Chapter 4
Clouds of orange light swirled across the sky and the passage of time became visible.
The magazine's editorial department was lit up with direct-light desk lamps. Everyone was immersed in the sound of the keyboard. And even the air was filled with a sense of urgency for the deadline.
Vanessa Green's feeling of confusion dissipated only when she reached the end of the day's work. And she accepted the fact that the man who tried to hit on her last night was the brother-in-law of the mistress, and that he had taken a grudge and rejected her today.
He was quite vindictive, wasn't he?
Vanessa Green did not know the fact that her lips were curved in a strange way. She stared intently at the screen. She was typing rapidly and mumbling. She looked like she was overflowing with ideas and inspiration.
And yet---
"The banks' finance companies are expected to undertake new financing plans next year. The BCI urged the scum to die so that he could be thwarted and taken to fertilizer. And the mistress has irregular periods and her face is full of acne. One person with grey nails can spread it to others."
"What?" Tracy Jonesn, who was sitting beside her, squinted and poked his upper body over. After taking a look, he asked, "What are you writing about?"
As if her soul had returned to her body, Vanessa Green blinked, scanned the screen, and calmly deleted the sentences.
"It's nothing."
She turned off the computer and looked up at the haze outside the window. Then she lost in thought.
After finishing writing this afternoon's summit draft, Vanessa Green did not go home from work, but continued to stay in the office to write the outline of the interview targeting Shawn Yeats.
She was unlucky in relationship. So, she had to be successful in the work. Vanessa Green was bound to come up with a stunning draft that would shock Zoie Lopez. Or Zoie Lopez would always think that she was a wretch after losing her love.
Vanessa Green was a person who was not only vindictive but also had a strong sense of self-esteem.
On Friday, Vanessa Green took a tape recorder and a transcript to the headquarters of Mondred Bank.
The headquarters of Mondred Bank, like other office buildings, required visitors to register their identity at the reception desk on the ground floor.
The orientation of the office building was good and the sunlight came directly in, spreading on the smiling faces of the three men and women in formal wear at the reception desk. It brought a little warmth to the cold building.
The security guard stood aside, glanced at the press card hanging on Vanessa Green's clothes, and said in a casual manner, "Are all the reporters at your magazine so pretty?"
Vanessa Green smiled, and responded with a flattering smile.
But the moment she picked up the pen, her eyes suddenly flickered.
Lily Scott?
How could there be Lily Scott's name on the register?
It was a common name, but she didn't think these two had the same name. After all, the purpose of the visit was listed as "interview".
Vanessa Green had been at odds with Lily Scott since the first day she joined the magazine. During the past two years, they had often been involved in information-grabbing.
So, when Vanessa Green saw Lily Scott's name on the register and noticed that the time of the visit was 10 a.m. today, she suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart.
Vanessa Green immediately ran towards the lift.
In the lift, time seemed to pass very slowly. Although Vanessa Green was standing straight, her hands were unconsciously clenched into fists and her heart was hanging in her throat.
Half a minute later, the lift arrived at the corresponding floor. A "ding" pierced Vanessa Green's calmness. And when she looked up, she saw Barron Chance passing through the corridor in front of her.
"Barron Chance!" Vanessa Green called out to him as she stepped out of the lift in three steps. "I'm Vanessa Green, a reporter from Financeweek. And I have an appointment with the President's Office for a character interview at 3:30 this afternoon."
Barron Chance frowned slightly. He was very puzzled, "Don't you have something to do?"
Hearing this, she felt that she was hopeless.
Lily Scott had really come to intercept the interview.
As expected, Barron Chance said immediately, "Your colleague has already finished this interview."
Vanessa Green's brain instantly went blank.
Barron Chance looked at his wristwatch and added: "She came in the morning, and Mr. Shi was free at that time."
Vanessa Green, "......"
If swear words were silenced, the beeping in her mind would have been a nuisance.
But what could she do?
Shawn Yeats accepted the invitation from Financeweek. So, they didn't care which journalist was coming and would not take the consequences for their internal disputes.
And the manuscript had to be published. The most the editor-in-chief could do was to reprimand Lily Scott for being unethical. It was impossible to cancel the interview with Shawn Yeats for this so-called "moral sense".
Vanessa Green nodded, clenched his teeth and forced out a stiff smile.
"I'm sorry, we didn't communicate properly."
In fact, a smart person like Barron Chance must have known what was going on. But he certainly didn't want to meddle, so he waited for Vanessa Green to finish speaking and he nodded, "Hope that we didn't bring you so much trouble."
"No..." Vanessa Green's voice suddenly stopped, and the word "trouble" that followed did not come out. She stared blankly at the opposite.
She looked at the opposite room, which was ten meters away from her.
The doors of the president's office opened automatically to both sides. And the six assistants and secretaries sitting at the workstations outside the door got up one after another. A young woman in a professional dress, holding a pile of papers, also immediately stepped aside.
Where the light came into focus, the man sauntered in, calm, silent but drawing everyone's attention.
As his eyes skimmed over a random spot, the frame of his glasses reflected the cool dots of light that adorned his silhouette. The cold temperament was overwhelming.
The windows around him were clean. But it was surprisingly quiet.
Vanessa Green blinked her eyes to make sure she wasn't mistaken. She realized that the man in front of her was the "brother-in-law", whom she had been looking for for a week.
But instead of the joy she felt at the moment, she felt like she had been struck by lightning.
Seeing him in this place, she could almost conclude that this was the man she had been talking about for half a month, Shawn Yeats.
No wonder Jackson Scott had to run away with someone else, it turned out that he had such a background behind him.
What a coincidence!
This destiny was really wonderful!
If Vanessa Green hadn't rejected his hit on her and run off to hit on him again.
While Vanessa Green's mind was thundering, Barron Chance had already walked over to Shawn Yeats and whispered at his ear.
Shawn Yeats raised her eyes and looked over. His look was colliding with Vanessa Green's confused, bewildered and embarrassed gaze.
Vanessa Green's expression froze. But she couldn't withdraw her gaze naturally. She just looked straight at Shawn Yeats.
They only stared at each other for a second or two. No matter what Vanessa Green's expression was at the moment, Shawn Yeats was oblivious to the various messages in her eyes. He withdrew his gaze tamely and walked towards the lift.
Vanessa Green stood still, thinking frantically and quickly listing two possible plans for herself.
First, leave here immediately, pretend that nothing had happened. And from then on, the name, Vanessa Green would disappear from Shawn Yeats's world.
Second, the primary school teacher had said that one should not give up any opportunity, one should rise to the occasion. She had to do the interview even acting as his auntie.
Her body seemed to have made the choice in advance instead of her brain.
Vanessa Green quickly curled her smiling eyes with a faint smile at the corners of her mouth.
She had long, thick and silky black hair. It was parted in the middle, with one side of her hair pinned behind her ear and the other hanging naturally beside her cheek in a dignified manner.
But when she smiled, the sparkle in her eyes could not even be suppressed by the seriousness of her dress, like a butterfly fluttering its wings and scrambling to be the first to fly out.
In this solemn office aisle, her whole person seemed to come alive.
But Shawn Yeats's eyes never fell on her again. He walked on straight as if she was a wax statue.
Vanessa Green, "......"
Her smile remained the same. She stared into the air and nodded to cheer herself up. Then she turned and spoke, "Mr. Shawn, we have an interview scheduled for this afternoon."
Shawn Yeats stopped in his tracks and looked over sideways, raising his eyebrows for a moment.
The air here seemed to stop flowing, as the sights of the assistants and secretaries fell on Vanessa Green and Shawn Yeats.
Everyone in the room knew that the interview with Financeweek was over.
Even Barron Chance, who was at the side, was confused for a moment.
This lady had lost her memory?
How could Vanessa Green did not feel the atmosphere around her. She was also very nervous. But she still had to pretend as if she knew nothing.
If she didn't give it a try, she would gain nothing for today.
Vanessa Green pinched the palm of her hand, raised her smile and her voice was clear: "I ...... have been looking forward to this interview for a long time, and I finally come to this moment. Would it be convenient for you to do it now?"
Just then, the aisle was so quiet that even a pin dropping on the ground could be heard.
The upper eyelid of Shawn Yeats dropped gently. He saw her hands hanging at the side of her legs, tightly clasped when retracting his sight.
The bones of her fingers were bruised because Her grasp was firm.
Suddenly, the person in front of him frowned. Her lips curled slightly, stared at him intently and said in a voice so small that only he could hear it, "Just for a little while, okay?"
The back of Shawn Yeats's teeth suddenly itched.
A moment later.
He didn't even raise his eyes. But his emotionless voice came through loud and clear to everyone's ears.
"Come here."
There was an eerie silence around the room.
Everyone looked at each other, shocked but not daring to ask more questions.
The only one who finally reacted was probably Vanessa Green.
It was only when Shawn Yeats stepped away did she snapped back to her senses.
---Would it be convenient for you to do it now?
---Come here.
According to Vanessa Green's understanding, that meant: Fine with it!
He was really kind!
She turned around in surprise, and Shawn Yeats was already walking to the lift. So she immediately followed him.
---
The lift was descending at an even speed.
The space they were in had changed from a spacious office area to a relatively small lift. It was a four-square space. It was very easy for people to concentrate.
So, Vanessa Green calmed down for the moment. She glanced at the lift button and saw that the light was on for the underground parking garage on the negative two.
Vanessa Green didn't know why he was going to the underground parking garage. So, she glanced at Shawn Yeats's back and Barron Chance who was watching next to her, and carefully said to Shawn Yeats, "Mr. Shawn, may I ask you where we are now going to-"
Suddenly, there was a mobile phone ringing.
Vanessa Green could clearly distinguish that it was Shawn Yeats's phone. So, she had the good sense to shut up.
However, Shawn Yeats slowly took out his phone, glanced at it and then hung up.
Not long after, Barron Chance's phone rang again.
Vanessa Green could not see the expression on Shawn Yeats's face when he hung up the phone just now, but she could see Barron Chance's face.
After seeing the caller ID, he quickly frowned and then answered it.
Before he could speak, Vanessa Green clearly heard a shrill woman's voice coming from the phone, "Ask my uncle to pick up the phone!"
That was the mistress!
Vanessa Green's reaction became almost physical. She couldn't even hold in a bad chill in her stomach. Her hands clutched the chain of her bag. And she stared at Shawn Yeats's back with all kinds of emotions.
She would like to see what kind of attitude Shawn Yeats has towards her niece.
Barron Chance handed out the phone. And before he could say anything, Shawn Yeats spoke as if he got eyes in his back. "Tell her not to appear in front of me if she is naughty."
His tone was calm, as if he was explaining the three meals of the day. But there was an inexplicable sense of oppression in his voice.
Vanessa Green, "......"
She hooked the corners of her lips and smiled coldly.
He was quite dignified.
Why didn't he teach his niece not to be a mistress?
Barron Chance gave a "hmm" and told her. The phone was then hung up.
It was quiet again.
It wasn't until she reached the underground parking garage that her mind eased up from the forcefulness of Shawn Yeats's attitude towards his niece.
This was a better situation than she had imagined.
A strong-minded uncle, who stands by his word That would be good for her to finish the interview.
The lift door was opened and Shawn Yeats walked out. Vanessa Green followed his step.
When they reached a car, the driver pulled open the right door for Shawn Yeats. Only then did he seem to remember that there was someone else behind him. He stopped and slowly turned his upper body sideways, looking down at Vanessa Green.
"I have a two-hour drive, we can talk in the car."
Although he wasn't asking for permission either, Vanessa Green nodded haughtily, "Yes."
It was all right to say it under the car!
Shawn Yeats didn't give another response, loosening a button on his suit as he turned around and then got into the car.
Vanessa Green looked at the car in front of her. She couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth.
Jackson Scott couldn't believe it. She got into this car before her.
Although there were four people inside the car, there was no sound.
It seemed that where Shawn Yeats was present, it was extraordinarily quiet.
This was Vanessa Green's first feeling when she got into the car. The man was like a walking muffler.
He leaned back in the chair, took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with the wipe paper.
He sensed movement next to him and turned his eyes to the right. The long hair of Vanessa Green, who was getting into the car with her skirt pressed at the waist, hung down like a waterfall. And a faint fragrance of her hair was blown into his nose by the wind.
She was wearing a beige skirt that shrank up to ten centimeters above her knees as she sat down with her legs angled, revealing a pair of long and slender legs. Her legs were surprisingly whiter than her skirt.
He withdrew his sight and put on glasses.
The car slowly drove out of the underground parking garage. And the fragrance still seemed to linger on the tip of his nose.
Shawn Yeats suddenly asked, "Is it cold?"
Vanessa Green froze for a moment, looking up at Shawn Yeats.
She hadn't expected him to ask her this.
He was too thoughtful and meticulous.
"It's not cold." Vanessa Green smiled and shook her head.
Shawn Yeats raised his knees and calmly instructed the driver, "Open the window."
The window was rolled down, and a cold wind of late autumn scraped unmercifully on Vanessa Green's face. Even her breath was harsh.
Vanessa Green, "......"
Just because she was not cold didn't mean she felt hot!