Chapter 96
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Eleanor’s heart did a little flip at Tyler’s words, and her imagination immediately ran wild, thinking, ‘No matter how desperate one is, one can’t do something like that here, right? I don’t even have a change of clothes–what if they get dirty?”
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Watching Eleanor frown and look all troubled, Tyler could tell exactly what she was thinking—and it was definitely not what he meant.
“N–no, it’s nothing.” Eleanor glanced at Tyler. “Are you sure you want to do this here? The whole setup in this place is basically working against us. That can’t feel good.”
Tyler tapped her forehead. “What kind of wild thoughts are you having?”
Eleanor looked a little innocent. “Wasn’t that exactly what you were hinting at just now?”
Tyler couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what you thought I meant? I was talking about how rushed that kiss was. It didn’t feel sincere at all.”
“Huh?”
Tyler leaned in, gently lifted her chin, and whispered, “Let me show you how it’s done. Pay attention.”
Eleanor felt his cool lips press against hers. This time, Tyler didn’t stop at a quick peck–he kissed her deeply, only letting go when she was nearly out of breath. “No experience, huh?”
Eleanor’s cheeks flushed bright red. She shot Tyler a glare, a little annoyed. “Don’t make fun of me. You should be happy I’m inexperienced.”
“It’s fine. Practice makes perfect.”
Eleanor turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
“Are you mad?” Tyler teased. “If you’re not convinced, you can always take the lead, you know.”
Eleanor crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not talking to you.”
Harborview used to be an energy city, but as resources ran out in recent years and the risk of ground subsidence grew, the local government shut down a lot of mines, which really hit the local economy.
To turn things around, they started focusing on cultural tourism. Mount Seraphina, famous as the birthplace of apple pie, became one of their main attractions.
Restoring Hanworth Manor took a lot of money, and it was Tyler who stepped in to solve that problem. Word is, out of all the companies bidding at the time, Tyler won the contract with the lowest price.
Not only did he finish the project on schedule, but the quality was top–notch too. Holding the wedding here now was also a great way to promote the place.
Outside Hanworth Manor, a red carpet ran down the stone steps. Flower arrangements lined both sides of the railings, bursting with color. The front of the building was dressed in white draping–understated, but done with taste.
The staff members on site were extra polite when they saw Tyler. After Tyler spoke to one of them, the member’s face lit up in surprise, and he looked at Eleanor with shining eyes–though that excitement quickly turned into a look of hesitation.
Tyler said a few more words, and only then did the staff member finally look relieved. He nodded and hurried off.
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“What were you guys talking about?” Eleanor stepped forward and asked.
“They’re planning to open a cultural shop here. Since you already have a store on St. Spring, I thought, why not open a
branch here too?
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“The only thing is, there hasn’t been much promotion and foot traffic is pretty low, so there’s no guarantee we’ll break even.
“But one can’t just focus on short–term profits. I’ll handle the upfront investment–if it makes money, it’s all yours. If it loses money, I’ll cover it,” said Tyler.
Eleanor understood. “I’ve signed a few embroiderers, but Silverridge and here are totally different–the culture, the economy, everything. Tyler, you’re not exactly strapped for cash, so why take this gamble?”
Tyler just smiled. “Money alone isn’t enough. This is an opportunity. For some city projects, if one doesn’t have the right connections, one can’t even get their foot in the door.
“The Langford family used to be all about chemicals and construction, but now that market’s in a slump. Shifting to public works and community projects is the best way forward.”
Eleanor thought about it–Tyler really had taken on a lot of city projects these past few years. Chris, on the other hand, always looked down on it, saying Tyler was letting go of the Langford family’s traditional strengths.
“Some things are better left unsaid,” Tyler said. “As long as you get what I mean.”
“Yeah.” Eleanor nodded. “Got it. I’ll design a few pieces that fit the local vibe. To help you save on costs, I’ll do the embroidery myself for the first batch. If they turn out well, I’ll have my team handle the rest.”
Tyler shook his head. “That’s going to be a lot of work for you.”
“It’s really not,” Eleanor said. “I actually love doing this stuff. I’ll make a few samples and see how it goes.
“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just sell them on my livestream–unless you mind me putting myself out there. I’m pretty good at selling online; who knows, maybe I’ll even find you a big investor.”
“Yeah, like Angust,” Tyler said, sounding a little jealous.
Eleanor laughed. “What are you talking about? Angust just likes my streaming style, that’s why he came over. If we had more people like him, wouldn’t that be great?
“Doesn’t matter who’s buying–long as they’re paying, I’m not picky. Of course, selling online comes with some risk of returns. When that happens, I just block those buyers from future orders.”
Tyler ruffled Eleanor’s hair. “No need to rush. The folks here have already reported up the chain. All we have to do is wait.”
“Alright.” Eleanor looked at Tyler. No one really knew how much effort he’d poured in to get where he was–people just saw the success and envied the spotlight.
Tyler noticed the hint of sympathy in her eyes and had no idea what she was thinking. “Politicians aren’t as hard to deal with as everyone makes them out to be,” he said.
“Tyler, everyone says you have all these connections–even your own family says so–but honestly, they don’t get it,” Eleanor said. “Suddenly, I just feel like it’s been really tough for you.”
Tyler let out a quiet laugh. “It’s not that bad. Compared to some people, we’re doing pretty well.
“There are so many folks at the company–if we don’t have projects, they could lose their jobs. Some of them are really good people. I don’t want to lose them.”
Eleanor nodded. “The economy’s been terrible this year, for some reason. The Monroe family used to focus
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markets, but they’ve lost a lot too. The Wellers must’ve offered a really sweet deal for the Monroes to agree to the marriage”
Eleanor thought about how Vera had always put her family’s interests first. She was the only daughter, and she’d worked so hard to prove that women could run a company just as well as anyone else. She’d really accomplished a lot.
But with this global economic downturn, even she could barely keep things afloat. If the Wellers offered to inject some cash right now, of course Vera would agree to the marriage.
Seeing Eleanor looking so down, Tyler gently took her hand. “No matter how close you are, don’t get involved in her choices.”
“I know,” Eleanor replied.
She got a call from Gracie at home. “Miss, something’s wrong. I don’t know what Mr. Chris Langford said to Mrs. Donovan, but she just fainted.”
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