Chapter 5:

"That's true. If I try to apply to a different department now, it would probably be more complicated than just getting approval from human resources." Everyone had already assumed that she belonged to Ethan.

Lena's beautiful face instantly fell, wrinkles of worry appearing on her forehead.

"What should I do?"

The thought of Ethan investigating the woman he had spent the night with made her feel like she was walking on a tightrope. He was like a blinding ray of light, making her unable to look directly at him.Aria gave her some advice, "No matter what, just act as if nothing happened."

"But I'm afraid..."

Lena broke down into tears.

The thought of Ethan's ruthless, cold-blooded demeanor sent chills down her spine.

If he knew the truth, she might be choked to death alive.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Look at you, being so pathetic. I don't understand how Mr. Walker could be attracted to you..."

She snorted haughtily. "Buck up! Any woman under my wing shall never admit defeat! The main point is, you can't get me into trouble!"

Lena was speechless.

After much consideration, the only solution was for Lena to grit her teeth and persevere, even if it meant forcing herself to the breaking point.

Tears rolled down Lena's cheeks like pearls off a broken string. She was not a weak person, but Ethan was indeed terrifying. She had once witnessed him dislocate the hand of a man who had offended him..."Good girl, be strong! Can you hold on for a while longer?" Aria could not bear to watch her like this. Her tone softened as she coaxed her.Lena only cried harder, her shoulders trembling violently.

Aria had no choice but to pull out her ultimate weapon—taking Lena out for lots of delicious food, which eventually calmed her down.

She persuaded her to go to work as usual the next day.

Morning came.

The elevator was packed.

Lena had waited for several rounds but could not manage to squeeze in.

She glanced at the time. She was going to be late!

Recalling Ethan's habit of arriving half an hour early every day, she felt a surge of panic.

Clenching her teeth, she decided to take the executive elevator.

The elevator was currently ascending from the basement.

With a ring, Lena quickly moved toward the elevator.

As she lifted her head and made eye contact with the person inside the elevator, she instinctively took a step back.

"H-hello, Mr. Walker..." she greeted tentatively.

What rotten luck!

She resolved to consult the daily horoscope predictions before leaving her house in the future.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Ethan shot her a cold glance, completely indifferent to her possible entrapment by the closing doors.

Fortunately, Marcus stepped forward to hold the elevator door.

"Miss Hayes, please hurry in!" He knew well that Lena was fearful of Ethan. But considering she had been around him for a considerable amount of time, why did she still react as if she was before the king of hell?The reason why Ethan would keep such a lily-livered assistant by his side was beyond comprehension. Was it because someone as shy as her would never think about fawning over him? Marcus thought this was quite possible.

Stiffly, Lena backed away, stammering, "I, uh, I think I dropped something. I think I'll take the employee's elevator instead!"

"When I tell you to come in, you come in. Stop dragging your feet." Ethan's deep voice reached her.Lena was at a loss for words.

The boss had spoken; she dared not contradict. Stiffly, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the "close" button.

The confined space, the heavy breathing.

Lena stood by Ethan's side, her back against the elevator, trying hard to make herself invisible.

Ethan looked at her, frowning.

"Go get the finance reports."

"Right away!"

Lena, as if triggered by something, quickly reached to press the button for the finance department floor.

Her hand reached around Ethan's waist. Where no one could see, his brows were slightly furrowed.

With a ding, they arrived at the finance department floor.

Lena dashed out swiftly as if fleeing, her silhouette resembling a frightened bunny.

......

Both Ethan and Marcus did not know what to make of that.

The elevator doors closed again, and the entire space was filled with a heavy tension.

Marcus glanced at Ethan's face, unsure why he was angry again. All he could think of was how Miss Hayes had slipped away earlier and that she must have been good in physical education during her school years.

...

Outside the finance office.

Lena stood patting her chest, taking a while to catch her breath.

One should never count on luck.

If she hadn't decided to take the CEO's elevator this day, hoping to be lucky, how could she have bumped into Ethan?

Never would she do it again.

Picking up the financial reports, she took the elevator to the CEO's office. But just as her panicking heart had begun to calm, it began racing again.

Just as she was about to knock on the door, Marcus stopped her:

"Miss Hayes, there are a few questions I would like to ask you."

"But Mr. Walker asked me to—"

"No rush, the CEO is in a meeting now."

In the end, Lena followed Marcus into the Special Assistant's office. Marcus said,

"Close the door."

As Lena shut the door behind her, Marcus made a gesture inviting her to sit.

The softness of the couch felt like invisible shackles, making her feel uneasy.

An ominous feeling started to rise in her heart. "Mr. Hale, is there something I can help you with?" Marcus gave a small nod without responding. He then lit up a cigarette, exuding an unusual chill and depth.

His every move spoke of a sense of nobility that reminded Lena of the first time she'd met Marcus; he looked nothing like a worker, an employee.

Instead, it was as if he was a rich scion, experiencing life with Ethan.

A natural feeling of nobility.

Marcus exhaled the smoke and interrogated her. "That night at the Hilton Hotel—I heard from Mr. Walker that you've checked the surveillance?"Lena was caught off guard.

She dropped the file folder in her hand. Papers scattered all over the floor.

Her heart, already somewhat apprehensive, was beating wildly.

She bent down hastily to pick them up.

Seeing her reaction, Marcus slightly furrowed his eyebrows.

While picking up the papers, Lena had the chance to calm her emotions. She courageously met Marcus's eyes and answered him, "Yes, Mr. Walker did ask me to investigate, so I checked the surveillance."

"Did you really not see anyone enter his room?"

"Nope!" Lena said firmly.

But she couldn't see how pale her face had become at that moment.

Marcus slightly squinted his eyes, his gaze becoming sharp, as if wanting to see right through her.

With him looking at her like that, Lena's heart pounded even harder.

She had to constantly remind herself: stay calm. For her own sake, for Aria, she could not panic...

"The hallway and elevator surveillance cameras have been checked, no one was seen entering." Her response this time was even more firm.

"Is that it?" Marcus spoke with an enigmatic inflection, drew his gaze back, flicked off the ashes from his cigarette, and said,

"That's strange, because someone must have been inside Mr. Walker's room."

Lena caught her breath.Her face turned deathly pale.

She wished she could just burrow into the ground to escape the scene, but then she heard Marcus ask: "After watching the surveillance footage, what else did you do?"

"Nothing. Since I didn't get anything from the footage, I just went back."

Marcus's gaze became sharply penetrating.

Feeling his intense gaze on her, Lena became even more guilty.

Because, after she and Aria watched the footage, they had...

destroyed it.Aria had even bribed the security guard in the surveillance room to keep quiet.

With one million dollars. Money talks, but...

Whether the security guard would betray them was beyond her.

Would he give in to a better offer?

Lena tried to read Marcus's face, but those eyes of his were too deep, almost indistinguishable from Ethan's.

"Did Mr. Walker give you the pendant that was left in the room? Where is it now?" Marcus looked at her.