Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 386: Meeting Again

Chapter 386: Meeting Again

It felt as if thousands of arrows had pierced his heart; the image of Brianna Baker resurfaced in his mind. Sitting on a single-seater sofa next to Damien Sterling, his hands nervously tangled in his golden hair, his heart was weeping, bleeding. Ryan Garcia knew he was prone to impulsiveness, but what could he do now that it had already happened?

The air in the office was cold and heavy, suddenly disrupted by the abrupt sound of the door opening. "What’s going on with you two?" Emma Hart walked in, holding a thermos lunchbox and wearing the new clothes she bought yesterday while shopping with Amelia Davidson.

"What are you doing here?" Damien Sterling frowned and questioned Emma Hart. He was in the middle of lecturing Ryan Garcia, and this woman really didn’t know how to pick the right time to show up.

"I was worried you wouldn’t have a proper lunch again, so I asked Mrs. Harris to make some food and brought it for you," Emma Hart said, placing the love-filled thermos on the table.

That morning, she had instructed Mrs. Harris to prepare some of Damien Sterling’s favorite dishes. After her morning training session ended, she rushed over, having only eaten two boiled eggs and some mixed fruit juice in the car.

"Thanks. Have you eaten?" Damien Sterling asked.

"Yes, I have." Emma Hart replied while opening the thermos and setting out the neatly arranged dishes. The aroma of the food quickly filled the room.

Ryan Garcia’s stomach growled at the smell; he realized he hadn’t eaten anything besides coffee today.

"Alright, come and have some too," Damien Sterling said to Ryan Garcia as he sat down.

"But..." Ryan Garcia felt it might be inappropriate.

"It’s fine, there’s plenty of food. I’ll go get some disposable cups and utensils from the pantry," Emma Hart said, hurrying toward the office door.

"Let the secretary get them!" Damien Sterling called after her.

"Okay, that’s fine." Since Damien Sterling had said so, Emma Hart was happy to comply. She didn’t want to encounter those insincere faces in the pantry anyway.

Back on the office sofa, Emma Hart noticed both Damien Sterling and Ryan Garcia had contorted expressions, seemingly in bad moods. She asked, "What happened before I came in?"

The two men were like puppets, motionless. After a moment, Damien Sterling suppressed his rage and told Emma Hart about Ryan Garcia’s purchase of the café downstairs.

Emma Hart’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Ryan Garcia.

This Ryan Garcia really had a spoiled brat attitude; how had she not noticed before?

"I already bought it, what can I do now!" Ryan Garcia’s face was dark with frustration.

"And you still have the nerve to speak so loudly!" Damien Sterling reprimanded.

"Alright, alright, enough. What’s done is done. Instead of yelling at him, let’s think of a way to solve this together," Emma Hart intervened, trying to mediate. She continued, "Ryan, have you considered managing the café well?"

Emma Hart frequented that café and could tell it was doing quite well, popular with good service, and the coffee, snacks, and meals were all excellent.

Ryan Garcia just happened to acquire this café—could it be fate’s way of making this idle young master finally start taking responsibility?

Damien Sterling began to ponder Emma Hart’s words, his gaze fixed on a point ahead, occasionally glancing at Ryan Garcia.

Slowly, he spoke, "Well, maybe you shouldn’t think about avoiding this. Sooner or later, you’ll have to fend for yourself. This café is a good place to start; manage it well."

Damien Sterling made the decision for Ryan Garcia. "What?" Ryan Garcia exclaimed.

"Yeah, what’s the surprise? I heard you’ve been lounging around there a lot lately. If you like it so much, why not manage it properly? That way, Auntie’s spirit can rest easy too..." Damien Sterling’s tone was earnest and heartfelt.

Emma Hart couldn’t help but secretly admire Damien Sterling’s demeanor; he truly had the air of a responsible older brother. With Damien Sterling and Emma Hart’s verdict, it was decided that Ryan Garcia would manage the café properly.

"Mr. Sterling, Mr. Taylor from the Taylor Group is downstairs," the long-legged secretary announced as she placed the utensils she had fetched from the pantry on the table.

"Alright, send him up!" Damien Sterling replied, then instructed Emma Hart to pack the food back into the thermos and quickly opened the windows to air out the room.

Ryan Garcia’s stomach still growled, and he sighed inwardly.

Upon hearing that Matthew Taylor had arrived, Emma Hart felt a strong urge to escape. She hadn’t told Damien Sterling about her afternoon tea chat with Matthew Taylor last time. What if Matthew Taylor accidentally mentioned it?

Ryan Garcia noticed Emma Hart’s nervousness and found it unusual. He suggested, "Brother, since you’re discussing business, it’s pointless for me to stay here. I’ll go check out the café."

"Alright, go ahead," Damien Sterling agreed.

Ryan Garcia walked towards the door, signaling to Emma Hart to leave as well. Mimicking him, Emma Hart mentioned she needed to prepare for her afternoon practice and followed him out.

As soon as they exited the office, Emma Hart relaxed, walking towards the elevator with Ryan Garcia. The long-legged secretary stood up to see them off.

Unexpectedly, as they reached the elevator, they ran into Matthew Taylor.

"Emma? We meet again, and this is?" Matthew Taylor greeted Emma Hart warmly but looked questioningly at Ryan Garcia.

"This is—" Emma Hart began to introduce Ryan Garcia, but he interrupted her.

"Mr. Taylor, hello, I’m Ryan Garcia. Mr. Sterling is my brother." Ryan Garcia suddenly became very polite, his serious demeanor making the secretary feel uneasy.

"Hello, I’m Matthew Taylor," Matthew Taylor extended his hand to Ryan Garcia in greeting.

Emma Hart’s heart almost jumped out of her chest, her smile turning stiff.

"Mr. Taylor, Mr. Sterling is waiting for you inside," the long-legged secretary said respectfully.

"Alright," Matthew Taylor nodded at the secretary, then turned back to Ryan Garcia and Emma Hart, "Well then, Emma, Ryan, until next time."

After exchanging goodbyes, Emma Hart and Ryan Garcia took the elevator down.

"How are you getting back? Do you have a car?" Ryan Garcia asked nonchalantly in the elevator.