Whitney felt a chill run down her spine under Noel's stare as she recalled that night when she drunkenly took the initiative.

"Yvette is just joking," Whitney said as she pulled Yvette along. "We're done eating. We should get going."

Before Yvette could protest that she hadn't finished her meal, Whitney dragged her out the door.

Thomas squinted at Noel. "Why do I feel like Whitney's afraid of you?"

Noel walked toward their table. "Why do I feel like Yvette's words were meant for you?"

Once outside the restaurant, Whitney let out a breath of relief.

"What's the rush? I wasn't done eating," Yvette complained. "Are you afraid I'll get angry at that scumbag? Well, I won't. In fact, it's because he's around that I'll eat even more!"

"I'm sorry, Yvette." Whitney looked apologetically at Yvette. "I should've told you earlier. That man from that night was Noel."

Yvette's eyes widened in 

Back in the CEO's office, Damian shut the door and closed the blinds. He then wrapped his arms around Whitney from behind.

Whitney immediately struggled. "Let go of me!"

Being held by him after he had embraced another woman made her feel filthy.

"Whitney, I'm doing this because I don't want you to leave my sight." Damian held her tightly, making it impossible for her to move.

"After we get married, forget the architecture department, the whole of Howard Group will be yours. You can go to any department you want then. Why do you have to care about her?"

He thought she was just jealous of Rachel.

But it was he who had promised to transfer Whitney to the architecture department. Why was he blaming her for her reaction now?

Disappointed, Whitney pushed him away. She turned around to look him in the eye. "Can't you just tell the truth, Damian? You don't love me, so why don't you just a

"Don't you know?" Whitney remembered Damian had mentioned a video conference when he left last night.

"Mr. Howard didn't notify me, and I didn't receive any work assignments," Sophie replied.

She was Damian's primary secretary, responsible for following up on all of his work. But there were no meeting minutes, and Sophie wasn't aware of any such meeting either.

A trace of doubt crept into Whitney's mind. Had Damian lied to her?

But with the heavy rain last night and him being drenched to the bone, perhaps he had postponed the meeting because he wasn't feeling well.

"Maybe I was mistaken. I thought he had a video conference last night," Whitney said.

At lunch, Damian messaged her about having dinner together that evening to discuss Margaret's treatment. Whitney agreed without hesitation.

After work, she hurried to pack up her things, only to get a call from Damian telling her he had an unexpected social engagement.

Whitney slowed down her packing. "It's okay. Work comes first. Get some rest after you're done. We can talk about my mom's treatment when you're free."

After hanging up, she felt a little disappointed.

Margaret had been in a coma for 20 years, and now, there was a chance for treatment. She wished they could start right away.

However, she tried to comfort herself. Good things would take time. Waiting another day wouldn't change much.

As soon as Whitney stepped out of Howard Tower, she spotted a striking figure.

"Surprise! Didn't expect to see me, huh?" Yvette was leaning against the hood of a car, waving at her.

"Weren't you on a business trip?" Whitney asked in shock as she walked over.

They got into the car. Yvette explained while driving, "The main translation work is done. The rest is left to the team, so I rushed back to see you."

Whitney and Yvette were college roommates, although they had different majors.

Yvette studied translation and started her own studio after graduation. She handled every project personally and was in the midst of a career boom.

"I'm fine. You didn't have to rush back," Whitney said. She knew that Yvette had only put aside her work and returned early because she was worried about her.

The car stopped in front of a restaurant, and they got out.

"Hey, can't I take an early break?" Yvette joked.

After sitting down and ordering their food, Yvette grew serious. "So, what happened with you and Damian?"

Whitney told her the whole story.

"Damian and Rachel? Seriously? They're not blood relatives, but she's been calling him 'Uncle Damian' for years! Do those two have no shame?" Yvette fumed but was still in disbelief at what had happened.

"You and Damian have such a good relationship. It's been eight years. How could he do this?"

She couldn't understand Damian's actions and continued to curse Rachel for being pretentious. She wondered how Damian could possibly like someone like her.

In the end, she summed up with a bitter laugh. "No matter how great a man is, he's still a man. He'll think about other women even when he has a girlfriend."

Whitney could only smile wryly at her words.

"But have you really decided to move back? Are you going to forgive him?" Yvette asked.

"I'm still a Spencer. I can't be selfish. And considering he found a neurologist to treat my mom, I want to try and forgive him."

Whitney ran her finger along the rim of her cup and continued helplessly, "Maybe he has truly realized his mistake."

Sometimes, people just didn't have control over their own lives.

Yvette felt frustrated but then seemed to think of something else as a slight smirk crossed her face. "Well, at least you've made him a cuckold. It's not a total loss."

Whitney hadn't mentioned who the man from that night at the bar was. Upon hearing those words, she nearly spat out the water she had just taken a sip of.

She couldn't care less about whether it was a loss or not. She was regretting it to the core.

Suddenly, Yvette's expression changed as she looked behind Whitney. Noticing that, Whitney turned around.

Noel and Thomas were walking in from the door and heading in their direction.

Whitney was surprised to run into him again. She quickly turned back and pretended not to notice.

"Oh, so you're stalking me now?" Thomas looked at Yvette with a smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'd rather translate ten documents than waste my time stalking you," Yvette retorted.

Whitney knew Yvette had a fiancé whom she had a crush on for years. However, since the man wasn't interested in Yvette, she felt there was no reason to bring him to meet Whitney.

"Don't act like you haven't stalked me before, Yvette. If you really hate me that much, just call off the engagement." He still wore that mocking smile.

Yvette's hand, gripping her fork and knife, tightened in response. Suddenly, she lifted her right hand and pointed the knife at Thomas. "Are you blind? Can't you see I'm having dinner with my bestie?"

"Now, you want to kill me?" Thomas pushed her hand away and then glanced at the other side of the table. "Bestie?"

Whitney could feel the eyes of everyone on her now.

She couldn't keep pretending not to hear, so she reluctantly introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Whitney Spencer, Yvette's college roommate and best friend."

She deliberately ignored Noel's expression. Thankfully, he didn't act like he recognized her.

"Are you Damian's girlfriend? Or should I say fiancée? You're getting married next month, right?" Thomas asked while eyeing her with some uncertainty.

Before Whitney could answer, he turned to Noel. "You must know her, right?"

Noel glanced at Thomas, then replied, "Looks like you know her better than I do."

"I have a good eye for beautiful women. I can remember them with just one glance," Thomas said with a smug smile.

Yvette scoffed. "Being remembered by you is no honor!"

Then, she turned to Noel with a stern expression. "Tell Damian that Whitney isn't someone he can mess with. He's not the only man in this world. He shouldn't think no one else is interested in Whitney. Just recently, a hot guy was practically rushing to sleep with her, but she stuck to her principles."

Upon hearing that, Whitney just wanted to cover Yvette's mouth, but she couldn't reach across the table. She wished she could disappear on the spot.

Noel's gaze shifted toward Whitney. There was a hint of playful amusement that only Whitney could catch in his tone. "Rushing to sleep with her?"

Whitney felt a chill run down her spine under Noel's stare as she recalled that night when she drunkenly took the initiative.

"Yvette is just joking," Whitney said as she pulled Yvette along. "We're done eating. We should get going."

Before Yvette could protest that she hadn't finished her meal, Whitney dragged her out the door.

Thomas squinted at Noel. "Why do I feel like Whitney's afraid of you?"

Noel walked toward their table. "Why do I feel like Yvette's words were meant for you?"

Once outside the restaurant, Whitney let out a breath of relief.

"What's the rush? I wasn't done eating," Yvette complained. "Are you afraid I'll get angry at that scumbag? Well, I won't. In fact, it's because he's around that I'll eat even more!"

"I'm sorry, Yvette." Whitney looked apologetically at Yvette. "I should've told you earlier. That man from that night was Noel."

Yvette's eyes widened in shock, unable to speak.

"You think it's ridiculous, right?" Whitney said, feeling disheartened.

Ho

chapter 14 He Treats Her as a Servant