Chapter 36 At this thought , Carter stepped forward . From six feet away , he called out , " Rhea . " Every head in the room turned . Carter's gaze met George's calm , smiling eyes . In that instant , a sharp sense of wariness and hostility only men understood surged in his chest . Louie was the first to speak . " Mr. Jamison , what a coincidence . " - It was hardly a coincidence . Every time Jamison Group set its sights on a project , Louie always found a way to get involved . Still , Carter wondered why Rhea was with Louie . Suddenly , he remembered her saying something about starting a job . Did she join Scott Group ? That thought sent a wave of anger crashing over him . He stormed up and grabbed Rhea's arm , pulling her aside . A man behind George whispered , " Mr. Snider , should I ... " George simply shook his head . By the side entrance of the venue , Carter's gaze was cold and sharp as he demanded , " You really went back to work ? And of all places , you picked Louie's company just to spite me ? " He hadn't expected Rhea to completely ignore him . But the woman in front of him now didn't look like a housewife . Her gaze was fierce , and her makeup was striking in a way Carter had never seen before . It was refined yet bold . Rhea raised a brow . " Why do you always think everything I do is to spite you ? " Just then , Lauren stepped in . " If it's not to spite him , then why are you doing this ? Rhea , you should think about Carter . Scott Group has always been Jamison Group's biggest rival , and now you're- " Rhea shot her a pointed look and interrupted coldly , " Are you the one who wants to talk to me , or is it the two of you ? " She never bothered to go head - to - head with Lauren . She didn't think it was worth it , and it served no purpose . Carter fell silent . After a beat , he said , " Lauren , give us a moment . " Lauren was surprised . She hadn't expected Carter to listen to Rhea . But she swallowed her frustration and said , " Okay . " Once Lauren had walked away , Carter started , " Work isn't a game . Do you even have the qualifications for the job ? What's the point of working now , anyway ? " It wasn't like he ever made her feel like she was short on money . Her going back to work was one thing , but what bothered him most was that she had actually joined forces with his rival . 1/2 Chapter 36 +25 BONUS It was no wonder Louie had acted smug that day at the hospital . Rhea had embarrassed him . " Oh , having a job is important . " Rhea smiled . " In this world , the first thing people ask you is what you do . That tells them how much respect you deserve and how much they can rely on you . For years , I didn't have a job , so people just assumed I was nothing more than a babysitter . " Her words quietly struck a nerve in Carter . But what he noticed even more was how much Rhea had changed . The way she spoke and carried herself felt different , like she had become a completely new person . This version of her was unfamiliar , yet oddly captivating . Rhea had never been part of this industry or circle , so how was she navigating it so effortlessly ? It was almost as if she were a seasoned professional . Carter wondered about what she was hiding . Did she perhaps have a past he didn't know about ? " The conference is about to start . I should get going . " Rhea turned on her heel . Carter just stared at her as she walked straight back to Louie's side . Then , she leaned in and spoke to George before leaving . She was clearly close to George . Carter was certain of that now . However , he didn't think it was possible . After all , how could she know George ? For a moment , Carter couldn't help but wonder if Rhea had been hiding something about who she really was . " Carter ? " Lauren walked up to him . " We should head in now . Maybe you can talk to Rhea later . " This wasn't the right time or place to press her for answers anyway . One by one , representatives from various companies began taking their seats .