Alanna woke up in the middle of the night. She felt thirsty. Her temples throbbed with pain, and her throat was parched. She instinctively reached for the space beside her, but Hades wasn't there. She remembered him coming back. He probably left again.Alanna chuckled bitterly. She got out of bed and went to get some water. However, she saw Hades on the balcony. His figure was impressive, but he seemed lonely in the night. He was in a bad mood. Alanna could tell at a glance.She didn't interfere or ask. The only person who could affect his mood like this was probably Melanie. Alanna went into the kitchen alone, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it. Then, she returned to the bedroom.As she was about to fall asleep, the bedroom door opened. Hades stood at the doorway. Alanna couldn't see his expression, but she could smell the strong scent of smoke on him. "Are you awake?" Hades' voice was deep and slightly menacing.Alanna's lips twitched slightly. "Yes, Mr. Florenti
"So that's what happened. Are you feeling better now?" Renee asked."Much better..."As Alanna spoke, she pushed the door open and entered her office. She paused the moment she stepped in, then laughed coldly. Despite Henry's warning yesterday, seeing Bernice Lind here caught her off guard.Bernice was Esther's niece and Melanie's cousin.In her childhood, Bernice often bullied Alanna alongside Melanie. Renee also looked displeased at the sight of Bernice."She's a parachuted executive arranged by Mr. Florentine. Supposedly, she's related to Melanie, so she was placed here. But in reality, she knows nothing. She just gives random orders, loses her temper all the time, and has already caused several people in our department to resign," Renee whispered in Alanna's ear.Alanna asked her to step out first, then approached her desk. Bernice was chatting with someone. She looked up and instantly smiled upon seeing Alanna."Melanie, guess who I saw?" Whatever the response was, it mad
Alanna stood at the door of Hades' office. She took a deep breath and then knocked on the door. "Come in." Hades' voice came from inside. Alanna pushed the door open and saw him sitting leisurely behind his desk."Mr. Florentine, did you want to see me?" Hades chuckled lightly. "Ms. Jacinto, you really do know how to cause trouble."Alanna scoffed, "Aren't you the one who's causing me trouble? You knew that I was coming back today. Why didn't you have HR notify Ms. Lind?""So, you decided to handle it this way?" Alanna asked him, "What did you expect me to do?"Hades raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't you have come to me?""Would you have helped me if I did?" Alanna still remembered how Hades responded when she sought his help while Melanie was making things difficult. "Find someone else if you can't handle it," was his response. He was unwilling to help her. As long as it involved Melanie, Alanna always had to step aside. She didn't want to humiliate herself again. She woul
Alanna turned sharply to look at him. "Hades, I built the marketing department from scratch!"Hades hummed in acknowledgment. "So?"Alanna's lips trembled slightly. "So, I can't just hand it over to Bernice!"Hades pinched her chin. "Then, you should adopt a more pleading attitude."Alanna stared straight at him. After a long moment, she let out a bitter laugh. "Mr. Florentine, I don't want to leave the marketing department."When he saw her softened stance, Hades' expression finally lightened slightly. "Alright, I'll have HR reassign her. As for Melanie's endorsement, your assistant can handle it from now on. You won't need to interact with Melanie anymore."Alanna chuckled bitterly. "Okay, thank you, Mr. Hades."His gaze darkened as he raised his hand to her earlobe. Before she could react, he kissed her. It was long before he seemed to calm down and let her go."Be more obedient in the future, Ms. Jacinto. Don't make me angry all the time."Alanna managed a bitter smile and
"I really didn't mean to do it. You won't blame me, right?" As the people around began to look over, the smile on Bernice's face disappeared completely. It was replaced by a pitiful look.Alanna scoffed inwardly. She realized Bernice and Melanie were truly cousins based on their acting skills. She observed Bernice's slightly reddened eyes. Then, in front of everyone, Alanna picked up a bowl of freshly served noodles and splashed it onto Bernice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do it either. I hope you won't blame me for that!"Bernice was drenched in the wet noodles. She screamed furiously. "You bitch! How dare you!" "You dared, so why wouldn't I?" Alanna retorted, then dropped the bowl and walked toward the sink.Bernice was seething with rage and started hurling insults. "You homewrecker! Alanna, you're just a mistress. Everyone, take a good look. This is your so-called aloof Ms. Jacinto! She's shamelessly becoming someone else's mistress!"Alanna clenched her fists tightly. She h
Alanna smiled and said, "Thank you." Renee frowned and expressed concern, "But some people will believe the rumors. Are we going to let this matter slide?"Alanna looked down as the water continued to flow down her arm. She pondered what could be done. Who would step forward to clear her name? She scoffed to herself because she knew the answer was no one. Neither Hades nor Melanie would come to her defense.Alanna turned off the tap and said softly, "I can't control what others think. I know I've conducted myself with integrity."…The incident in the cafeteria at noon had become the talk of the company. Alanna's beauty had drawn attention during her three years at the company. This led to admiration from some and jealousy from others. Now, the gossip about her had everyone buzzing with excitement. Some believed Alanna was truly a mistress. Others argued that Bernice was merely jealous and spreading rumors. However, many felt there must be some truth to the rumors for them
Alanna's voice was soft and pleading. Something stirred in Hades' heart. He looked up at Alanna and unconsciously pinched her cheek. "How would you like me to help?""Tell everyone I'm not a mistress. Could you clarify that for me, please?" She had been pretending not to care all day. She couldn't hold it any longer. She had done nothing wrong, so she felt it wasn't right for her to be slandered like this. The feeling of being pointed at and whispered about was too uncomfortable. When she saw how gently Hades was applying medicine for her, Alanna's stance finally softened. If anyone could clear her name from these rumors, she knew it would be Hades.However, Hades paused and asked Alanna, "Do you think that's appropriate, Ms. Jacinto?" His words snapped Alanna back to reality. She instantly sobered up. She did feel that it wasn't appropriate. She wondered what position or standing Hades had to clarify things for her. She realized that if he did clarify, it would be an indirect
Hades picked up the documents and glanced through them casually before signing his name. After signing, he didn't return the documents to Alanna but instead looked up and asked, "Is your arm feeling better?"Alanna was silent for a moment before saying, "Much better."Hades gave her a look and inquired further, "And how are you feeling overall?""I'm fine," Alanna replied.The man nodded nonchalantly. "Don't overwork yourself. Delegate what you can.""Alright," she paused before asking, "Is there anything else, Mr. Florentine?"Hades watched her in silence. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"Alanna didn't deny it. "I have more work to attend to."Hades' eyes narrowed slightly, and after a while, he asked, "Is the class reunion this weekend?"Alanna was surprised he remembered this detail. She nodded and added, "There's no need to attend if you're busy."Initially, when Hades said he would accompany her to the class reunion, she was indeed looking forward to it. Even th