Chapter 1367:
Linsey blinked at him, caught off guard, half-thinking it had to be a joke.
Puzzled and curious, she found herself asking him for the real reason.
As if he had already predicted the question, Gorman replied smoothly, “I’ve been planning to expand my company overseas, and Grester happens to be on the list. Its economy makes it a prime location.”
It was a convenient excuse—one he knew she wouldn’t try to dispute.
With nothing left to argue, Linsey gave a small nod.
“Alright then,” she replied in agreement.
A faint smile curved Gorman’s lips as he shifted the conversation toward their relationship once more.
“Linsey, once we get there, do you think we can keep up the act of being a couple?”
Her eyes widened slightly at the question. “But isn’t your family mostly based—”
Without missing a beat, Gorman offered an explanation, his tone steady. “My mother’s from Grester, and she goes back there for vacations now and then. I’m worried she might want to meet you someday.”
A short pause followed before he said, wearing an apologetic expression, “But if that’s inconvenient for you, it’s fine. Don’t feel pressured.”
From the very first time they met, Linsey had noticed the consistent gentleness in him and the way he treated her with respect.
It was hard to turn down someone who carried himself with that much grace.
“Sure, I can pretend. It’s not a problem,” she agreed without hesitation.
His smile lit up, warm and easy. “Linsey, you’re amazing. Thank you.” The praise made her cheeks warm, and she quickly waved it off. “It’s nothing, really. Hardly worth mentioning.”
As she thought it over, she realized that playing the role of Gorman’s girlfriend would be just as useful for her as it was for him.
Being an orphan meant she had no family breathing down her neck about marriage.
But her looks had brought her more trouble than she wanted at work.
Some mid-level supervisors saw her youth, beauty, and soft nature as an invitation—cracking crude jokes or dangling promotions to push her into sleeping with them.
The worst were the drunken male executives who would take liberties and touch her.
She had to find a way to escape that kind of harassment, though it had cost her dearly. She had been fired out of spite, which eventually pushed her to leave the country for a while.
It occurred to her now that with Gorman’s high status and his position as CEO of Green Group, having him as a public boyfriend—at least in name—would ensure no man in her professional circle would dare cross the line again.
Once he and Linsey reached an agreement, Gorman immediately set things in motion for their trip back home. Before long, they arrived in Grester.
The moment Linsey stepped off the plane, she headed straight for the hospital. Gorman had planned to go with her to see her friend, but right before they entered the building, his assistant called about a problem with a branch office project. He had no choice but to leave for the matter immediately.
They parted ways at the hospital entrance, and Linsey took the elevator to the floor where Dolores was staying.
Her worry over her friend’s condition made her step out quickly the moment the elevator doors opened.
