Chapter 4

Nearby the pantry, an elevator's doors slid open. Out walked three handsome men.

Tyrone was in the lead with Seth talking away behind him. When he heard the commotion, he stopped and looked toward the pantry. He frowned.

"My, my, my. Are your employees shooting an action film or something?" Seth teased when he saw the fight.

Knowing how Tyrone hated noise and chaos, Caleb hurriedly said, "I'll deal with it right now, Mr. Elkin!"

It was such a small matter that Tyrone didn't need to deal with it personally. He didn't say anything as he looked away and strode toward the president's office.

Caleb asked one of the employees, "What's going on?"

"Mr. Hall! The two secretaries from the secretariat department, Ms. Jenkins and Ms. Sutton, are fighting."

When Tyrone heard Heather's name, he stopped and turned back to look at the crowd. His gaze darkened.

…

"Heather, you bitch!" Anna's face was smarting from being continuously slapped, and she screamed with rage. Amidst the chaos, she grabbed a mug from the table nearby and swung it at Heather's head with all her might.

The mug wasn't light. If it landed on Heather's head, she would definitely have a wound to show for it!

Heather saw the mug out of the corner of her eye, but it was too close for her to dodge. Just as the mug was about to land, a hand reached out to grab Anna's wrist. The mug stopped less than an inch from Heather's head.

Anna cried out in pain. "Who dares stop me? Let me—Mr. Elkin?"

Heather was taken aback. She turned to see Tyrone standing beside them. When everyone else saw him, they fell silent and huddled together. No one dared to make a sound.

Tyrone had a poker face on. He released Anna and swept a cold gaze over Heather. "What's going on here?"

Since there was no way the fight could continue, Heather pursed her lips and let Anna go.

"Mr. Elkin, I was just minding my own business in here when Ms. Sutton suddenly charged in here and slapped me. I don't know what I did to offend her…" Anna covered her swollen face with her hands as she wept. She didn't mention anything about the rumors she'd spread.

Tyrone turned to look at Heather. She wasn't as heavily injured as Anna, but there were a few scratches on her face, which marred her beauty. Her hair fell around her face messily. Instead of making her look bad, the scratches seemed to turn her into a pitiful sight.

He asked, "Did you make the first move?"

Heather said calmly, "Yes, I did."

"Why?"

Heather didn't respond. She bit her lip. What was the reason? It was because Anna had spread rumors about Heather and Tyrone getting it on in the office. But Heather couldn't bring herself to say such shameless things with so many people around.

Since Heather didn't say anything, the others decided to speak for Anna.

"Ms. Jenkins didn't say anything, Mr. Elkin. Ms. Sutton just barged in here and started slapping her. We were all in here, so we can act as witnesses."

"Yeah, exactly. Ms. Sutton just came in and started getting violent. We don't even know why! We all saw it!"

"Ms. Sutton has never liked Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Elkin. She must've hit Ms. Jenkins just because she doesn't like her."

The women who had been in the pantry with Anna spoke up. They pushed all the blame on Heather, who looked at them in disbelief. They were the same women who'd been making up rumors about her.

They felt diffident when they saw Heather staring at them, but none of them changed their testimonies. One of them even said, "You're in the wrong for getting physical, Ms. Sutton. You crossed the line!"

Heather stared at her for a while longer before smiling coldly. She understood now. They were afraid of Tyrone hearing about the nasty things they'd said. He was the male lead of the stories they'd cooked up, after all. None of them would get off easy if he were to go after them.

That was why they'd weaved a web of lies and pushed all the blame on her. They made it seem like she was picking on Anna!

Now, even if Heather were to bring up the actual reason for the fight, they wouldn't admit to it. Of course, the reason for the fight no longer mattered.

Heather sneered, then said, "We had a little argument. I couldn't stop myself from getting physical."

"Mr. Elkin, the company's policy makes it clear that Ms. Sutton needs to be fired for resorting to physical violence!" Anna cupped her face while looking aggrieved. It was clearly stated in the company's rules and regulations that any staff who got involved in brawls would be terminated.

Heather bit her lip. She didn't want to lose this job, and getting fired during her internship would affect her future job prospects. But the situation was beyond her control—she'd made the first move and couldn't refute the company's policy.

"I'll pack my things." Since she had to leave, she'd do it on her own terms. She didn't want to get kicked out. Heather unclenched her fists and turned to leave.

"Apologize." Suddenly, Tyrone's cool voice rang out behind her.

She turned to look at him incredulously. Why did she need to apologize? Anna was the one who'd started those ridiculous rumors and used this matter to get her fired. Why did she still have to apologize?

Anna hadn't expected Tyrone to have Heather apologize to her. She was pleasantly surprised; her delight even surpassed that of her pain. She gave Heather a smug look.

Heather didn't want to apologize. She stared into Tyrone's eyes. Her disbelief, resentment, and grievance were obvious.

Tyrone's gaze darkened for a split second. He didn't know why he could read her so easily. It looked like Seth was right—her eyes could talk!

Tyrone's oppressive gaze bore into Heather. Ultimately, she backed down. It had belatedly occurred to her that she was facing Tyrone Elkin, the scion of the Elkin family!

Countless affluent families flocked toward the Elkin family and wanted nothing more than to form a connection with them. Not only could Tyrone fire her, but he could also make her life in Royalton a living hell with a single sentence.

A small fry like her couldn't afford to offend someone like him. She could get violent with Anna but couldn't defy Tyrone.

Heather lowered her eyes and clenched her fists. "I'm sorry, Ms. Jenkins."

"Pull something like this again and you'll be fired. Get back to your workstation now," Tyrone said coldly.

Heather jolted in surprise and looked up at him. He wasn't firing her?

Anna was equally surprised. "Heather's gone against the company's policy, Mr. Elkin. She should be—"

"Indeed, it's against the company's rules to get into a brawl. Heather made the first move, but she's already apologized. You got her, too, didn't you? Do you want to be fired as well?" Tyrone's tone was ice-cold.

Anna immediately fell silent. She didn't dare to talk back to him. She could only glare daggers at Heather. Despite her indignance, there was nothing she could do.

She thought she could use this opportunity to get rid of Heather. She was filled with irritation whenever she laid eyes on that slutty little face!

Tyrone retracted his gaze and turned to leave. The crowd automatically parted to let him pass.

Heather had mixed feelings as she watched him leave. His decision had caught her by surprise—she hadn't expected him to let her off the hook. Still, whatever it was, it was good that she hadn't lost her job.

…

The crowd dispersed now that the show was over. Heather turned to head back to her workstation. But as soon as she took a step, a sharp pain shot through her. It started from her ankle. She couldn't help gasping in pain and looking down at it.

She'd probably twisted it earlier. Heather suppressed the pain as she limped to her workstation. Joe told her Anna had taken the rest of the day off to get some rest. He advised her to do the same, but she turned him down.

She was only an intern, so she had to work harder than everyone else if she wanted to keep the job. Though she hadn't been fired today, she didn't want any more trouble to crop up.

"I honestly thought Mr. Elkin was going to fire you both. I didn't expect you both to get off so easily." Joe looked incredulous as he analyzed the situation.

Tyrone only used people he trusted. As a secretary, one would constantly be able to come into contact with the company's president and its confidential documents. That was why it was such a sensitive position. Most company secretaries were the president's trusted confidants.

If he used the fight as an excuse, Tyrone could've easily gotten rid of two secretaries in one fell swoop and replaced them with his own people. He hadn't done that, though.

Heather was surprised after listening to Joe. She looked at the black glass wall that made up the president's office. Why hadn't Tyrone fired her?

Though the president's office was on the other side of the glass wall, the people in the secretariat department couldn't see Tyrone through the glass.

Heather recalled how Tyrone had grabbed Anna's hand to stop her earlier. She didn't know why he hadn't fired them, but she did know she had to thank him for showing up in the nick of time. Otherwise, she'd be grievously injured at this point.

…

In the president's office, Tyrone could clearly see Heather wiping her dirty hands with a tissue. She was gorgeous, and her side profile was dainty. Even her fingers were long and slender.

Despite her sitting there with her hair all over the place, there was still something poignant about the scene.