Chapter 8 Left Her Behind

All of Emelie's enthusiasm vanished into thin air. No matter how many times William tried or what he did afterward, she felt nothing. Good proper upbringing, traditional, disapproves of premarital relations. What did that mean? Was he planning to marry Daphne? … Returning to Cloudex Corporation, Emelie found herself demoted from the role of head secretary to general secretary, albeit without any official announcement. Daphne now occupied her former desk, relegating Emelie to the spot Daphne previously held as an assistant. Her new seat was situated by the door in a corner. It was both unremarkable and piled with clutter from being unused for an extended period. The administrative department had not yet organized its cleaning as they were caught off guard by Emelie's abrupt return. It was somewhat embarrassing. However, Emelie decided not to bother the administrative department and cleaned it up herself with a detached expression. Upon Daphne's arrival and noticing the situation, she quickly approached Emelie."Ms. Hoven, I'm sorry, I had intended to come early to tidy up, but I was delayed by traffic... I'll clear this space and return the seat for you now." Emelie was wiping off the dust with a cloth as she responded, "The office supplies are company property, not mine. There's no 'returning them to me'. Mr. Middleton assigned that desk to you, so it's yours to use." Daphne bit her lip, looking guilty. "Then... I'll help you clean up." Emelie ignored her, and Daphne took it upon herself to move the unnecessary items to the storage. When Daphne returned, she made a detour to the restroom to wash her hands and overheard two colleagues gossiping while doing their makeup early in the morning. "Ms. Hoven has been brought back, did you know?" "Yes, I heard she came back with Mr. Middleton from Vinetown yesterday. She's probably here today." "I told you, Mr. Middleton can't bear to part with Ms. Hoven." Daphne paused her step. "In terms of workability, of course, Ms. Hoven is beyond reproach, but as for the rest... Doesn't Mr. Middleton already have Daphne?" The colleague quickly said, "Shh! Have you forgotten about what happened to that person from the marketing department? Don't speak so directly!" The other retorted, "It's just the two of us here. If neither of us spills the beans, who's going to find out?" It made sense to the colleague. She then continued to share her opinion, saying, "I believe Mr. Middleton has a preference for Ms. Hoven too." "Exactly, Ms. Hoven has been with Mr. Middleton for three years. They been with each other through thick and thin. I think there was a saying that goes, 'You can't move up until there's room at the top'!" After they were done, both of them left the restroom and got startled when they saw Daphne. She pretended to have just walked up and missed their exchange. She greeted them, "Good morning." They responded with forced smiles, "Good morning, you're quite early." They then hastily made their exit. … At noon, both Emelie and Daphne were set to accompany William to a client meeting. William seemed eager for Daphne to accumulate experience, hinting that he wanted to groom her for the head secretary position. Emelie was updating William on the details for the upcoming luncheon. Daphne, unable to find an opportunity to contribute, hurried forward to open the car door. However, she winced before managing to open it. William noticed the change in her expression and asked, "What's the matter?" "Oh, it's nothing," she said, though clearly in pain as she opened the door. William's concern grew. "What's wrong with your hand?" Daphne gently massaged her elbow as she replied, "I just twisted it a bit when I was moving something heavy." William annoyedly inquired, "What exactly were you moving?" Daphne quietly mentioned, "Ms. Hoven's desk was not cleaned up, so I was moving some items to the storage and ended up twisting it. I didn't think it was serious, but now it hurts when I pull anything." "With those slender arms and legs, what heavy lifting could you possibly do? Don't try to overdo it next time; we have people for that," William said. He then turned to Emelie. "You go ahead to the client meeting, I'll take her to the hospital for a check-up." Daphne immediately protested, "There's no need, Mr. Middleton. I can just get some ointment after we meet the client." Emelie watched the interaction with detached interest and chimed in, "The client has traveled a long way, Mr. Middleton. Your presence at the meeting is crucial." William reconsidered and said, "Emelie, pick up some ointment for Daphne. We'll continue the client meeting first." Daphne said, "Thank you, Ms. Hoven." As they drove off, Emelie was left alone by herself. The car was speeding away without her.