Chapter 6

After a night of stomach troubles, Jared didn't look too good.

Marie Smith, Jared's housekeeper, said, "Breakfast is ready, Mr. Ford."

She served Jared a bowl of ravioli before busying herself with the household chores. Sitting at the dining table, he swiftly took a bite while the food was still warm.

He didn't get to eat it when he had a strong craving for it last night, and now, the bite he just took didn't taste the way he wanted it to.

"Switch back to the old brand of ravioli we used to eat," Jared instructed Marie.

"Ms. Jamison used to make the ravioli by herself, Mr. Ford, but I think that takes up too much time. The premade ones from the supermarket taste the same to me," Marie replied.

In the end, Jared only ate a couple of bites before setting down his cutlery and abruptly rising to his feet.

"Don't make ravioli for breakfast anymore."

"Alright. I'll prepare something else tomorrow then," Marie responded, feeling a little confused. Jared hadn't seemed this picky with his food when Yvonne had been living there.

Once the kitchen had been tidied up, Marie brought in the mail and left it on the coffee table. Jared, who'd come back downstairs after changing into his suit, paused in front of the table and spotted the classy-looking envelope from a wedding dress boutique placed at the very top of the pile.

He was struck by the memory of Yvonne all curled up on the couch, flipping through some brochures while having a discussion with a wedding dress designer.

A custom-made wedding dress took ages to complete. Even now, Jared still had no clue what Yvonne's wedding dress was going to look like.

"Jared, ever since I was a little girl, I've always fantasized about my wedding day. It's meant to be the most important day of my life. I want to fulfill my dream…"

Jared spaced out for a moment.

"What was her dream?" he murmured puzzledly as he picked up the envelope.

It seemed like too much time had passed. He couldn't recall Yvonne ever mentioning any dreams she had about her wedding. They'd known each other since they were children. Since he knew all there was to know about her, he figured whatever it was, it probably wasn't all that important.

"Yvonne is still preparing for our wedding. I knew it. She hasn't changed at all," Jared declared.

She must've only blocked him in a fit of anger.

Jared set the envelope back down without opening it. He had no idea it was the final notice the boutique had sent regarding the order cancellation and disposal of the wedding dress.

…

Jared was sitting at his desk in the president's office. There was supposed to be a meeting at 10:00 am, but it had to be delayed half an hour at the last minute.

"Ms. Ember, do you not check the documents before you get me to sign them?" the stern-faced Jared questioned. "How can you perform such a major blunder at work?"

Having made a mistake, the fashionably dressed and carefully dolled-up Shirley was too scared to even look up from the floor.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ford…"

The way she choked on her words made Jared frown and soften his tone. "I'm not berating you. You're new on the job, so it's normal for you to make a mistake or two now and then, but you need to be able to be responsible for your own work. You're supposed to be easing my workload, not adding to it."

Moments later, Frederick came over to take over Shirley's tasks.

Once Jared was done skimming through the documents, he rattled off, "The dates on both these reports are wrong. The quarterly summary is coming up. We need to be paying closer attention to all the departments. You and Ms. Jamison will need to—"

He came to a sudden stop, and the office fell silent.

Jared realized he'd used the wrong name. Without even looking up, he calmly continued, "You and Ms. Ember will need to settle the documents accordingly. Also, inform the projects department to come for a meeting with me."

"Yes, Mr. Ford," Frederick said.

Frederick was perfectly capable of handling the work without Shirley's help. As such, she was left to her own devices. All she could do was leave the office with tearful eyes.

Her colleagues in the secretarial department rushed over to console her.

"It's alright, Shirley. Ms. Jamison did work here for a few years. It's not unusual for Mr. Ford to accidentally use the wrong name."

"Ms. Jamison made mistakes too. She only got better after learning on the job while working with Mr. Ford. Take your time. You'll get used to the work, and eventually, you'll be irreplaceable to Mr. Ford as well. I'm sure you'll be as good as Ms. Jamison."

The more Shirley heard their words of comfort, the more jealous she became. She would never lose to Yvonne!

…

Everyone had gathered in the conference room, including Yvonne, who'd received the last-minute notice about a meeting. She sat at the very end of the table and put her phone on silent before discussing work matters with her team.

"Mr. Ford," they greeted as Jared strode in.

His eyes were immediately drawn to Yvonne. She used to sit beside him at meetings, but now they were separated by a huge distance.

When he noticed her lowered head, he deduced that she was feeling upset. Why, then, was she stubbornly refusing to admit her mistake?

Shirley noticed Jared's gaze was fixed on Yvonne, and her eyes flashed with malice.

The meeting proceeded according to the agenda, and at last, it was the projects department's turn to report on their current progress.

Wayne wasn't around today. Jamie Frye, the deputy manager of the projects department, exchanged looks with Yvonne before saying, "All of the other projects have been progressing smoothly, Yvonne. The only project that's still uncertain is the jewelry exhibition you're in charge of, so you should report on your progress."

Yvonne slowly lifted her head. It had only been two weeks since she'd taken charge of the jewelry exhibition, and the event itself had been put together on short notice to begin with. She wasn't meant to be giving an update on the project today, so she had nothing prepared.

All eyes fell on her. Everyone knew she'd switched departments solely due to her romantic conflict with Jared. No one had any faith in her ability to do her job.

"Alright," Yvonne said as she rose to her feet.

Even though she didn't have any presentation slides prepared, she knew all of the details of the jewelry exhibition by heart and could clearly update everyone on its current situation. She also mentioned Jean's participation in the exhibition. Even the promotion for the exhibition was gaining traction.

Throughout her report, Yvonne had a radiant smile on her face. This exhibition was a representation of her hopes and dreams.

All of the senior executives present at the meeting started seeing her in a whole new light. Even Jared's gaze grew a little distant.

He didn't expect Yvonne to work so hard at the projects department in an effort to garner his attention. Why wasn't he annoyed by her scheming ways? For some reason, it put him in a good mood.

Even Jamie was taken by surprise, having assumed that the unprepared Yvonne would make a mockery of herself. How did she end up proving herself instead?

Disgruntled, Jamie attempted to undermine Yvonne. "But you haven't even confirmed the venue for the exhibition yet. The participating designers and exhibits are all still pending too.

"When it comes to handling a project, it's not about presenting possibilities on paper. You need to be able to put your plans into action in order to achieve the results presented in the proposal."

"I understand," Yvonne replied pleasantly.

Unexpectedly, it was Jared who was displeased. In his eyes, Yvonne was trying to prove herself to him. No one else was allowed to butt in.

"There's still ample time before the date of the exhibition. If the projects department requires additional support, you can submit a request directly to me."

While Jared didn't name names, it was clear he was addressing Yvonne. He was trying to extend an olive branch to her—if she couldn't complete her work, she was free to ask him for help.

Yet, Yvonne wasn't even listening to him. She was busy going through some documents.

After the meeting ended, Shirley abruptly approached Yvonne and said, "Mr. Ford wants to see you in his office. I bet he's displeased by your work performance."

She added the last sentence out of her own jealousy.

Yvonne made her way to Jared's office. The plants she kept along the windowsill hadn't been watered, and they were all wilted. Despite noticing that, she didn't care. Instead, she looked at Jared and asked, "Did you need something, Mr. Ford?"

"What's the medication I used to take for my stomach pain?" Jared asked.

He was leaning back against his chair with his eyes closed, looking like he was in pain. Since he'd asked for the medication, it was obvious he was implying he was suffering from a bout of gastric issues. Surely she would take the hint and seize the chance to express her concern for him.

Amused, Yvonne calmly replied, "You should be talking to Ms. Ember about such things. If you don't have any questions regarding the projects department, I shall get back to work now."

"Don't you care that I'm in pain?"

Jared opened his eyes, but Yvonne had already left his office and was about to enter the elevator. He stiffened in his seat. The pain in his abdomen seemed to intensify.

Did Yvonne truly not care about him anymore?