Chapter 855: The Difference Between Gratitude and Love
Hannah stood at the company entrance, looking a bit lost.
Across the street, a Bentley rolled down its window, and there was Austin, waving like a madman. "Hannah, over here! I'm right here!"
Even from a distance, she could spot him easily. Seeing Austin's big grin made her guilt hit harder.
After a quick pause, she shot Austin a text: [Forgot something, hang tight for a sec, I'll be right down.]
She spun around and took the elevator straight to the top floor.
Wyatt was just wrapping up his day, ready to head home, when he saw Hannah rushing over, looking all flustered.
"Hannah, you still here?" Wyatt asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hannah took a deep breath, thinking hard before blurting out, "Wyatt, Stella just texted me. Mr. Watson's got a fever again! Can you check on him? He's got no one else."
Wyatt's eyes flickered, catching on to Stella's game.
"Me? No can do tonight. If Stella's asking you, you should go," Wyatt said, shrugging.
Hannah's guilt was already eating at her. After what went down with Charles today, she felt even worse about Austin. He was waiting for her downstairs; she couldn't just ditch him.
"My boyfriend's waiting for me at the entrance. I can't," Hannah explained, looking desperate.
Wyatt's eyes went wide. "Boyfriend? You got a boyfriend?"
Hannah nodded, "Yeah! He's my fiancé. We've been engaged for ages."
Wyatt went quiet. Hannah had a boyfriend? Trying to set her up with Charles seemed way off. Didn't Stella know she was engaged?
"Got it. Well, you go ahead. I'll handle Mr. Watson," Wyatt said, finally.
Hannah let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks, Wyatt!"
"No problem! Been with the boss long enough, it's my job to look after him," Wyatt replied.
Hannah, still worried, asked, "Wyatt, you know the code to Mr. Watson's place?"
Wyatt nodded, "Yeah, he gave it to me for work stuff."
Knowing Charles was in good hands, Hannah felt a bit better. "Alright, I'm heading out then!"
"I'll come down with you. I need to leave too," Wyatt said.
"Okay!" Hannah agreed, and they took the CEO's private elevator together.
Wyatt chose this elevator on purpose, wanting to chat.
They stood side by side, Wyatt sneaking glances at her reflection in the elevator wall.
"Hannah, things good with your fiancé?" Wyatt asked, not looking directly at her.
Hannah was about to nod but then hesitated, remembering something.
She used to be sure it was solid.
But now, she wasn't so sure.
"It's okay. We've known each other forever. He's been great to me, helped me a ton. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today," Hannah replied.
Before Charles, Austin was the best thing in her life. Without him, her dad would've been gone, and she wouldn't have finished school. That's why she said yes to his proposal.
Wyatt saw her hesitation and got the hint but played it cool, "A lot of folks mix up love and gratitude, thinking they're the same thing."
Hannah blinked, confused, and shot him a surprised look.
"Hey, no biggie, just something I noticed," Wyatt said, dropping the subject.
Hannah was still puzzled.
Wyatt chuckled, "I had this buddy once. He liked a girl who lost her parents in a car crash. He stuck by her through the whole ordeal, the funeral, everything."
Hannah frowned a bit, "And then?"
Wyatt went on, "They got hitched!"
Hannah sighed, "That's sweet! They ended up together!"
Wyatt shook his head, "Yeah, we thought so too. But they split up later.
My buddy told me his wife only felt gratitude, not love.
She couldn't tell the difference back then, so she married him.
For the first couple of years, they were tight. But then she met another guy and fell for him.
In the end, she left my buddy for that guy. It was only after meeting him that she realized what love really was."
Hannah went quiet. Do people really mix up gratitude with love?
Just then, the elevator doors slid open.
Wyatt didn't push it, gave her shoulder a light pat, and smiled, "Don't sweat it. Not everyone is like his ex, mixing up gratitude and love."
He added, "We're on the first floor, Hannah. You go on ahead! I'm heading to the underground parking."
Hannah suddenly remembered Austin waiting outside, nodded, and dashed out.
Wyatt stayed in the elevator, watching her leave until the doors closed, then slowly looked away.
Austin's car was still parked across the street.
Hannah got in, looking a bit out of it.
Austin gave her a long look, not bringing up the photos he saw that morning, still smiling gently.
"Where do you wanna eat?" Austin asked.
Hannah, still lost in thought, mumbled, "Anywhere."
Austin started the car, "No special requests? How about your favorite Mexican spot?"
Hannah, still mulling over Wyatt's words, nodded absentmindedly.
Seeing her so distracted, Austin narrowed his eyes.
Though he was annoyed, he kept his cool, "After dinner, let's catch a movie! There's a new romance flick with great reviews. We haven't been to the movies in ages."
Hannah just nodded, not really responding.
Austin was puzzled. Something was definitely up. Hannah was never like this. She was usually straightforward, rarely overthinking stuff. Something must've happened today. And he had a sinking feeling it had to do with him. What was it? Could it be Charles again?
Austin's face darkened, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. The veins on his hand bulged, looking like they might burst.
Charles. He had to make sure Charles was out of the picture.
Only a dead man wouldn't be a threat for Hannah's heart.
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