of her mature yet adorable profile made Alaric’s breath catch and his heartbeat falter.
Three years later, he still had feelings for Hertha.
In contrast to his indifference towards Georgia–no matter how much she flirted in front of him, he felt nothing but annoyance.
“You heard her,” Alaric responded coolly. “She’s going back to complain to her parents, trying to cut off their investments in my
company and turn me into a nobody without any backing. I can’t exactly stop her from tattling, can I?”
At his words, Hertha turned to look at Alaric, her eyes not completely devoid of sympathy.
Over the years, Alaric had ascended from managing a branch to becoming the Vice President of Falconer Group, with his father
being. the President.
As his influence within the company grew, it seemed inevitable that he would eventually take over Falconer Group.
His rapid rise to the VP position was largely thanks to the support from the Georgia Reed’s family.
They had backed him, introduced him to new business, and secured the loyalty of the company’s key veterans, which in turn
accelerated his promotion.
If the Reed family withdrew their support or turned against him, those veterans might abandon him too. Alaric would tumble from
his lofty perch back into the mire.
The thought of losing everything over a spat with Georgia was an impractical loss, by any measure.