Chapter 4

The Porsche pulled into the company garage's reserved parking spot.

I turned off the engine but didn't immediately get out.

I looked at myself in the rearview mirror---red lips like blood, eyes like ice.

Perfect. This was the armor and weaponry I needed.

I pushed open the door and got out. My heels struck the polished epoxy floor, making crisp "click, click, click" sounds.

The sound echoed through the empty underground garage, amplified and clear, like war drums.

I entered the elevator and pressed the top floor directly---the CEO's office level.

The elevator doors opened.

The familiar reception desk, the familiar logo wall.

But today's atmosphere was completely different.

The normally quiet and orderly office area now permeated with an eerie silence.

Everyone sat at their workstations, pretending to work diligently.

But their wandering eyes, perked ears, and the subtle movements of secretly communicating through office software betrayed them all.

The air floated with the scent of gossip and speculation.

When I appeared in their view wearing a strikingly red dress.

The entire office area seemed to hit pause.

All eyes, in an instant, focused on me in unison.

Shock, curiosity, sympathy, schadenfreude...

Various complex emotions wove into an invisible net, covering me.

I ignored it all.

I straightened my back, chin slightly raised, eyes looking straight ahead.

My target was the office at the end of the corridor, the one belonging to Ethan.

The sound of my heels became the only sound in this dead silence.

Each step seemed to land on everyone's hearts.

They watched me like watching the lead actress of the year's biggest drama personally take the stage.

I walked past expressionlessly.

The closer I got to the CEO's office, the clearer the whispers became.

"Oh my god, Emma really came!"

"Dressed like that... is she here to declare war?"

"There's going to be a good show. Quick, quick, open the meeting software, let's livestream this."

"Lily's still in Mr. Brooks's office. Saw her crying when she went in this morning, hasn't come out."

I listened to these voices, the cold smile on my lips flashing briefly.

Perfect.

The audience was all in position.

I walked to that closed, heavy solid wood door.

The door's soundproofing was excellent, but I could still faintly hear from inside the suppressed, intermittent sound of crying.

Lily's voice.

I didn't knock.

Under everyone's gaze, I raised my hand, directly turned the handle, and forcefully pushed open the door.

The moment the door opened, the scene inside clearly entered my view, and also entered the countless pairs of eyes peeking from the corridor.

Inside the office, Ethan stood by his desk.

And Lily sat on the guest sofa, crying piteously, shoulders shaking.

Ethan held a tissue in his hand, his body leaning slightly forward, about to hand it to her.

His face was full of irritation and sympathy.

Hearing the door open, both looked toward the entrance simultaneously.

Seeing me, Lily's crying stopped abruptly, like a duck with its neck grabbed.

Panic flashed quickly through her eyes, then was covered by thicker grievance and tears.

And Ethan, the moment he saw me, froze completely.

The tissue in his hand just awkwardly stopped in mid-air.

The entire office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking at this "touching" scene before me.

I smiled, breaking the silence.

"Mr. Brooks, busy? I'm not interrupting, am I?"