Just then, Ken glanced towards the door. "Boss, you're here."Emily heard a hoarse voice from behind her. "Yeah, I heard Miranda was here, so I came to see her."At that moment, time seemed to stand still.Everything around her faded into silence. Emily could hear her own breathing, and the slow, deliberate footsteps of the man approaching. Each second seemed to stretch into eternity, the sound of his polished shoes on the floor echoing crisply, each step pounding like a heavy hammer on her heart.Suddenly, she felt a sharp cramp in her lower abdomen.Emily's face turned pale instantly, and she crouched down, clutching her belly.Ken, who was closest to her, rushed to support her. "Miranda, are you okay?"Cold sweat broke out on Emily's forehead. "I'm just feeling a bit unwell. I need to use the restroom."She quickly turned around, pushing past him and bursting out of the room.Ken called after her, "Just go straight to the end and turn right, the ladies' room is there—"Satan watche
Emily closed her eyes, trying to regulate her breathing, pushing down the emotions surging within her.“Mr. Norman, this is the ladies' restroom,” she said, her voice strained.“I know,” Satan replied, leaning in, seemingly inhaling the scent of her hair. “You changed your shampoo too.”“Mr. Norman, I came to the Great Wall Group to provide design support, not to discuss shampoos or menstrual cycles with you,” Emily said, her frustration barely concealed.Satan didn’t stop, lifting a strand of her hair from her shoulder, bringing it to his nose. “It’s true, it’s different. You used to use gardenia—light and fresh. Now, it’s lavender, much stronger.”Emily had enough. She reached out and gave him a hard push.Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to resist physically; he stumbled back a couple of steps.Free at last, Emily almost ran out, as though chased by a hundred demons.She wanted nothing more than to leave this place—especially when she was alone with him.Her menstrual cycle, her sham
Emily descended the stairs directly to the lobby on the first floor.Steven saw her coming and quickly caught up. “Miranda, while you’re in New York, I’ll be taking care of everything regarding your accommodation. Do you have any specific requests for the hotel? I can book it right away.”Emily looked at him, “Did Mr. Norman send you?”“No, it was Dylan who asked me to come,” Steven replied with a slightly awkward smile. “He said you might not want to see him and since I’m a new face, you might not feel too opposed.”Emily hummed, “He certainly knows me well.”“Well, Dylan has been Mr. Norman’s assistant for so many years. He’s very experienced.” Steven noticed Emily's red eyes, as if she had just been crying. To change the subject, he added, “About the hotel…”“North-facing, not much sunlight, and a room with a kitchen—those are my requirements,” Emily replied.Steven nodded eagerly. “Got it, I’ll take care of it now.”He jogged ahead of her to hold the door open as they exited the b
Steven finally managed to move Emily’s room to the third floor. It was a lower level, with less natural light and tucked away at the end of a hallway. While it was a bit out of the way, it was at least quiet.After taking a shower, Emily sat down on the bed, placing her laptop on her knees. She hadn’t been with Stardream for long, so there was a lot she still needed to catch up on. Every day, the design department sent her project reports, which she tried to review diligently to keep up with the pace.Amid the usual work emails, one stood out.It was from Adam, her boss, and contained a profile picture of a man."Leslie – his background is mysterious. Some say he’s the eldest son of the Norman family, but there are also rumors he’s only an adopted son, not their biological child. Three years ago, the Great Wall Group merged with the Norman Corporation. Many suspect it was a plan twenty years in the making, where the adopted son stole the inheritance, leaving the biological children po
New York City was especially cold today.Even in the short distance from the car to the company building—barely fifty meters—Emily felt like the chill had seeped deep into her bones.Dylan took off his thick down coat and offered it to her. "Here, put this on.""No need."Dylan insisted. "Please, take it. The weather’s too cold, and you just got back. You probably didn't bring anything warm. I'll have Steven go buy you a coat later. Size L, right?"Emily shook her head. "Size M."Dylan sighed, a hint of sadness in his voice. "So you lost more weight... No wonder the boss was so worried, waiting outside the hotel just to make sure you were okay."Emily followed him into the elevator, watching him press the button for the 42nd floor."He waited for me outside?"Dylan nodded. "Yes. The fire at room 2307 almost destroyed the entire floor. The 2307 suite was left in ruins, and even after the hotel renovated it, trying to restore it, some things can never go back to the way they were."Emil
"Ken."A slim woman approached, her sharp heels clicking against the polished floor. She wore a tight, purple dress with a fur shawl draped across her shoulders. Her makeup was so thick that her natural features were almost impossible to discern, and her perfume was overpowering, filling the air with an overly strong scent.Ken's face immediately changed when he saw her. He stood up, wearing a faint smile that did not reach his eyes, and his gaze was full of disdain. "Oh, it's manager Miller. What brings you here?"The woman, known as manager Cathy Miller, cast a condescending glance at Emily. "So, you must be the designer the boss hired with so much effort and money—Miranda, the winner of the Pritzker Prize?""Yes," Ken nodded, "This is Miranda.""Miranda, nice to meet you." Cathy Miller extended her hand for a handshake. Emily smiled politely and was about to shake her hand, but Cathy pulled her hand away abruptly, leaving Emily in an awkward position with her hand frozen in the air
Before long, Steven arrived, hurrying around the office to help set up Emily's equipment. He was sweating by the time he was finished.Emily handed him a glass of water. "Thank you for your hard work, have some water."Steven waved his hand, smiling sheepishly. "No way, even my boss listens to you. I can't possibly let you pour me water.""Your boss? Mr. Norman?" Emily asked."Well, Dylan is kind of my boss," Steven clarified. "I'm technically Mr. Norman's assistant, but I'm sort of Dylan's apprentice, so to speak."While Steven handled the heavy lifting, Emily focused on organizing lighter items like office supplies and folders. Meanwhile, Ken was off at another meeting, busy as always."Steven, do new employees always have to report to Human Resources?" Emily asked.Steven grimaced and dusted off his hands. "Technically, yeah, but the HR manager is new. Everyone already has company badges, but she insists we all re-register with her and get a new review. It's ridiculous. Heck, the c
Emily instinctively took a few steps back. "Shouldn't I coordinate my work with Ken? Isn't he around?""I asked him to leave," Vincent replied. "Emily, why are you avoiding me?"He spoke with difficulty, his voice rough and full of effort.Emily turned her head away, avoiding eye contact. "Where’s Dylan? Didn’t he go looking for you?" she asked, trying to change the subject."Answer me!" Vincent cut her off.He took a step forward. Emily tried to turn and leave but found the door behind her locked. The blinds were pulled down, and there was no way anyone outside could see what was happening inside."What’s the meaning of this, Mr. Norman?" she demanded."I just want to talk to you," he said, slowly approaching until he stood right in front of her. "Please, don’t avoid me."Emily turned her face away, avoiding his gaze. "There’s nothing left to say between us, Mr. Norman. Besides, you have someone else now. I don’t want to get tangled up in this mess again, only to end up being targete