Ayla ruffled through the folders from the drawer until she found what she was looking for.
"This is for Mr.Clark."
Her smile was confident as she handed her documents to Ellie.
She was sure her design drafts fully showcased her abilities which she knew were rather considerable.
Ellie quickly received Ayla's papers and handed them to Brian.
"These documents require your attention, Mr.Clark."
She felt her heartbeat anxiously speed up as Brian took the folder from her hands.She had heard so
much about him even before she entered the company, and it was the first time she saw him in
person.She found him quite intimidating.
"Hmmm," Brian murmured as he carefully perused Ayla's designs, leafing through each draft one by
one.
Anna, who was standing beside Brian, sullenly watched him as he calmly examined Ayla's work.Her
fists clenched into tight balls.
She knew that Brian would abandon her because of Ayla's appearance.She would not allow it! Done
with his scrutiny, Brian closed Ayla's folder.
"Anna, tell me, what's wrong with these design drafts?"
His tone of voice was strictly professional when he spoke, cold and devoid of any hint of tenderness.
Unable to come up with a suitable response, Anna could only press her lips tightly together and sulk in
silence.
"You have nothing to say, right?" Brian's eyes narrowed in warning.
"Anna."
He had always allowed Anna to do whatever she wanted, even when she challenged his decisions time
and time again.
He tolerated her simply because of all that she had done for him in many years.
When it came to Ayla, however, it was time he drew a bottom line.
Ignoring the tension in the room, Ayla stood up and put away the design drafts.
"So, what do you think, Mr.Clark?"
She chattered nonchalantly as she fixed the papers in their folder.
"If you think there is no problem with these design drafts, you can use them to make sample
clothes.But there is not much time left.If you find them unsatisfactory, you can return them to me and I
will make the necessary modifications."
Brian just looked at her, and said, "There's no need for that.I will deal with the rest.You can rest today."
"Miss Anna, you heard Mr.Clark.You won't count it as an absence if I took my leave now, will you?"
Having said thus, Ayla blithely picked up her handbag and left the office.
With Ayla out of the room, Brian turned to Anna, his expression forbidding.
"You're going back to the company with me."
Ayla returned to her apartment, fully intending to rest even without Brian's permission.
But it suddenly came to her mind that she had forgotten to take the doctor- prescribed medication when
she left the hospital in a hurry.
After ten minutes of resting on the sofa, she heard the doorbell ring.
She went to open the door, not bothering to peek through the peephole.
There was only one person who the security guard allowed access to her room any time of day, with no
need for preamble.
Brian Clark.
Only it wasn't him this time.
"Who are you?"
Ayla regarded the strange man at her doorstep warily.
"Mrs.Clark, I am..."
Ayla's eyebrows rose at the way the man addressed her.
"You're mistaken, I'm not Mrs.Clark.My family name is Woodsen,"
Ayla curtly corrected the man.
What was this? Why did Brian make the man call her that? Must he continue to hurt her so? She hadn't
truly been Mrs.Clark.
Not two years ago, let alone two years after.It was an empty title, devoid of substance.
She might be his wife in name, but not where it mattered.
Unaware of the anguish he'd awakened in Ayla's heart, the man continued to speak.
"Mrs.Clark, Mr.Clark asked me to bring this to you."
Ayla felt annoyed by the man's stubbornness, but she could not fault the guy for not daring to disobey
his employer's order.
Reluctantly, she accepted the food and medicine he delivered.
"Fine.You can go back now."
As the man began walking away, Ayla called out in a huff, "And please don't call me Mrs.Clark next
time."
Ayla closed the door as soon as the man left.She placed his delivery on the dining table and laid out its
contents.
Among them was a container filled with hot millet porridge.
'Was he ever so thoughtful?’ She never expected that man to have a caring side.
Ayla scoffed at the thought.
It must be a deliberate ploy of his to get back in her good graces.
Even so, she disliked wasting food, and she needed a full stomach to be able to take her medicine.
At the company's head office, Anna gloomily watched as Brian personally arranged for Ayla's designs
to be made into sample clothes.
"Anna, prepare a studio for Ayla here in the head office..."
Brian gruffly ordered as he finalized his preparations.
"Brian, do you have to treat me like this as soon as she came back? What did she do to enthrall you
so? Don't you know that she has been with Lucas?"
Anna smiled as a stricken look came upon Brian's face.She didn't wish to hurt him, but he must know.
Ayla was with Lucas now, so she didn't deserve Brian.
"What did you just say?"
Brian clasped Anna's arms and squeezed tightly.
"Who did you say is with Lala?"
‘Did I hear correctly? Lucas? How could it be?’
"Brian, you're hurting me!" Anna shouted.
She was just telling the truth, so why was he so angry at her?
"Who is it? Say his name again! " Brian growled, shaking Anna furiously.
"It's Lucas Collins," Anna replied softly, too scared to raise her voice.
Brian released Anna's arms as if scalded.He pointed to the door and roared.
"Get out!"
She immediately complied and almost ran out of his office.
Alone, Brian slumped into his chair and buried his face in his hands.
Dire thoughts flooded his mind.
‘‘Is she aware of the relationship between Tatum and Lucas? In the past two years they'd been
together, what had happened between them? Is she in love with that guy now?’’
If he hadn't found out about the relationship between Ayla and Lucas, he would have taken his sweet
time and slowly wooed her back to him.
But things had changed.
If Ayla continued staying with Lucas, she would be used as a pawn by those two men.
He didn't care if he had to trade everything of his for her safety.He was more afraid she would end up
being hurt.
Brian decided to give Jaime a call.
The man answered almost immediately.
"Can I be of assistance, Mr.Clark?"
"Jaime, can you check if Lucas is still in Thailand? Brian fervently wished Lucas would never come
back.
It was the only way to keep Ayla from being harmed.
"Mr.Clark, I'm sorry to report that Lucas had boarded a plane leaving Thailand an hour ago.He might
arrive soon."
Brian felt his blood run cold when he heard Jaime’s words.
"I see.Keep your eyes on Tatum."
As soon as he hung up his phone, Brian drove straight to Ayla's apartment.
Ayla was napping on the sofa when the doorbell rang again, and with an annoyed sigh, she went to
answer it.
She had barely cracked open the door when it was suddenly pushed forward, revealing that her
unwanted visitor this time around to be Brian.
"Mr.Clark, you are trespassing," Ayla said sternly as Brian strode in uninvited.
She regarded him with irritation that grew by the minute.
How dare he casually barge into her place as if he owned it? This was her residence, not his villa.How
could he just come and go as he pleased?
"I'm trespassing? Really?"
He cocked his head arrogantly.
"Then, sue me."
Brian walked towards the living room, and negligently sat down on the sofa.He pulled out a thin blanket
from where he was sitting and wondered if she had fallen asleep on the couch just
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