Part 3

"Can I help you with something?" greeted a woman whom Claire was sure was the receptionist for that floor.

"Where's the meeting room?" Claire asked after shaking her head a few times to clear her mind of inappropriate thoughts.

"Are you from the branch office?" the receptionist asked again. Claire nodded affirmatively. "Please go straight ahead, pass through two doors. The meeting for all branches is in the third door." Claire nodded in understanding and followed the instructions from the receptionist named Selin.

The first room she passed had thick transparent glass walls. Inside, people were engaged in serious discussions—clearly an internal division meeting. She continued walking while observing. The second room also had thick transparent glass walls with an oval-shaped table inside, but this one appeared empty.

While the third door had black-tinted glass, probably the type that allows one to see outside but remains opaque from the outside. Claire forgot what it's called.

She knocked on the thick glass door. Someone from inside opened it for her. "I'm looking for Mrs. Shelly," she whispered. The middle-aged woman in a light blue uniform with red accents opened the door wider.

Claire entered and noticed that the size of the room was a combination of the first and second rooms she had passed before. A rectangular table was arranged to form a frame that reached every corner of the room. The two long sides were in front of Claire, with the center intentionally left empty. The names of the branch office cities of Coskun Company were already placed there. Her boss was sitting right at the table labeled "Kansas."

Meanwhile, the shorter sides were on the left and right walls where Abigail stood. One side already had three high chairs labeled "Director," while the other side remained empty because a large screen was mounted on the wall.

Claire saw her boss engaged in a serious conversation with a middle-aged man. She approached her boss and greeted softly.

"Oh, yes. Mr. Roland, let me introduce my assistant, Claire. Claire, this is our Finance Director, Mr. Roland," Mrs. Shelly said warmly.

"This is apparently your trusted person. Beautiful, huh," Mr. Roland said without a hint of flirtation. "Is Shelly intimidating?" he asked, still in a friendly tone.

"A little, sir," Claire replied, answered with a gentle pinch on her waist.

"Don't start complaining just because you meet someone with a higher position than mine," Mrs. Shelly reprimanded with a mockingly stern look.

"Yes, Ma'am, just this once." Claire answered with a wry smile. She knew that her two bosses were just joking, so she responded in kind. "Next time, if I meet again, I might complain a bit more." She continued flatly, receiving a slight nod from Mr. Roland.

"Sure, sure. Next time, I'll be a good listener." His promise was sincere.

"So, what's my role now, Ma'am?" she asked confusedly. Claire came here to accompany her boss, but not to join the meeting. Because she wasn't a high-ranking executive like the others in the room.

"Wait for me in the lobby or at the cafeteria. Just don't wander off to the mall," Mrs. Shelly said, making Claire pout. "It's still working hours, Claire," the woman continued with a smile, and Claire just nodded. Both of them were just joking around.

Claire excused herself and then left the meeting room. She headed back to the receptionist and asked where the cafeteria was. Her intention was to wait for her manager there while eating and reading the novel she had just downloaded through a paid app on her phone.

Just as she was about to head to the elevator, she saw the man who had been in the elevator with the sexy woman standing in front of her, along with another man Claire knew.

"Are you accompanying Mrs. Shelly?" Altezza asked straightforwardly. Claire responded with a slight nod.

"Yes, Sir. Just being a chauffeur as usual," Claire replied, raising the corner of her mouth, her expression showing as if she didn't like that job. It made Altezza laugh.

"The position of being my personal driver is still open, Claire," Altezza replied with a teasing tone.

Claire looked at her boss with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want me to be mobbed by the masses?" she pretended to be afraid. "I work to earn money, not to find enemies. If I become your driver, your car's tires might go flat every time we want to go somewhere," she continued, making Altezza laugh again.

"You're exaggerating," Altezza replied, causing Claire to shrug. "You're like that, huh? Even though I really hoped you would become my personal driver." He teased playfully. Claire just responded with a smile.

The two of them seemed oblivious to the presence of another towering figure standing beside them, with a sharp gaze and a tightly closed jaw, until the man coughed softly.

Altezza turned to the man next to him and smiled. "We're having a meeting. You'll stay until it's finished, right?" Claire simply nodded. "In that case, see you later," he said, and Claire responded with another nod.

Claire entered the elevator and observed the backs of the two men. She knew who Altezza was; he held one of the highest positions in Coskun. However, she had never seen the other man before. But clearly, his position must be just as high as Altezza's. Claire just shrugged and pressed the elevator button to the floor where the cafeteria was located.