The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 439

By the time Rebecca and Dylan arrived in Nion, dusk was already settling over the small city.

Their driver pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel. Dylan glanced at her and said, “Let’s rest here tonight. We’ll meet our partners in the morning.”

Rebecca had no objections. She was used to following Dylan’s lead on business trips.

But as she looked up and caught sight of the hotel’s illuminated sign, she felt a faint tension in her chest.

LuxAura Hotel.

She recognized the name instantly. This was the very place where, years ago, Katherine Foster had set her up, and, helpless and cornered, she’d spent a night with a stranger. The memories, long buried, flooded back in a rush, leaving her unsettled.

Still, it made sense. Nion wasn’t like Wye; it was just a small city, and LuxAura was the most upscale hotel in town. That’s probably why Dylan had chosen it.

Unbeknownst to her, Dylan’s reaction was much the same. His expression tightened as he saw the hotel name, a wave of humiliation washing over him.

He hadn’t booked this place himself—the entire trip had been arranged ahead of time by Director Porter. For a moment, he considered telling the driver to find another hotel, but quickly dismissed the thought. He had other matters to take care of during this trip.

Inside, the lobby’s luxurious décor and gentle hush offered a soothing contrast to both their turbulent thoughts.

Rebecca walked to the front desk to check in. She received two keycards—two rooms, one for each of them. She handed Dylan his card without a word.

In the elevator, silence hung between them. Dylan rarely spoke unless necessary, and Rebecca had no desire to break the quiet.

When the doors slid open on their floor, they each headed to their separate rooms. Rebecca still had tomorrow’s preparations to finish, so she ordered room service for dinner and worked late into the evening.

Later, as she reviewed the contract, her gaze lingered on the name of the other party. For a moment, she stared blankly, lost in thought.

Nion had a handful of construction firms, but the largest by far was Dynamic Buildings.

She shook her head quickly. “No, just reading up on Dynamic Buildings, that’s all.”

Even though she knew these PR photos were mostly for show, she had to admit—they’d put a lot of effort into their image.

Dylan didn’t press further. “Let’s go,” he said, nodding for her to follow.

Dynamic Buildings had pulled out all the stops for Dylan’s visit. Both the company’s chairman, Sean Brown, and his wife, Gina, were there in person to welcome their guests—a rare gesture in Nion.

The Browns were, without question, the wealthiest family in Nion. But Nion was a small city, and in comparison, the Austin family—Dylan’s family—was the undisputed elite of Wye. Next to them, the Browns were mere small-timers. Most years, the Brown family owed their prosperity to scraps from the Austin Group’s table. In truth, they were little more than glorified subcontractors.

It was only thanks to years of working closely with the Austins that the Browns had secured most of Nion’s major projects.

On the drive over, Sean Brown couldn’t stop reminding his son, “Alan, this is a rare chance I’ve managed to get for us. You need to make a good impression on Mr. Austin—if we land this project, it could open doors for us in Wye. For our family, this could be the start of something big.”