"Bang!"
A sound came from near the doorway as if something fell.
Janessa and Eric whipped their heads towards the sound and discovered that Alana was standing by
the door.
The expression on her face looked distraught.
She had brought porridge and pickles with her, which she now dropped all over the floor.
Janessa looked into Alana's eyes, which were red and swollen from crying herself to sleep all night.
Even though her eyes were concealed under sunglasses, it was obvious.
"Alana, did you get burned? Are you okay?"
Eric assumed that Alana was burned by the hot food and dropped it because of the pain.
He immediately grabbed a mop from the kitchen and began to tidy up the mess.
As he swept the floor, he kept looking up at Alana with concerned eyes.
"I...I'm fine.I dropped it by accident."
Alana continued to avert Janessa's eyes and attempted to cover up her swollen eyes.
She handed the bags on her other hand over to Eric.
As Eric reached out for her hand, their fingers touched for a brief moment.
At that moment, Alana could feel the warmth from his fingertips.
Her heart ached with longing, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"You brought a lot with you.Have you eaten yet? We should have breakfast together with us.I also
brought a lot of food with me!"
Eric grabbed Alana's arm and pulled her into the kitchen.
He was so enthusiastic this morning as if he were the man of the house, while Alana was only a guest.
"I don't have much of an appetite right now.Please take your time and enjoy the food.I suddenly
remembered that I have something to take care of, so I should leave now."
She pulled her arm out of Eric's hand and left without looking back at them.
The moment Alana turned to leave, Janessa spotted the tears in her eyes.
Alana must have overheard the conversation between her and Eric.
Janessa had asked Eric whether he had a girlfriend or not.
It wasn't Janessa's intention to hurt Alana.
She only wanted to get to know Eric so she could set him up with Alana.
The last thing she expected was for Alana to come back again with breakfast.
‘Would Alana think that I was trying to seduce Eric for myself?’ Janessa couldn't help but think to
herself.
Mixed feelings of regret and bitterness warred inside of Janessa.
"Janessa, what's the matter with Alana? Was she uncomfortable being here?"
Eric asked in a worried tone as he watched Alana walk away.
He also noticed that her eyes were red and swollen.
When he turned to look at Janessa, he saw a distressed look on her face.
He decided that it probably wasn't the right time to discuss the matter.
"Alana...She'll be okay,"
Janessa replied in a dazed tone.
How would she explain the situation to Eric? The relationship between the three of them was getting
more complicated.
"Alright, if you say so.Come and have some breakfast right now.I can drive you to the company
afterward."
Eric finished cleaning the floor before he took the seat opposite Janessa.
He watched as she ate her breakfast.
‘How could I eat right now? The last thing I want to do is think about food, ' Janessa thought helplessly
to herself.
When she glanced at her phone, she suddenly stood up.
It was already eight fifty! She had to meet with the Gu Group at nine-thirty, and she had to go back to
the Lu Group first.
Unfortunately for her, it was rush hour at the time, and there was no way for her to get to work on time.
Janessa quickly placed her chopsticks down and hurried to get dressed and ready for work.
Initially, she wanted to give Eric a set of spare keys, but Janessa decided against it.It would send the
wrong message to Alana if she did that.
"I'm going to be late for work! Please don't forget to lock up before you leave."
As she rushed out of the house, Eric suddenly pulled her back.
"What are you doing? I'm going to be late!"
Eric still couldn't determine what kind of person Janessa was.
Sometimes, she was so intelligent that he couldn't help but feel ignorant, but other times, she was as
clueless as a child.
Eric had a motorcycle, so he could take her to work.
Rush hour was more troublesome for those who drove cars.
However, motorcycles could easily travel through tight streets and lanes.
He could get her to work in half the time.
Without saying a word, Eric grabbed Janessa's hand and led her downstairs.
No matter how hard she struggled against him, Eric held her hand tightly.
He quickly led her downstairs,where his motorcycle was stored.
It wasn't until they got downstairs that Janessa realized what he was trying to do.
Eric wanted to bring her to the company on his motorcycle.
"You don't have to do that for me.We're not too far away from the company.I could take a taxi from
here."
Janessa shook off Eric's hand and took her phone out to call a taxi.
"Janessa, who are you kidding right now? It's the morning rush hour right now! Even if you were able to
book a taxi, which I highly doubt, you'd be lucky to get to work by nine-thirty.Come on! It's not like it's
the first time you've been on my motorcycle."
Eric couldn't understand why Janessa’s attitude towards him suddenly changed.
Earlier that morning, she was kind and friendly, but now, she was indifferent.
It was as if she was deliberately trying to distance herself away from him.
Her unpredictability towards him made him anxious and uncomfortable.
All he wanted was to be there for her.
He wasn't expecting her to reciprocate his feelings.
Eric wanted her to feel that he would be there for her whenever she needed him.
Janessa frantically looked at her watch, then met Eric's eyes.
After weighing the pros and cons of the situation, she then grabbed Eric's helmet.
Today's meeting was crucial to the company.
lf something happened to derail their plans, all of the time and hard work Janessa had invested would
be in vain.
It hadn't been easy for Janessa to reach this position.
There was no way she would give it up so easily.
She quickly seated herself at the back of Eric's motorcycle.
He expertly wove in between the cars and narrow streets to get her to the office as fast as possible.
Last night, fewer people on the road, so it was easier for them to drive faster.
However, even though the road was crowded, Eric was able to maintain a fast speed.
"Slow down! Please be careful!"
Janessa tightly wrapped her arms around Eric's waist in fear that she would get thrown off the
motorcycle.
As Eric felt the warmth of her arms around his waist, it only encouraged him to drive faster.
Janessa couldn't help but yelp out loud.
That was the first time she had ever experienced driving around at this speed.
When Eric noticed that Janessa was terrified, he slowed their speed.
Eric on his motorcycle could rival the speed of the racing cars.
The moment the clock reached eight fifty-eight, Eric slowed to a stop in front of the Lu Group.
"I told you we could make it.My driving skills are top- notch!" Eric proudly told Janessa.
Although she had gotten a taste of his "top-notch" driving skills last night, Janessa was still afraid to
ride on his motorcycle.
She was thankful for the helmet, which muffled the sounds of her screaMs.If she hadn't been wearing
one, they would've attracted a lot of attention on the way to the office.
When Janessa hopped off of the motorcycle, her knees buckled slightly.
She wasn't feeling particularly nauseous, but she felt like she had ridden a roller coaster.
"If you drive me around like that in the future, I won't get on your motorcycle ever again!"
There was no time for Janessa to relieve her discomfort, and she bolted into the office building of the
Lu Group.
Eric couldn't help but laugh as he watched Janessa scramble towards the office.
The girls around him swooned when they saw the dashing smile on his face.
He waited for her to get upstairs before he put his helmet back on and drove away.
His dashing figure made a group of girls nearby screamed infatuatedly again.
The moment Janessa reached her floor, she headed straight for the planning department.She briefly
looked around when she entered.
Sally wasn't on her desk.Janessa's brows furrowed in confusion.
Did something happen to her?
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