Chapter 8

"Do you live here?" Zachary asked in confusion. He seemed to be trying to process the situation. Anya did not answer his question. She brushed past him and pushed the door open, slipping into a pair of bunny-print slippers with practiced ease. She turned and flashed a bright smile as she said. "Mr. Lloyd, what are you standing there for? Come on in!" "I thought I asked you to rent a villa for me, not…" Zachary stood at the doorway, frowning slightly. Anya blinked, her tone innocent as she spoke, "I did. I'm renting you my villa. Is there a problem? Or are you saying I'm in your way?" "It's not appropriate for us to live together as a single man and woman under one roof," Zachary stated flatly. "What's not appropriate? You're paying, and I'm providing the villa. It's mutually beneficial." Anya replied nonchalantly. Seeing Zachary still hesitating, she urged, "Oh, stop standing there like an idiot. Get inside already! I made dinner, and it's going to get cold if you keep this up." Upon hearing that, Zachary thought for a moment before stepping inside. After leading him to the guest room on the second floor to drop off his suitcase, Anya cheerfully headed downstairs. "Come on. Wash your hands, and let's eat!" she called back with a light tone. At the dining table, beef steak slices and a bowl of salad awaited them. There was mushroom soup too. It wasn't too extravagant, but well-prepared. Anya brought out two empty plates and two sets of cutlery. She turned to Zachary and said, "I've practiced my cooking skills, so try it!" Catching her expectant gaze, Zachary nodded slightly and picked up a slice of beef with his fork. He chewed slowly before swallowing. "It's not bad," he said plainly. Anya pouted a little at the lukewarm response. "Hmph. Tough critic." Despite her grumbling, the two settled in and began eating. Midway through the meal, Zachary brought up the idea of renting a different villa, explaining his concerns. He felt that it was inappropriate for them to live together, especially considering her status and the potential for rumors. He was more worried about how it would affect Anya, given her prominence in Yelbric and the public's watchful eyes. "Let them talk! Maybe it'll stop those ridiculous rumors that I'm into women," Anya said dismissively, almost with a hint of amusement. Her casual tone and unbothered demeanor left Zachary at a loss. If Anya herself didn't care, maybe he was overthinking it. Still, he couldn't help but raise one more point. "If this is a shared rental, then shouldn't the rent be—" Zachary asked, his tone cautiously inquisitive. Anya interjected, "Mr. Lloyd, I'm a beautiful woman sharing a villa with you. That alone should be worth the price. Don't tell me you're trying to negotiate." She crossed her arms, adding, "Besides, I cook sometimes, so you're saving on food expenses too." Zachary sighed in resignation and said nothing. … The night passed in silence. The next morning, Zachary was up early and had already prepared breakfast. As he ate, he heard footsteps in the hallway. Soon, Anya's surprised voice rang out. "Mr. Lloyd, you can cook?" Zachary glanced up at her, his tone exasperated. "Quit the chatter. It's already late. Hurry up and eat so you can drive me to the office." "Yes, sir!" Anya chuckled and quickly sat down, pulling out a chair to start eating. She mumbled mid-bite, eyes wide with amazement. She said, "Mmm! Mr. Lloyd, your cooking is amazing!" Zachary shot her a look, repeating her words from the night before with deliberate emphasis. "I've been practicing too." Anya's cheeks turned pink as embarrassment washed over her. There was no comparison between their cooking skills. Anya's dishes were edible, but hardly remarkable in taste or presentation. Meanwhile, Zachary's dishes looked good and tasted great. With this direct comparison, she couldn't help but feel a little defeated. Half an hour later, they arrived at Yel Corporation International Trade building. Today was Zachary's first day officially taking over the company, so he had dressed sharply in a black suit. As they made their way toward the elevator, employees kept greeting Anya. "Good morning, Ms. Wayne!" one employee greeted brightly. "Morning, Ms. Wayne!" another chimed in, a smile on their face. Despite the formal greetings, their curious eyes couldn't help but linger on the unfamiliar man by her side. The whispers started as soon as the elevator doors closed behind them. After the two entered the elevator, the employees who had greeted Anya began to gossip in the company group chat. "What's going on? Why did Ms. Wayne bring a handsome guy to the office?" "Handsome guy? No way! Isn't it common knowledge that Ms. Wayne has, um, unconventional taste?" "It's true! I saw him with my own eyes!" "I saw it too! And, honestly, Ms. Wayne has good taste. Her boyfriend is super handsome!" "Boyfriend? Is that for real? This is big news!" "It must be! You should've seen it. Ms. Wayne actually smiled when she walked in!" "No way! The Ice Queen smiles? Do you have pictures? Show me!" "Get lost, you little weirdo!" The group chat erupted in excitement. The company group chat was in a frenzy, but Anya and Zachary remained oblivious. Taking the private elevator up to the executive office, Anya poured Zachary a cup of coffee. Anya smiled brightly as she handed Zachary a cup of coffee, saying, "Mr. Lloyd, I've got all the company details saved on my computer. You can go through them first. "Once you're ready, we can hold a senior staff meeting around eleven to formally introduce you." Zachary nodded slightly as he replied, "There's no rush for the meeting. Let me finish reviewing the documents first." He sat in the executive chair and clicked on a folder on the desktop, only to be greeted by an image of two anime guys. "Wait! Not that one! Don't just click on anything!" Anya's peripheral vision caught the screen, and she rushed over to grab the mouse, quickly closing the folder. Her face flushed, and she opened a different one and enlarged it. "These are the company files, including development strategies over the last few years, product details, and personnel profiles," Anya explained, still blushing. "Got it. Thanks," Zachary muttered, feeling a little awkward himself. He focused on reading the files as time ticked away. During this time, a secretary knocked and entered to report on a few matters. All conversations were held in the office's lounge area away from Zachary's workspace. As the secretary was about to leave, she sneaked a glance at Zachary sitting at the executive desk with a curious expression. Anya pretended not to notice and said nothing. A minute later, the company chat exploded once again. … At the same time, Jennings Corporation was holding an emergency executive meeting. Harold Jennings, the chairman of the company, rarely attended such gatherings but made an exception today. With a serious expression, Harold asked, "Regarding Yel Corporation's cancellation of our partnership and the resignation of our Lead Pharmaceutical R&D Engineer, does anyone have anything to say?" The cancellation meant Jennings Corporation had lost nearly half of its business, and the engineer's departure had effectively halted the optimization of critical drug projects. These two incidents were undoubtedly a massive blow to the company. The executives sat in silence, heads bowed, unsure of what to say. They had only learned about these issues the night before and didn't even grasp the reasons behind them. Seeing that no one was speaking, Harold frowned deeply and turned to Wendy, who was seated in the lower right corner. "Wendy, I entrusted the company to you before the New Year. You tell me what's going on." "Dad—" Wendy began to explain. However, Harold interrupted her coldly, "Here, you should address me as Chairman." Wendy bit her lip, then continued, "Yes, Chairman. The cancellation with Yel Corporation isn't our fault. It's about Ms. Hart's resignation—" Before Wendy could even finish her sentence, Harold's brow furrowed as he rhythmically tapped his fingers on the table. The large conference room was filled with an oppressive silence. After a long pause, Harold asked in a deep voice, "Regarding the person mentioned by Yel Corporation, who do you think it could be?" Wendy replied without hesitation, "I think it's Ethan. Ethan has extensive connections. The reason we managed to open overseas channels was mainly thanks to him…" However, before Wendy could finish, Harold swiftly denied her claim. "It can't be him! "Ethan has been at the company for less than a month, but our partnership with Yel Corporation began five years ago. At that time, Yel Corporation didn't even know who Ethan was!" After a moment's pause, Harold continued, "Besides, who is Ethan? Why would Yel Corporation give him any respect?" "Then if it's not him, then who could it be?" Wendy was taken aback and she asked. When she first heard the news, Ethan was the first person who came to her mind. But after listening to her father, she began to realize the flaw in her reasoning. That's right! Ethan had only joined the company a month ago, while the partnership with Yel Corporation had been established five years earlier. What connection could he possibly have? But if it wasn't Ethan, then who could it be? Five years ago? That was when she and Zachary got together. Could it be Zachary? Wendy's gaze flickered, filled with disbelief.