Amelia stood up to get the door after hearing the knock. It was Sasha who was waiting to be let in. She
wore dark makeup with matching red lips, which only made her look more intimidating. Sasha's face
immediately changed when she saw that it was Amelia who opened the door. Amelia was about to
greet Sasha, but the latter walked past her and went directly to Lucian's desk. She spoke almost
seductively, "This is the sales report for this quarter, Lucian. I worked overtime last night to sort out the
data. Please have a look."
"We're at the office, Sasha," Lucian replied without raising his head to acknowledge her. He reached
out to take the papers from her hands and began flipping through the pages.
"Well... Mr. Lucian." Seeing that her seductive talk wasn't making an effect on Lucian, Sasha dropped
the act and spoke formally.
Amelia sneaked back to her desk, careful not to make a noise lest she interrupt their conversation.
Once seated, she tried to take a peek at what was happening over at Lucian's desk.
Sasha was wearing a form-fitting blazer paired with a very short skirt, which revealed her shapely
figure. The black stockings and red high heels complemented her feminine charms.
"I got this. Thanks," Lucian said curtly, still scanning the document in his hands. He was completely
ignoring Sasha.
"Are you free after work, Lucian?" Sasha asked softly. But since there were only three of them in the
room, it was impossible for Amelia to not hear everything.
She braced herself while waiting for Lucian's reply. Amelia was afraid that Lucian would say yes, but
she tried her best to look engrossed in her work to care.
Lucian raised his head to look at Sasha. Without answering her question, he said coldly, "Ask Kent and
Melissa of the Sales Department to come to my office now."
The mention of those names drew Amelia's attention. She remembered Melissa, having ran into her on
the stairs the last time. She knew her name because Kent called out to her.
Amelia wondered if they'd done anything wrong for Lucian was asking to see them. Lucian looked
rather displeased.
"Okay," Sasha obeyed. She was about to make her way to the door when after a moment's hesitation,
she asked, "You do know what day it is today, right, Lucian?"
"I know," Lucian said, scowling.
"Do you need me to keep you company?" Sasha leaned against Lucian's desk, her long legs crossed
suggestively.
It seemed to Amelia that the two began to talk in whispers as she could no longer understand what
they were saying.
She could only watch as Sasha spoke softly almost directly into Lucian's ear. Without looking at her,
Lucian clearly replied, "I'll wait for you in the lobby after work."
Amelia's mouth fell wide open. It was as if her worst fear had been confirmed.
Satisfied with Lucian's answer, Sasha turned around and gave Amelia a smug smile. She then saw
herself out of the office, strutting in her stiletto heels.
There was a long silence after that.
Amelia played with the thought of asking Lucian directly if he had plans for the night. But she also
wondered if doing so would make it clear to Lucian that she was eavesdropping on his conversation
with Sasha.
She turned to look at Lucian and saw a stern expression on his face. His eyebrows were slightly
twisted as if in anger.
Amelia felt strange. The sweet and tender moments of that morning had gone and had been replaced
with feelings of discomfort.
Not wanting to get Lucian's attention, Amelia tried to concentrate on the papers on her desk. That was
when she noticed that she had accidentally spilled a few drops of water on a document while trying to
listen to Sasha's whispers. In her panic, she raised the file and tried to blow on it to dry.
It's this behavior that called Lucian's attention. She heard his serious voice call out from the other side
of the office, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing!" Amelia replied nervously.
Lucian didn't press and continued to sort out the documents on his desk.
There was a knock on the door again and Amelia scrambled to her feet to open it.
It was Kent and Melissa.
The last time she ran into Melissa, she only caught a glimpse of her back. Looking at her now, Amelia
saw that Melissa's skin was fair and it complemented her trendy hair color. She looked very
professional in her smart blazer and pencil skirt.
It was Kent who greeted Amelia when she held the door open for them to enter. "Hey, Amelia!" he said,
smiling.
Amelia instantly remembered the night Courtney poured her wine over him. Feeling embarrassed for
Kent, she merely nodded politely.
Melissa felt compelled to greet her, too, knowing who Amelia was and who she was married to.
"You were looking for us, Mr. President?" The two approached Lucian's desk as Amelia found her way
back to her seat. She was careful to pretend that she was busy sorting out her files while she was
actually listening to the conversation at the other end of the room.
Were Melissa and Kent in a relationship after Kent and Courtney broke up? Amelia could only wonder.
She envied the love between Kent and Courtney, especially after she broke up with Jasper. But it
seemed as if even their love was not meant to last forever.
"I don't care about your personal affairs, but it looks like it's been affecting the rest of the Sales
Department. Do you get what I'm saying?" Lucian said furiously. He threw the folder he was holding on
his desk and leaned back against his leather chair, sizing up the people in front of him.
Amelia was flustered. Forgetting all pretense, she looked up and watched the three of them talk.
It was good that Melissa and Kent stood with their backs toward her. Amelia watched and waited.
"Mr. Lucian, Kent and I love each other; it's true. How is that everyone else's business?" Melissa's
voice was dripping with resentment.
Everything was suddenly clear to Amelia. Kent and Melissa's relationship had finally been confirmed.
Amelia wished they were not in the office. If so, she would have had immediately confronted Kent and
asked if he had already forgotten his promise to Courtney.
"Romantic relationships between employees are not allowed following company policy," Lucian said in
a strict tone.
"Mr. Lucian, how does this company expect to retain employees with policies like that?" Melissa was
unafraid of the threat behind Lucian's words. She merely smiled and continued, "The Sales Department
is at the heart of the company's revenue stream. Are you sure you want to fire us for breaking such a
silly rule?"
Melissa was in charge of the company's market research. She had been with Zhan Group for more
than two years and was the leading candidate for the Sales Director position. She was not scared of
being fired from her post because she knew that she was one of the company's assets.
What she didn't know, however, was that there was nothing Lucian hated more than intimidation.
Nothing, not even Melissa's stunning work performance could sway his decision. On the contrary, it
was her words that completely ruined all her chances of keeping her job.
"I refuse to work with any employee who has absolutely no regard for the laws and policies that govern
this enterprise, not even if she's the best at what she does," Lucian said coldly.
Melissa's face turned pale after hearing her employer's final decision. She couldn't believe that she was
losing her job. She cried, "Mr. Lucian, there are other single women in our department who are also in
relationships with male colleagues. Why am I being singled out?"
"You went out of your way to go against company policy." Lucian turned to Kent as he said this. "I don't
like taking risks. If I think that something's bad for the company, I immediately do away with it. You two
best head back and clear out your desks."
Kent was equally stunned and couldn't believe what he just heard. He was about to say something, but
Melissa interrupted him, "What? Are you going to give our love up for this job?"
Melissa and Amelia were of the same age, but while Melissa was realistic and cunning, Amelia was
idealistic and romantic. When Melissa dropped the word "love," Amelia could not help but sneer.
Kent had joined Zhan Group about a month ago and Melissa had only known him since. How could it
be the same love that Courtney and Kent had shared for years?
"We'll be leaving now, Mr. Lucian," Kent replied politely. To avoid further embarrassment, he dragged
with him Melissa, who looked like she still wanted to protest. Passing by her desk on the way to the
door, Kent gave Amelia a meaningful look.
It was only a brief connection, but Amelia saw anger in Kent's eyes.
She wasn't sure if Kent's anger was aimed at her. She thought it strange given that they had been
friends for a long time.
"Mr. Lucian, I'd like to step out for a while," Amelia said when the two left the room. She immediately
stood up. Kent couldn't have gone far away yet. She wanted to ask him what was going on with him
and Melissa.
Lucian already knew what was going through Amelia's head. "He's still angry. Do you really want to
start interrogating him?" he asked, his eyes were now back on the files on his desk.
Amelia had already considered what Kent must be feeling. But they'd known each other for years and
she understood why Kent was feeling that way.
"Yes. I need to ask him now," came Amelia's stubborn reply. She'd already made her way to the door.
Lucian didn't try to stop her, but he did remind Amelia to not let her emotions get the best of her.
As soon as Amelia stepped out of the office, Lucian called his assistant Eric and asked him to follow
Amelia. "If anything happens, let me know," he ordered.
Melissa and Kent were about to enter the elevator when Amelia caught up with them. "Kent, wait!" she
called out.
The two turned around at the same time to see Amelia trying to catch her breath. Kent looked surprised
while Melissa looked displeased to see her.
"What do you want, Mrs. Amelia?" Melissa said, flipping her long hair. She didn't bother to hide the
rudeness in her tone.
Smiling faintly at Kent, Amelia asked, "Can we talk for a bit?"
"You can say whatever it is you have to say right in front of me. I'm not leaving without Kent," Melissa
interjected. Amelia's face was getting red out of annoyance. Kent didn't seem to want to make a reply.
Melissa clearly had a dominating personality. Amelia couldn't understand how Kent could've fallen for
her.
Courtney would get capricious every now and then, but for most of the time, she had always been
rather innocent. She listened to Kent and followed him, going so far as to argue with her family in order
to defend their relationship. Amelia didn't expect that Kent's preferences in women would change.
"What do you say, Kent?" Amelia continued addressing her friend, not wanting to throw another glance
at Melissa.
Embarrassed, Kent hesitated but eventually turned to Melissa. She was standing in front of the elevator
door, tapping her foot impatiently. "Amelia's my friend. I want to talk to her alone."
Hearing this, Amelia wondered if he was still the same Kent she knew.
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