Chapter 3

I could only sigh mentally as I watched Charlyn toying with her fingers uneasily. A large patch of her exposed wrist was still red.

Although Charlyn was being tactful with her words, I could tell there must be a mole in my company. So, I thanked her for her warning.

"Thank you for warning me, Ms. Emerson. I'll keep that in mind."

I couldn't possibly chew out a woman like her at this time, right? Hence, I fell silent after that.

Charlyn most likely knew that I didn't like her that much, so she said goodbye to me after wiping her tears away.

I watched as she walked toward a red Ferrari, which was parked a short distance away. A teenager with dyed green hair and a pair of shades perched on his nose bridge opened the car door for her. Then, he stuck out a middle finger at me blatantly.

Obviously, that boy wasn't Arthur.

Tsk tsk!

It was just a taunting gesture from an immature teenager who was still wet behind his ears. I just shook my head gently, opting to ignore him instead. After that, I got into my car and returned to the company.

I needed to deal with the mole problem. My company had an upcoming important bidding war to take part in. If Arthur were to get his hands on the final bid, my company would certainly suffer from major losses this time.

Honestly, I'd have to thank Charlyn this time. I supposed I'd suggest that my mom give her a raise. That way, I'd be able to earn a compliment or two from my mom too.

When the thought of Charlyn popped up in my head, I couldn't resist turning to look at Ms. Vale, who sat a short distance away.

Ms. Vale was quite a piece of eye candy. That thought merely flashed through my mind momentarily before I shook all thoughts out of my head. Then, I focused on work.

It wasn't easy to catch the mole. I referred to the people who were in charge of the first few business deals Arthur had stolen from me. In the end, I managed to pinpoint three people.

It was already 11:00 pm by the time I was done with most of my work. I rubbed my sore neck before raising my head to look around me.

To my surprise, Ms. Vale was still at work. The blue light cast by her computer monitor illuminated her face, making her look a little pale.

I couldn't help but study Ms. Vale's face again. She really was a looker.

She had a pretty tall nose with long eyelashes and big, beautiful eyes. Her face looked quite delicate too.

Why didn't I realize how pretty she was in the past? Did I seriously order such a beautiful woman around and make her slave her days away?

Then, I recalled Charlyn, who was quite pretty too. Did the HR department hire people based on their looks?

That question came bounding into my mind for a split second, but I soon said no to the question.

Ms. Vale was extremely capable, after all. Charlyn had most likely gotten through out of sheer dumb luck. Then again, I felt I had no idea what the extent of her work capabilities were.

"Mr. Skyworth?" A cold and melodic voice rang out at that moment. Ms. Vale happened to be gazing at me in confusion while rubbing her shoulders.

I snapped out of my trance immediately, realizing that I'd completely spaced out while staring at her earlier.

But soon, I regained my senses. I looked at the time once again. It was more than ten minutes past 11 o'clock.

"Aren't you getting off work soon?"

"I'll leave after I'm done organizing this folder." Ms. Vale probably didn't know why I was asking her that question.

I didn't really know why I did that either, so I nodded in response. Then, I grabbed my briefcase and moved to leave the floor.

Halfway to the elevator, I couldn't help but think about how dangerous it was for a young woman like Ms. Vale to flag down a cab on her own just to go home. So, I returned to her desk.

"Kyrie."

That was her name, right? Kyrie Vale?

I called out Kyrie's name hesitantly. She was quick to respond, already looking at me from behind her computer monitor. Thank goodness I hadn't misremembered her name.

"You can complete the rest of the work tomorrow. It's getting very late now. I'll drive you home."

Kyrie stared at me in surprise, though her eyes were sparkling in delight. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her. An unknown feeling soon surged into my heart.

She didn't turn my offer down. After packing up her stuff, she grabbed her bag and followed me out of the company.

On the way back to Kyrie's place, neither of us said a word to each other. Kyrie was a woman of a few words.

As for me, even though I had a ton of admirers, I only had brief contact with a handful of women, with the exception of my mom and Charlyn, the oddball who kept pestering me. Since I didn't have much experience with talking to women, all I could do was remain silent.

Silence would be the theme of tonight's drive.

It only took me 20 minutes to reach Kyrie's place. After thinking for a moment, I decided to speak up just as Kyrie was about to get out of the car.

"Thank you for your hard work today. You should rest as soon as you get home."

Kyrie was noticeably startled, as though she didn't expect to hear her boss outright caring for her. But soon, she replied, "You too, sir. Thank you for driving me home."

Then, she opened the door and got out of the car. She added a soft "good night" before turning on her heel and walking through the apartment's gateway.

"Good night!" I replied.

My car remained parked on the spot. I watched as Kyrie greeted the security guard, who was cheerfully manning the entrance, before slowly disappearing into the darkness.

The security guard was a man nearing his elderly years. He turned to look at me curiously. I lowered my window and smiled at him before looking at the gated apartment. By then, Kyrie was nowhere to be seen.

After that, I started the car and made a U-turn so that I could make my way home.

It was almost midnight by the time I reached home. Guess who I saw hanging around at home?

Yes, that was right. Charlyn freaking Emerson was there!

My mom and the others had already gone to bed at that time. Meanwhile, Luther was still playing games in his room. I could vaguely make out his voice scolding his teammates.

After that, I tiptoed to the light switch and turned on the light, only to get startled by the figure slumped over the dining table.

Charlyn rubbed her eyes before gazing at me blearily. "You're back, Mr. Skyworth."

First, I looked at my house keys. Yup, these were my keys, alright. Why the hell was that woman slumping over my dining table in the middle of the night?

Charlyn didn't seem to discern my confusion. She slowly stood up before saying, "There's still fish stew being heated up in the kitchen. You should rest after having some. Let me put your briefcase in your room."

As she spoke, she approached me so that she could retrieve my briefcase from me.

I remained rooted to the spot, watching as Charlyn grabbed my briefcase and began heading toward my bedroom. Only then did I realize what was going on.

I quickly rushed forward to stop her. Then, I snatched my briefcase out of her hands.

"No need for that! Why are you in my home?"

Why the hell was Charlyn freaking Emerson in my home?

Charlyn seemed startled by my question. Before she could figure out the best answer to my question, I turned to glance at my mom's and my brother's rooms.

My mom and the rest of the household were already in deep sleep. I could even hear my dad's snores all the way from my spot in the living room.

Luther was the only one who was still playing games in his room. So, I walked over to open his room door with my briefcase in hand, choosing to completely ignore Charlyn.

I twisted the doorknob twice, but I still couldn't open the door. That brat must have locked the door from the inside.

I twisted the doorknob once again, a frown now occupying my face. Luther's impatient voice drifted from inside his room.

"Seriously, Ms. Emerson! I don't want any stew, milk, or fruit! It's so late now. Can you please go to bed already?"

Upon hearing Luther's complaints, I shot a glance at Charlyn, my brows still knitted into a frown. She just stood on her spot while staring at me in confusion.

When she saw me looking at her, her eyes sparkled instantly. Just as she was about to speak up, I banged on Luther's door impatiently.

"Luther Skyworth, open the door right now!"