Page 102 of Matchmaking the Rival

“Meredith is a brilliant woman and a damn good person. I won't allow you any disrespect toward her or me.”

He scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. Get off your high horse. You’re probably not even serious about her."

I didn't think I could dislike this Alfred guy even more. I'd wasted enough time with him. I had to find Meredith.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Cade

Unfortunately, I didn'tget the chance to find my woman because Harley, the committee head, walked up onstage and spoke into the microphone. "Welcome, everyone. Please take a seat at your respective tables. We’re going to announce the winners soon."

I looked at my table and noticed that half my team was already here. Meredith was still not at her table. I called her again as I walked to my seat, but she didn't pick up. Damn it, I wanted to talk to her. She needed to know I would fix this, that I’d never let anything happen to her.

As I sat down, John addressed me. "Sorry we're late, boss. There was a long line at drop-off, and the cab refused to let us get out until we reached the entrance."

Harley walked onstage again.

"Okay, I think everyone's here. We had a few mishaps at the drop-off line. We’re sorry for that. We didn't account for everyone arriving at the same time. I'm happy we've all gathered here together. It's been a couple of interesting months. My colleagues and I had a hard time evaluating all your product lines. That’s a compliment to all of you for having such quality blends. Even those of you tonight who aren’t finalists should be proud of your products."

I personally considered it cruel to invite companies that were already disqualified, but it worked for me. It meant I could share tonight with Meredith. I was getting impatient; I wanted Harley to announce the winner and be done with it.

I couldn't believe it. I'd looked forward to this evening ever since the competition was announced, but now I was ready for it to be over.

I finally caught sight of Meredith as she sat down next to Sonya. She was so far across the room that I couldn't see her properly, but I managed to catch her attention. I held up my phone. She shook her head. I knew she was trying to be professional, and I was tempting her. I was going to catch up with her as soon as possible. But simply seeing her helped my mood. My pulse slowed. I could finally focus on the presenter.

"All right. As you know, we have only one award, but we'll do the honorable mentions first. Now I'll get to it right away. I've kept you all in suspense for long enough." Yes, she fucking had. “For honorable mentions, we have the following...”

She called the names of the other businesses and competitors. I was so fucking happy that Alfred's company hadn't even made that. He was among the finalists, so in theory, he could still win. But I knew in my gut, he wouldn't. His products weren't top-notch. I was honestly surprised he'd made it this far in the competition. I kept my eyes locked on the stage.

We had to win. For my grandparents and for my family’s legacy.

"And the winner is... Whitley Industries with The Boston Coffee Expert. A round of applause, please. I would like to welcome Cade Whitley to the stage to say a couple words."

Fuck yes.I looked around at my team, congratulating them.

"Well done, everyone." I stood up. "Well done." They all clapped, smiling.

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