Chapter 167
“I know all about your marriage to that guy, but I’m going to need you to keep your distance and stop showing up around Albert p>
“And yesterday, you went to Aeterna on purpose, didn’t you p>
Dorothea looked at Carola like she was losing her mind. “Why would I bother doing that on purpose? What you think is so precious just looks like trash to me p>
Then she caught on to something and her lips curled into a sly smile. “You seem awfully worried that Albert will find out I married Latham p>
“I am not!” Carola shot back, her voice way too loud. “Why would I be scared?” Usually, the louder someone is, the more they’re hiding.
“Good, then.” Dorothea scoffed. “Did you know your precious Albert sent me an invitation p>
“Don’t worry. My husband and I will be there right on time p>
With that, Dorothea slid into her car and started to close the door. Carola nearly got her hand caught, yanking it back at the last second.
Carola had no idea Albert had sent Dorothea an invitation. And now Dorothea wanted to bring Latham to her wedding, just to embarrass her in front of everyone? No way. Not happening. Her eyes narrowed with determination. She was definitely going to find a way to keep Dorothea away from her wedding.
Albert heard that Latham had invited Jared to his wedding at the end of next month. Wanting to be thorough, Albert went back to his old school with a stack of invitations in hand.
“Jared, my wedding is this Saturday. I’m inviting all the teachers from our year. I hope you can all make it p>
“Just bring yourselves. We’re not accepting any gifts,” he added.
The history teacher overheard from the next desk and grinned. “Sounds great. It’ll be fun to see. I’ll make sure to be there p>
Jared gave a small smile. “That’s thoughtful. I should be free on Saturday p>
“Jared, I heard Latham invited you too p>
Jared paused, then laughed. “Are you two friends now? That’s new. Back in the day, neither of you would back down from the other p>
“He hasn’t given me an invitation yet, but I already said yes when he asked p>
Albert hesitated. “And his wife p>
Before he could finish, a director called from the doorway. “Jared, the principal wants to see you p>
Jared pushed up his glasses,
half-smiling. “Laird is probably going to bug me about coming back to teachragein. Sorry, Albert, thaye to run, but I’ll definitely be there
Saturday p>
Albert swallowed the rest of his question and smiled. “Go ahead. I’m good p>
He almost laughed at himself.
Maybe he was just overthinking
everything. He’d announced his own
wedding ages ago, but Dorothea
hadn’t come looking for him even once. Did she really not care at all? The disappointment stung more than he wanted to admit.
“Edwin, Doran, I’m heading out. You two carry on p>
“Alright. Congrats, again p>
Dorothea paused as she saw the unfamiliar face in her office, then remembered her assistant had quit.
“You must be Edmond p>
“Hello, Dorothea p>
Dorothea wasn’t usually comfortable with male assistants, but Nash had shown her Edmond’s resume. He’d graduated from a top school and had three years of experience in the field. He’d left his last job to care for his sick mother back home, staying with her for half a year. From what she could see, his character, education, and skills all checked out.
“In the future, just let the cleaning staff handle chores like that,” she said.
Dorothea liked clear boundaries. These days, she kept her distance from every man but Latham, even if it was just her assistant.
“Sure, Dorothea. I’ll head out now p>
At least he seemed to get it.
There was a three-month probation period anyway. Dorothea had already told Nash that if she didn’t feel comfortable with Edmond, she’d find someone else.