Chapter 11

Sitting at her desk, Tiffany stared at the computer screen. But her mind was in a mess. Thinking back, she still found what had happened just now unbelievable. This was the first time in her life that someone had protected her the way Teresa would. It wasn't just that; the person who had protected her turned out to be the same man with whom she'd slept. Yet, the person who had protected her was a man she had slept with before. She was touched. She could hear Ivy sobbing nearby. She was surrounded by a few female colleagues, who were comforting her. "Don't be sad, Ivy. It's ruining your makeup." "That's right, Ivy. Mr. Lewis didn't actually say anything bad about you. You're the prettiest and most capable one among us. How would Mr. Lewis have the heart to scold you?" Ivy looked up and saw Tiffany. She glared at Tiffany hard. "So what if I'm the prettiest and most capable one here? It would be no match for some cunning women anyway!" Everyone turned to give Tiffany questioning looks. They were probably trying to guess what her relationship with Vincent was. The door to the CEO's office opened. Vincent walked out of the office, followed by Alex. With just a glance from Vincent, those who were gathered around Ivy instantly dispersed and went back to their desks. Teary-eyed, Ivy stared at Vincent. On top of being good-looking, she came from a decent family too. She was very popular in the office. Her teary eyes made her seem pitiful. She was confident that Vincent would certainly fall for her if he just looked at her. But Vincent didn't even glance at her. Instead, his eyes fell on Tiffany, who was in the farthest corner. "Tiffany." The moment VIncent called out to her, it attracted everyone's attention. Tiffany stood up. Her honest and guileless demeanor made Vincent's heart ache. He had never really paid attention to departmental affairs. But ever since the camping trip, it felt like something kept drawing him to Tiffany. "Grab your laptop and follow me." After saying that, Vincent headed for the elevator. Under everyone's gazes, Tiffany followed him with her head hung low. After a moment, someone asked, "That Tiffany… Who exactly is she?" Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the office. Ivy had thrown her phone on the desk and ran off to cry in the restroom. … The Maybach glided down the road. Glancing at the man sitting beside her, Tiffany asked nervously, "Where are we going, Mr. Lewis?" "To negotiate a business deal," Vincent replied casually as he looked down at his phone. Vincent had dozens of assistants in the company, and most of them were exceptionally capable at their jobs. Tiffany was just an intern. Even if he had just verbally appointed her as a permanent employee this morning, she was still a newbie at work. All in all, she shouldn't be the one accompanying Vincent to attend a business meeting. Vincent looked up from his phone. "At Lewis Group, we don't ignore talents nor do we skimp on training newbies." "But I'm still a rookie…" Tiffany's voice was low. She was embarrassed. "Are you not confident in your capabilities?" Vincent's eyes swept over the back of her left hand, which was red and swollen. His voice was deep as he said slowly, "I'm the CEO of the company. You should trust my eye for talent." The business meeting was held at an upscale cafe. When Vincent and Tiffany arrived, the business partner they were meeting had yet to arrive. And so, the two entered the private room. After the door was closed, Tiffany noticed that Alex was nowhere to be seen. "Come here." Vincent had already sat down on the couch. He opened a kit on the table. Tiffany walked over. She then realized that it was a small first-aid kit. Vincent must have asked someone to prepare it in advance. Vincent took the disinfectant and some cotton swabs from the kit. "Give me your hand." Tiffany was dumbstruck when she realized what he wanted to do. "Mr. Lewis, you—" Seeing her hesitance, Vincent impatiently reached out and pulled her over. He accidentally pressed on the back of Tiffany's hand. "Argh!" Tiffany was in so much pain that she gasped, and her face contorted. Vincent let go of her. Then, he held her wrist and turned her hand over. There was a large, swollen, blistered red patch on her pale skin. Vincent frowned a little. "What did you do?" After dampening a cotton swab with disinfectant, he applied it to the back of her hand. When the cotton swab touched the blister, Tiffany trembled in pain. Vincent paused. "We would have to drain the blister." Tiffany's eyes welled up at the mention of draining blisters. Vincent found a sterile needle in the kit. "This might hurt a little. Just bear with it for a while." His voice was so gentle that it made Tiffany's heart melt. She couldn't help but stare at him. Vincent had prominent facial features. It was as if they were perfectly sculpted by God. At that moment, his jaw was clenched. He seemed even more nervous than she was. Tiffany thought that many women would be infatuated with a man like him, even if he was not this wealthy. Vincent drained her blisters one after another. He looked up and met her teary eyes. He felt a strange pang in his heart. He curled his lips into a faint smile. "Like what you see?" Tiffany felt her face heat up as she averted her gaze. Only then did she realize that all her blisters had been drained. She was so focused on staring at him that she hadn't felt any pain. Vincent applied some cream on her wound before wrapping her hand in a bandage. "Make sure it doesn't get wet, or it might get infected." "Thank you, Mr. Lewis." Tiffany blushed furiously. … After a while, Alex led their business partner, Henry Wilson, and his team into the room. The people following Henry were all men. He appeared stunned when he saw Tiffany. When he shook Vincent's hand, he even joked, "It's the first time I've seen you bring a female assistant along for a business negotiation, Mr. Lewis. It looks like you really do intend to seal the deal this time." Tiffany was a little surprised when she heard that. The whole business discussion lasted more than two hours. Tiffany sat behind Vincent throughout the discussion. Her notebook was filled with scribbles of her detailed notes. "Mr. Lewis, it's a pleasure to do business with your company." Henry got up and shook Vincent's hand. Vincent was gracious as well. "The pleasure is mine. I've arranged a suite in the hotel for you and your team. Feel free to head over there and get some rest. Let's have dinner this evening. I hope you'll join me, Mr. Wilson." "It'd be rude to turn you down since you've invited me, Mr. Lewis." As Henry spoke, he glanced at Tiffany. "See you tonight, Ms. Lloyd." Tiffany nodded politely. They watched as Henry and his team left. Vincent released a sigh of relief. "We've finally managed to close the deal." Tiffany was dumbfounded. "Does that mean we have a deal now?" While she had been listening on the side, she had heard that the total investment for this project was over a billion dollars. "That's right, we made it." Alex couldn't hide his joy. He even added cheekily, "You know, Tiffany, the negotiations for this had been dragged out for a whole year. If Mr. Lewis hadn't stepped in, it probably wouldn't have turned out successful this time. Mr. Lewis is the best indeed." Vincent shot him an indifferent look. "Why don't you go oversee the kitchen staff instead of buttering me up here? The dinner tonight would be the decisive factor in this business deal." Alex instantly wiped the smile off his face. "Alright, Mr. Lewis. I'll do it now." … After they headed to the hotel suite, Vincent went to his room to get some rest. Since there was nothing else for her to do, Tiffany went into her room as well. She had just laid down when her phone rang. Staring at the caller's name flashing on the screen, Tiffany pursed her lips. She pressed the answer button.