Chapter 7

Lunchtime.

Lena arranged for Ethan's meal before heading out with Aria. The two usually dined in the canteen, but today, with many things to discuss, they chose to eat at a restaurant outside.

"Let's sit there," said Lena as she pointed toward a table in the corner. The two of them scrambled over, and as soon as they sat down, Aria asked, "What's going on? What did you mean by the text you sent me?"

"Mr. Walker is still looking into the woman from that night, and he asked me to investigate with Marcus today."

Aria's eyes widened. How terrifying was it? After that night, Ethan had tasked Lena with finding the woman. Now, he was having Lena team up with Marcus... This was pure horror!

"What did you say? You didn’t show any fear, did you?" In Aria's mind, Lena was nothing more than a timid and fragile little girl. She had never really understood why Ethan had taken a liking to Lena in the first place, much less why he decided to bring her to his side as an assistant.

Lena sniffled. "I held on. I think I managed to keep my cool."

Way to hold on! That wasn’t an easy feat! However, who knew when she may not be able to hold on any longer?

Aria rubbed her forehead. "Tough situation, huh."

"You bet. Marcus even asked me to give him the black swan pendant."

Aria immediately looked toward Lena’s neck. "The black swan you used to carry around all the time?" Seeing Lena’s bare neck, she had no idea when Lena had removed it.

Lena explained, "I left it in the room that night."

"You what?" Aria thought she might as well end herself on the spot. Had Lena actually left behind *evidence*? Her entire body felt numb…

After trying to digest this information for several minutes, Aria finally spoke. "Previously… did Mr. Walker ever see you wearing that black swan?"

"I don’t know…" Lena was also jittery. In the summer, with fewer layers on, her black swan pendant was unique and eye-catching, so many people in the company knew about it. But Ethan, being the CEO, generally wouldn’t pay attention to his employees, so she still had a glimmer of hope.

But who could really tell?

Aria could not look at her without feeling irritated. "So, you gave it to Marcus?"

Lena shook her head. "Of course I didn’t!"

She had been wearing that pendant all summer long, and many people had seen it. As long as Marcus conducted an internal investigation at the company, he’d likely find out.

Aria said, "Then you absolutely can’t give it to him!"

"But Mr. Hale is very determined."

"Well…"

Aria felt like she was going insane. Lena, a mere employee, had no choice but to comply with her superior’s order. Moreover, with Marcus’s capabilities, he would never disappoint Ethan.

Lena glanced at Aria. "What should we do? If I don’t hand it over, he’ll start to feel suspicious..."

"Ugh, this is so frustrating!" Aria was on the verge of exploding. Lena was also troubled, wishing she had superpowers to erase the events of that night.

Anxiety gripped her. "Should I turn it in or not?"

"You have no choice but to hand it over!" If she didn’t, it would raise Marcus's suspicion, and he would definitely investigate more thoroughly, especially now that Lena was his "assistant" in the investigation.

Aria was really worried; she had no idea when Lena would break down and confess.

Lena stirred the tea in her cup and said, "But quite a few of my colleagues have seen that pendant."

With a few inquiries internally, they could identify it as hers.

Aria picked up her tea and took a hefty gulp, looking at Lena with despair. "So what do we do now?"

Lena looked at her, her eyes misty with tears.

Aria said, "Don’t start crying, I’m not in the mood to console you!"

"But I’m so freaking scared!"

"I can understand." Aria nodded. Not to mention, timid and obedient Lena was scared. Even Aria, who wasn’t afraid of anything, was pretty frightened.

The food arrived quickly, but obviously, neither of them had the appetite to eat.

Suddenly, Aria thought of something and looked at Lena. "Do you think it’s possible that Mr. Walker knew it was you that night and staged this just to tease you?"

No sooner had she asked than she shook her head again. Ethan was not a CEO who had a propensity to joke or knew how to joke. Even she wanted to tease the timid Lena sometimes, but what if Ethan had a dark sense of humor?

Upon hearing Aria’s sarcastic comments, Lena gave her a roll of the eyes. "He’s not that kind of person!"

Having worked part-time in many places, she could say, Ethan was the strictest and most intimidating boss she had ever seen. He was not much for smiling, let alone joking.

"You’re right," Aria agreed, nodding. So, at the moment, Ethan really seemed to be in the dark about the true situation.

But what on earth could be done? Asking Lena, who had slept with him, to investigate what had transpired that night might as well be like turning a thief over to another crook.

The pair couldn’t conjure up a feasible solution by the time lunch ended.

On their way back to the office, Lena began walking toward the dormitory instead, causing Aria to seize her in haste. "Hey, where are you off to? How about work?"

"I’m resigning!" Lena’s heart was drumming so loudly that her courage was gone.

Aria closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Your mortgage wouldn’t like that."

"Are you willing to face the huge pressures of life?"

"Even if you could get another job, could you really leave behind Lenka City?"

These incessant interrogations made Lena pull her foot back. Indeed, sometimes in life, circumstances dictated actions! She was burdened with a mortgage. She was a cog in the wheel that couldn’t afford to resign!

Thus, she could only reluctantly return to the office.

Just as she entered the elevator, her phone lit up. Upon seeing the caller ID, she immediately resumed her formal seriousness:

"Mr. Walker!"

Aria glanced at Lena. Lena might not have much courage, but she sure knew how to play her part. Though she was evidently petrified of Ethan, she always managed to maintain a respectful and serious appearance.