My breath hitched as our eyes locked., He stared back at me, unflinching, without a hint of avoidance., Every time, he was so open, so honest. In contrast, it was always me who felt jittery, as if being apart from him was somehow my fault.

"Speak of the devil, Mr. Collins, Director Hudson and I were just talking about you,

" Grant, with his ever-wagging tongue, quipped. Ernest just hummed, standing there straight as an arrow, without further comment.,

"Aren't you going to ask what we were saying about you?

" Grant was the type who loved to wield his words like a double-edged sword. Ernest remained silent, and Grant rubbed his nose,

"We said you've lost weight, and that you...

", Grant paused abruptly, then winked at me.

"Director Hudson, let's keep it from him.

", I couldn't help but chuckle internally, my lips curving up slightly., Ernest happened to glance over just then, but I quickly averted my gaze., If he didn't want me, I wasn't going to let him think I was desperate for him., I had received a call from Shirley at lunch. I had been meaning to call her myself, worried she might be inconvenienced being with Lord.,

"How are you doing? Everything alright?

" I asked as soon as the call connected.,

"I managed to dodge the bullet today,

" Shirley's tone was light., I didn't ask how she managed it. This woman had been able to stay by Lord's side for years, bearing him a daughter, all while harboring resentment. It spoke volumes of her cunning. Thinking back, I had once thought she was just a woman flaunting her looks, which now made me feel somewhat ashamed.,

"Did you have something else to discuss?

" I ventured.,

"I've found the person you were looking for. Do you want to meet them in person?

" Shirley's news took me by surprise., I had thought it would take at least a couple of weeks, not expecting such efficiency., Excited, I replied,

"If it's convenient, I'd like to meet them in person.

",

"I'll send you an address, just come over,

" Shirley said before hanging up and sending the location., The place was a bit out of the way, and my car was still in the shop. I considered taking a cab but felt it might not be appropriate. So, I went to find Grant,

"Mr. Smith, I had a bit of a car accident yesterday, and it's currently being repaired. I need to run an errand and was wondering if I could borrow a company car.

", ,

"You don't need to ask for things like that, just use it,

" Grant said, always so generous.

"Thanks!

" I said, ready to head out., But Grant called out to me,

"You mentioned a car accident, everything alright?

",

"It's fine, just a fender bender. The insurance is handling it.

",

"Good to hear you're okay. Take the car and go,

" Grant said, then reached into his drawer, pulling out an invitation and handing it to me. Puzzled, I opened it, and understanding Grant's intent, I asked,

"Mr. Smith, you want me to attend this cocktail party on Friday?

",

"Yeah, are you free?

" he asked.,

"I am, but I don't see a reason to go,

" I placed the invitation back on his desk., Grant raised an eyebrow,

"Oh?

", I smiled and said,

"The collaboration between the Collins and Wagner families doesn't seem to concern me in the slightest.

",

"How can you say that? The, foundation of their collaboration is, Mr. Collins' new project, which is also a feather in our company's cap. As part of the management, you should be there,

" Grant had away with words. , Still, I declined,

"Should doesn't mean must. Let's just say I'm not available.

", With that, I walked away, ignoring Grant's calls from behind. As I reached for the door to leave, he asked,

"Where are you driving off to?

", I teased back,

"A date.

", Laughing,, me and closed the door behind., me and turned around, only to fine Ernest standing just a step away, his dark, eyes intensely fixed on me. , Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.