Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 39

Silvia’s history with The Upton Group was more than just business—she’d nearly wound up at the police station because of them.

Steadying herself, she asked, “Is the contact person Hardy Upton?”

Shipley hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

At his answer, a shadow flickered in Silvia’s eyes.

Hardy Upton was infamous in Luminova City—a notorious playboy through and through.

Rude, crude, and lecherous… Every word fit him perfectly.

How could Shipley not know what kind of man Hardy was?

Yet, he’d still called her about this.

“Silvia, we all know Hardy’s reputation—he’s reckless and loves to mess around, especially with women. I wouldn’t have brought you into this if I could help it. But… he specifically requested you. You wouldn’t let everyone’s hard work go to waste, would you?”

Vianne dabbed at her eyes, her expression innocent, almost pleading.

Another colleague chimed in, “Yeah, Silvia, you’re such a good person, and you’ve worked on this project from the very beginning.”

Now, everyone looked at Silvia with a mixture of hope, pleading, and—she noticed—not a little schadenfreude.

She let her gaze sweep across their faces.

Hopeful, imploring… and just a bit too eager to see her take the fall.

She lowered her eyes.

Because she was “nice,” and because she’d been running the project from the start, now that it had been handed over to Vianne, she was expected to step in and clean up the mess. Was that it?

No one seemed concerned about the kind of harassment she might have to face from Hardy.

“Mr. Barlow, are you sure you want me to go?” Silvia asked Shipley again.

He was caught off guard, frowning as he caught the cool detachment on her face.

After all this time, she was still upset?

Her temper was getting more and more delicate by the day.

Silvia’s lips curled in a faint, cold smile. “Are you giving me advice now?”

“That’s enough,” Shipley cut in, ending the argument.

His gaze lingered on Silvia, complicated.

“I know you can handle this. Like I said, once it’s done, the project is yours, no questions asked.”

He was offering her a concession.

The partner had changed, but the project was still the same—a good one, worth holding on to.

He was handing it back to Silvia, hoping it would make her more obedient.

Silvia’s smile was thin and bitter.

He always insisted on giving her what she didn’t want—just like those times he’d forced her to wear Vianne’s favorite clothes.

She clutched the file in her hand, her voice icy and resolute.