Chapter 2

I stopped outside Damian Thorne's office window.

Mr. Harrison's voice started up again.

"Damian, you're insistent on shoving Skylar Reed onto the board… Is there a personal motive here?"

Damian chuckled.

"Mr. Harrison, I won't lie to you. Yes, I've developed feelings for Skylar."

"As for Ellie… Hmph, she's just a corporate socialite now. How do you think those big deals came through? Wasn't it all thanks to her looks and… her body? Why do those senior executives at the client companies only want to deal with *her*? God knows how many times she's slept with them behind closed doors. She's so dirty."

My body froze, as if doused with ice water.

I had drunk myself to stomach bleeding for this company, plastered a fake smile on my face until my muscles ached, only for him to call me "so dirty"?

Damian's tone softened slightly.

"But I know she did it for the company. I just had to pretend not to notice."

"But she's tainted, and Skylar can't be. Skylar is as clean as a blank page. I have to protect her, help her succeed, and keep her from going down Ellie's dirty path."

Mr. Harrison looked confused.

"But… what's so great about this Skylar Reed? Why should she get all the benefits?"

Damian took a drag from his cigarette, seeming to get lost in thought.

"Don't you see it? Her naive, innocent, and kind demeanor… she's so much like Ellie was in college! And she's even more delicate than young Ellie, making you want to protect her."

Mr. Harrison hesitated.

"Naive? Innocent? Ellie back then… she wasn't quite like that, was she? I remember her being quite strong-willed and hardworking…"

Just then, the office door burst open with a loud *bang*, interrupting Mr. Harrison.

"Damian, sweetie!"

Skylar Reed burst in, completely ignoring Mr. Harrison, and plopped herself directly onto Damian's lap.

Her arms wrapped around his neck with practiced ease, and she snuggled into his embrace.

Damian didn't seem awkward at all; instead, he lovingly wrapped an arm around her waist.

"What's wrong, my little troublemaker? What kind of mischief have you gotten into now?"

Skylar pouted, wiggling her body.

"Today, I accidentally sent our purchasing price list to Mr. Jenkins instead of the product brochure. Now he knows how much we're making and he's furious! What should I do, Damian? I really didn't mean to!"

Damian laughed heartily, as if this was the funniest thing in the world.

"I thought it was something major! What's so hard about that? Just let Ellie handle it. She's best at smoothing things over. She can fix any mess."

Skylar's eyes lit up.

"So… if we secure this project in the end, will it count towards my业绩? Will Ms. Vance get mad?"

Damian pinched her cheek, his voice indulgent.

"Of course it's yours! Silly girl, the credit, the bonus, it's all yours! What's she going to say? I'm here."

Skylar instantly beamed, giving Damian a loud, unashamed kiss on the cheek.

Mr. Harrison, beside them, was squirming in his seat, his face deeply uncomfortable.

"Uh… Damian, something just came up. I'll take my leave now."

Damian patted Skylar's behind.

"Skylar, stand up for a moment. I'll see Mr. Harrison out."

Skylar wiggled playfully, hugging him tighter.

"No way, I'm tired. I want Damian to hold me!"

Damian gave a helpless yet delighted smile, and just waved goodbye to Mr. Harrison while still holding Skylar.

Mr. Harrison shook his head, sighed, and quickly left.

Before the door was fully closed, ambiguous kissing sounds and Skylar's soft gasps could be heard from inside.