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1 know her. We were roommates,” Chloe said, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. “When Nicolai was pursuing me, I was still
hesitating. She saw her chance and just confessed her feelings to him.”
“I told her it wasn’t right, and she slapped me. I don’t know what she said to Nicolai, but that same day, he blocked me for no reas-
on…”
As she spoke, she started to shake, gritting her teeth, a deep–seated hatred flaring in her eyes.
Everyone else in the elevator was listening intently. The air was frozen. No one dared to speak, but their eyes were wide with sho-
- ck.
I heard Clara swallow hard, her breathing shallow.
I stood in the corner, my fingers twitching. Honestly, I really wanted to slap her again.
But reason prevailed. If I laid a hand on her, the news would explode. It would give Payne Industries‘ competitors an opening, a spark that could easily turn into a wildfire, affecting Nicolai and even the company’s stock price.
“Chloe, since you know Mr. Payne, could you take this meeting file up to the executive secretary’s office for me?” one of the collea- gues asked, handing her a folder. “You’re so beautiful. If Mr. Payne sees you, he won’t be able to look away,” she added with a sugg-
estive wink.
Chloe hesitated for a moment, then a perfectly calibrated smile touched her lips. She was wearing a white dress, her makeup was
soft, her hair was styled in a romantic half–updo, and the butterfly clip made her look especially gentle. “Alright, then,” she said soft-
- ly. “I wonder if he… still remembers me.”
She looked a little nervous, but there was an underlying confidence, a sense of premeditation.
I didn’t move.
Clara glanced at me, at
dark sunglasses, and then silently edged away, holding her breath.
“Of course he remembers! You’re basically his white moonlight. How could he forget?”
“But honestly, I can’t even imagine what
I’d think I did something terribly wrong
Payne is like in private. I feel like if he even looked at me, my knees would go weak and
Chloe chuckled, her tone calm and tinged with a hint of intimacy. “He’s actually a very good person. Very chivalrous. You’ll see once
you get to know him.”
Clara, standing next to me, looked like sh
was
about to roll her eyes into the back of her head.
I stood silently, saying nothing.
But I did notice something interesting in her words. She had been transferred to headquarters for a while now, but she still hadn’t
had a chance to even see Nicolai.
