Chapter 6

The pendant?

That pendant was left to her by her grandmother, and Lena had always worn it around her neck.

From the moment Ethan gave her the pendant and told her to find the person, she had stowed it in her personal collection box and never taken it out again.

Lena’s palms were sweating profusely. "I thought a previous guest left it behind. I assumed it was unimportant, I don’t know where I put it."

Originally, she had wanted to lie and say she’d given it to the hotel reception. But, afraid that Marcus would call the reception, she decided to hedge.

Who knew that after hearing this, Marcus responded with, "We may have to trouble you to look for it, Miss Hayes. That thing is very important right now!"Lena’s breathing became irregular, and she dared not say she didn’t know.

It wasn’t clear if it was her imagination, but today Marcus’s seriousness in asking about the woman from that night seemed even more intense than Ethan’s.

In such a tense atmosphere, Lena had to nod reluctantly.When she left the office, her legs were trembling. She returned to her desk with a mind full of worries.

Regardless of whether it was the documents on the computer desktop or the paper files on her desk, she processed not a single word.

Her mind kept echoing with, "It’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out." From Marcus's attitude today, it was clear that Ethan would leave no stone unturned in finding the woman from that night.What should she do?

She picked up her phone and sent a message to Aria: "Aria. We're done for. I can feel it!"

Aria quickly replied: "Drop the ‘we.’ Don’t drag me down with you."

Through the phone screen, Lena could almost sense Aria's "Don't mess with me" expression. Before Lena could reply, she received a serious message from Aria: Remember, you had nothing to do with that night. Keep that firmly in mind. Also, delete our chat history.

Lena had to admit, Aria was thorough. After ending the conversation, Lena remained consumed by her worries until Ethan finished his meeting and came out. Only then did she snap out of her daze.

More accurately, she was scared into alertness.She stood up respectfully and said, "Mr. Walker, the report is on your desk."

Ethan cast a glance at her without a word. Just one glance made Lena lower her head, not daring to look up again. When Ethan saw that she was still so afraid of him, his face darkened as he strode toward the office.

The finance manager followed closely behind him. However, not even five minutes had passed before loud scolding could be heard from inside.

Lena felt a fleeting moment of sympathy for the manager.Two minutes later, the manager walked out. Lena quickly averted her gaze, pretending to be busy with her tasks.

Unexpectedly, the manager walked straight toward her and said, "Miss Hayes, Mr. Walker is asking for you."

"He is? Got it!"Lena straightened her back and headed toward the CEO's office.

Inside, papers were scattered across the floor, creating a tense atmosphere. Lena initiated the conversation. "Mr. Walker, you asked for me?""Did you meet Marcus?"Lena's heart skipped a beat!

Her arm veins tensed, bulging out.

Remembering how she had effortlessly tricked Marcus that day without a hint of guilt, she now felt like she was walking on thin ice. A chill ran up her spine. She swallowed before saying, "Yes, Mr. Hale did meet me."

"Alright, regarding the incident that happened that night, you will be investigating it with him from now on."Lena felt dumbfounded.

Investigate… herself? How could something more absurd than a suspense TV series happen to her? Was Ethan showing faith in her or forcing her to confess? She cautiously lifted her eyes to meet his cold, inscrutable gaze. She wanted to say, "Mr. Walker, this kind of joke isn’t funny."

But reason told her that Mr. Walker, being a man of dignity, had no time to joke around. Was it his way of saying, "Admit it before I force you to"?After that night, thinking the matter would soon pass, Lena hadn’t followed up for a whole month.

Now, it was coming back to haunt her. Whether she admitted or not, she’d lose either way.

Seeing her silence, Ethan glanced at her coldly. "What, you don’t like the idea?"Did she like the idea of investigating herself? Hell no!

But under Ethan’s authority, Lena dared not refuse. Without waiting for her reply, Ethan added, "With your current performance, you’re still quite far from becoming the first assistant." Lena’s head snapped up, her face filled with disbelief.

So, asking her to investigate with Marcus—was it actually his way of promoting her? The salary of the first assistant was four times her current pay!

With that kind of income, paying off her housing loan would be no issue!Lena was about to agree but quickly lowered her head.

"But isn’t the first assistant role better suited for Mr. Hale?"

"He will resign at the end of the year and return to his family business." So, Marcus did have a family business to inherit... Lena's breath hitched.

She hadn’t expected her judgment of people to be so accurate.

She wished she could return and inherit a family business too. But there was none for her to inherit! She could only grind on her own.

Okay, I will definitely follow Mr. Hale and learn from him!" Lena blurted out. But when she thought about what she had to learn first, it dawned on her how impulsive she had been in agreeing.

Could it be that she would have to follow Mr. Hale and investigate how she had ended up in Mr. Walker’s room that night?What was done was done. Even if a giant boulder stood in her way now, she had no choice but to try and move it.

Ethan didn’t understand why she suddenly surrendered to the temptation of a higher salary, but seeing how decisively she agreed, his face softened a little."That’s enough, you can go now.""Yes, sir."

Lena no longer held her head high as before. Instead, she felt like a deflated balloon.This emotional shift made Ethan squint in confusion, and he stared at her retreating figure without a word.