Chapter 3

The next morning, I had just sat down at my desk.

Little Lin from the next table leaned over, lowering her voice mysteriously:

"Emmy, did you see yesterday's trending topics? Young CEO Lucas publicly acknowledged at the press conference that the baby in Olivia's belly is his!"

Before I could speak, Ms. Zhang snorted:

"Hmph, who can be sure about things in the entertainment industry? One moment they say it's movie star Jack's, the next they say it's Lucas's. It's all a mess."

"It must be Lucas's!" Little Lin excitedly slapped the table.

"Would someone of his status casually claim a child? Lucas has been pursuing Olivia for eight consecutive years, now he's finally gotten his wish. If you ask me, this is true love!"

Ms. Zhang raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile on her face:

"If you ask me, this child could be anyone's. I heard Olivia was working on a film with Jack recently, and they were very close on set..."

"But Lucas publicly acknowledged it..." Little Lin argued unconvincingly.

I listened to their discussion, feeling a mix of emotions.

Olivia was indeed pregnant, but the child wasn't Lucas's.

The baby's father, movie star Jack, was a married man, and his wife's family was powerful.

He wouldn't, and couldn't, acknowledge this child.

Olivia stubbornly wanted to keep the baby, but was afraid the rumors online would affect her career.

Lucas... he was quite willing to be the "fall guy".

I didn't want to hear anything more about Lucas, so I got up to get coffee.

Behind me, I heard Ms. Zhang's lowered voice: "Hey, have you noticed that every time we mention Lucas, Emmy's expression seems off..."

Just as I had a moment of peace, the manager notified me to go to the meeting room to receive clients.

The moment I opened the door, I froze.

"Emmy, long time no see."

The woman wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, dressed very discreetly.

But I still recognized her at a glance.

Olivia, the popular actress.

Also the woman Lucas had been proposing to for eight years.

Lucas handed water to Olivia, saying softly: "The temperature is just right, drink up."

My heart ached, as if pricked by a needle.

The usually carefree Lucas had never been so attentive to me.

It turns out he wasn't incapable of being considerate, his gentleness just never belonged to me.

Olivia smiled at me and said:

"Emmy, Lucas and I have decided to have the wedding soon. He says if we wait too long, the baby will be too big, and he's worried I'll get tired. Plus, it won't look good in a wedding dress.

"We'll plan the wedding according to Lucas's preferences, I like whatever he likes. You know Lucas best, so having you plan the wedding will definitely be twice as efficient."

"Oh, congratulations." I said, then turned to leave without looking back.

Lucas chased after me, cornering me at the stairwell, "Olivia is pregnant, can't you be a little more considerate of her feelings?"

"Taking care of her is your business, what does it have to do with me? I'm not her mother."

Lucas frowned, "Emma..."

I didn't want to hear him ramble, so I cut him off directly, "There are so many planning companies, please, find another one, okay?"

"Your company has the best reputation in the industry, I want to give Olivia a dream wedding with no regrets. Besides, Olivia is right, you know us best, I feel at ease leaving the wedding to you."

"You're sick." I cursed and turned to leave.

I was called to the manager's office, "You know who just came, right?"

"Oh, yes." I replied indifferently.

"One is the young master of Lucas Industries, one is a popular actress. Their wedding will not only bring us a lot of profit, but also greatly improve our reputation.

"They specifically requested that you plan the wedding."

"I refuse."

"You don't have the option to refuse. Otherwise, you and your team members can all get lost."

I returned to my seat, my emotions in turmoil. I didn't understand why Lucas was being so cruel.

He didn't come home all night, and then prepared such a huge "surprise" for me.

For eight years I loved him wholeheartedly, was he so confident because he was the one being loved?

I couldn't refuse this job, I could quit and leave.

But what about the other team members?

Most of them had elderly parents and young children to support.

They were burdened with car loans and mortgages, I couldn't be that selfish.