There were other people around, so Ralph couldn’t reject Ellena just like that. After all, even if they were all on bad terms behind closed doors, they were still considered 'family' or whatever that meant nowadays. He had a faint smile on his face and nodded at her. "Why don't we eat together?" "Sure." After she said that, Ralph’s expression changed slightly. Although it was barely noticeable to the other bystanders, Ellena caught it. She smirked. "But not today. I plan on eating with my colleagues, so how about another day?" The father and daughter duo obviously disliked her. From the moment she was brought into this world, they already wanted nothing to do with her. Naturally, that didn't stop now even if they were working under the same company. Hearing her refusal, his expression relaxed and his smile became less stiff. "All right. Some other time." Just then, Naomi suddenly turned her head and picked some food for her father. She insisted, placing the vegetables on his plate
Ellena actually remembered to cook for “Nicklaus”. After all, that was what she had promised him when he lent her his lawyer. Although he is a bastard, a promise is still a promise.But as soon as they entered the shopping mall, she had already lost track of time. Her colleagues quickly pulled her from store to store, pushing a bunch of fabric to her face as they discussed intently the day they just had.Seeing as the sky had turned dark, she quickly found an excuse to stop, "I'm so tired. Why don't we find a place to rest?""Sure! I saw a drink shack by the end of the mall." All of them headed up that direction.Seeing as they were finally distracted, she used this time to take out her phone, only to see that she had two missed calls from “Nicklaus”.“Nicklaus” really wasn't the type to sit patiently and wait for her to reply. She squeezed her eyes shut, not expecting him to call her twice. At this point, she couldn't even imagine how angry he must've been after the second call. Sh
Ellena widened her eyes. "You're...""Shouldn't I be the one asking you and not the other way around? Why did you come all the way here?" The masked man interrupted with no difficulty. He squinted his eyes and bent over, trying to get a better look at her.There was a hint of sternness tied to his words, and the concern it showed was just right. She couldn't help but freeze at his tone.Even Ellena was convinced that the man was actually her cousin. She stuttered out, regaining her voice. However, she still couldn't mask the shock etched across her features. What the hell was this?"I was just about to go back.""Is that so? I'll send you off then." With a nod, the masked man pulled her wrist and walked out of the convenience store.However, the male colleague who had escorted her all this way wouldn't let her go that easily. Instead of allowing her to leave, he walked straight towards the entrance, blocking their paths. He motioned to his papers. "We're still supposed to do our resea
Edward's eyes still didn't move away from her face, not allowing any subtle change of expression to go unnoticed. He stared at her like a man solving his first puzzle, determined and serious. Ellena was also staring at him this whole time. If outsiders were to see them now, they would've felt the tension rising on the rooftops. They were like a pair of kids, just waiting for the other to budge. In the end, she's the first one who turned away. They were just one person? No matter how much Ellena thought about it, she couldn't help but feel that the idea was ridiculous! Seeing the constantly changing expression on her face, Edward couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed in himself. Perhaps it really wasn't the right time to say it now. It must be too sudden. He retracted his gaze and slowly drank the mouthful of water. "If I said no, would you believe me?" Hearing the incredulity in his voice, her shoulders sagged in relief. "Of course not! Do you really think I'm that easy to
Ellena had already walked out of the villa gates, still flushing from the incident. However, just as she was heading over to the bus station, she heard the car engine whistle right behind her.Pursing her lips, she finally turned around to see that the black Bentley had stopped right beside her. Its tinted windows gleamed against the bright sunlight, and she squinted her eyes.Soon, the window lowered, revealing Nicklaus's handsome but annoying face. She could feel her annoyance rising in an instant, and her hands fidgeted from the suddenness. What the hell was he doing here?Edward narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice. "Get in the car. I'll take you to work.""There's no need," Ellena rejected him directly, not wanting to be stared at again.If “Nicklaus” dropped her off, she'd be susceptible to office gossip once again. After lying low during the weekend, she wasn't planning to push herself back into the spotlight! She shook her head.However, “Nicklaus” didn't look that bother
Edward was supposed to leave the premises after Ellena had said her answer. After all, it would've been out of character if he had stayed there and inserted himself into their conversation. However, as soon as he recalled what Naomi had done to her the last time, he decided to return. As long as they still weren't on company premises, then there might be a chance that she'd try something. What he didn't expect was to witness a good show. In his entire life, other than his mother, this was the first time he had been protected by a woman. Somehow, he couldn't help but reminisce the times his mother had pushed him behind her back, towering over anyone who'd go against him. An inexplicable warmth surged through his veins, and he couldn't help but soften at the sight. He couldn't help but feel a bit strange. Unknowingly, the corners of his lips twitched up into a smile. This feeling was wonderful. Ellena had been wearing thick leather shoes that were about three to four centimeters h
There were a lot of women in the marketing department. And as they say, if women were to gather together, if they don't talk about themselves, they'd naturally talk about other people. That small theory had been proven right today. What had happened in the morning spread throughout the entire company in just a mere few hours. By the time they were having their lunch break, Ellena was already the center of attention. She'd feel eyes following her direction everywhere she went. Her face was still swollen from the slap, but she continued to keep her head high. Halfway to the washroom, she could hear a bunch of her female colleagues discussing their opinions as to what really happened. "What's going on? I heard that only one woman applied for a leave today. There wasn't any man!" One of them whispered. "Isn't it obvious?" One of them arched up an eyebrow. "Naomi and Dawson must've worked together to set Ellena up! Why else would there be this mysterious male colleague that suddenly di
However, “Nicklaus” was almost 1.9 meters tall. Even if Ellena wanted to, she wasn't able to block his face even if she stood on her tiptoes. She didn't know why but every time Naomi gazed up at him, she felt uneasy.Naomi glanced at Ellena with contempt, but it quickly faded as a small smile threaded across her lips. Stepping forward, she stared up at him. "Mr. Arnoult," she said softly, her voice dripping with faux innocence and sweetness. "It seems that we meet again."Edward glanced at her before looking at Ellena, who had suddenly blocked his path. Seeing as she wouldn't even gaze up at him, he could understand why she'd do such a thing.He remembered once she said, "Your Sister-in-Law is like your mother” when she contradicted him. And seeing her protect him like this...His eyebrows furrowed over, observing her stiff back and hardened features. Did she really view him as her son and nothing more?As soon as the thought had occurred to him, his expression became even colder. He d