Alex remained still, watching them until they vanished down the hallway, then he slowly walked away.
The next morning, Sadie inhaled deeply and entered the Wall Group building. The receptionist welcomed her and pointed her toward the HR department.
There, the HR manager, impeccably dressed, greeted her with a smile that didn’t quite warm her eyes.
“Miss Hudson, welcome. I’m Ayanne Mitchell, the HR manager.”
“Hello, Ms. Mitchell,” Sadie responded, nodding courteously. “Mr. Wall has mentioned you to me. Please, come with me to your office.”
As Sadie followed Ayanne, she noticed the office layout was unchanged from three years ago. They moved past busy workstations, the clatter of keyboards echoing around them.
Instead of leading her to a modern office, however, Ayanne took her down a quieter corridor to a plain, weathered iron door. As Ayanne unlocked it, they were greeted by a musty smell.
Inside was a cluttered storage room, dimly lit and dusty, almost stifling.
Sadie stopped short.
“This is my office?”
Ayanne dismissed her concern casually. “Yes, Miss Hudson. It’s all we have available right now.” Her smile was sharp, with a flicker of mockery.
Sadie’s heart sank. This wasn’t an office; it was a forgotten storeroom. But she quickly regained her composure, her eyes hardening. After years in the corporate world, she was all too familiar with these tactics.
“Ms. Mitchell, are you certain this decision came from Mr. Wall?”
Ayanne paused, caught off guard by Sadie’s composed demeanor. She adjusted her glasses, striving to sound authoritative. “Absolutely, Mr. Wall personally arranged this.”
“Really?” Sadie’s lips twisted into a skeptical smile. “It seems more like someone is using Mr. Wall’s name to complicate things for me.” She stepped forward, reducing the distance between them. “Are you prepared to accept responsibility for someone else’s misconduct?”
Ayanne’s composure wavered, and her eyes darted nervously. Sadie’s direct challenge visibly unnerved her.
“Miss Hudson, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting.” Ayanne faltered, her confidence fading.
“Not sure?” Sadie’s smile widened with a hint of derision. “Let’s be clear. I suspect Kyla has bribed you, hasn’t she? Wall Group isn’t Kyla’s private empire, and you’re jeopardizing your career over her schemes. Are you really willing to risk it all?”
“I haven’t…” Ayanne’s response weakened as she avoided Sadie’s steady gaze.
“Really?” Sadie persisted firmly. “Then perhaps you should verify this ‘office arrangement’ with Mr. Wall right now.”
Ayanne blanched, stepping back involuntarily, at a loss for words. Sadie observed her, a knowing smirk playing on her lips.
Sadie’s tone lightened suddenly, and she chuckled softly, her voice tinged with a hint of relief. “Never mind.”
Ayanne paused, perplexed. “Miss Hudson…”
Sadie looked around the room. “This will do.”
Confusion deepened on Ayanne’s face. “Miss Hudson, you… you’re not upset anymore?”
Sadie faced Ayanne squarely, her expression calm and insistent. “Upset? Why would I be upset? I just wanted to give you a few warnings.” She smiled subtly, her eyes glinting with mischief. “This place is quiet, away from certain distractions. It’s exactly what I need.”
Ayanne struggled to grasp the sudden shift in Sadie’s attitude, finding it startlingly quick.
“Have someone clean up this room and equip it properly,” Sadie said.
Ayanne opened her mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it.
“Understood,” she responded, nodding respectfully.
Dismissing further interaction, Sadie walked over to the room’s only window, opened it, and inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh air.
While the team scurried to prepare the “office,” Sadie checked her watch, took another deep breath to steady herself, and then headed to the Wall Group’s design department.
She tapped lightly on the meeting room door and, hearing a voice inside, pushed it open and entered.
Kyla was there, elegantly seated, browsing through a stack of documents. Her champagne-colored suit complemented her delicate complexion, and her sleek hair fell gracefully around her shoulders, giving her a look of innocence.
When Kyla saw Sadie, her lips curved into a faint smile, and she set the papers down.
Caught off guard, Sadie momentarily paused.
“Miss Wade? I didn’t know you’d changed careers to design work,” she said with a forced casualness and a slight smile.
Kyla’s smile briefly wavered before she regained her composure. “Miss Hudson, surely you jest. Noah would never have me do such basic tasks.”
A sharp twinge shot through Sadie’s heart, like a needle prick.
She suppressed her unease and asked evenly, without revealing any emotion, “Then, Miss Wade, what brings you to the design department?”
Kyla’s eyes locked on Sadie. “This time, the theme is ‘Timeless Love,’ a wedding jewelry collection.”
“Timeless Love…” Sadie echoed softly, the words hanging in the air. Visions of Noah looking at Kyla with affection haunted her thoughts. Noah and Kyla’s wedding. The realization hit her forcefully, reverberating in her mind.
It dawned on her that Noah had made her stay here to craft the wedding jewelry for his union with Kyla.
How ironic indeed.
Sadie’s complexion momentarily lost color, but she quickly masked her feelings.
Kyla noticed the subtle shift in Sadie’s demeanor, a slight smirk of victory playing on her lips.
“What’s wrong? Are you considering withdrawing from the contract?” Kyla’s tone was gentle, but the underlying sharpness was unmistakable.
“You misunderstand,” Sadie responded, her voice steady. “I was contemplating what design would truly embody a concept as magnificent as ‘Timeless Love.’”
“Remember, a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event and requires exceptional attention. As for the budget, don’t concern yourself with it. Just ensure it’s unparalleled.”
Sadie looked at her quietly, her expression thoughtful and enigmatic.
“Of course, this is part of my responsibilities. Miss Wade, you can rest assured,” Sadie said.
Kyla nodded with satisfaction and turned to exit the meeting room. As the door closed behind her, Sadie’s polite smile disappeared, replaced by a cool, composed expression.
She recognized Kyla’s parting words for what they were-a subtle maneuver to exert pressure and provoke a response.
But Sadie was determined not to give Kyla the reaction she sought.
Upon returning to her office, Sadie found it had been tidied. Although still not perfect, it was far more organized than before.
Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office…
“Mr. Wall, the work reports for today have been completed,” Samuel reported, closing the folder as he stood respectfully before the desk.
Noah’s fingers tapped lightly on the desktop, the sound soft in the quiet room. “Anything else?”
Samuel blinked, momentarily confused. He had already reported everything from Wall Group’s recent stock market performance to the initiation of new projects.
Noah lifted his eyes, a hint of impatience flickering through them. “Sadie… has she settled in?”
It took a moment for Samuel to catch Noah’s drift. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead as he quickly answered, “Everything’s arranged, but… her office is currently in the logistics warehouse.”
Noah’s expression turned even colder.
“Understood. You may leave now.” He dismissed Samuel with a wave of his hand.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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