âI wonât be at home this afternoon, so join me for dinner outside in the evening,â the man said as he got up. He picked up his phone and headed to the coat rack, where he grabbed the black overcoat and put it on. When he reached the door, he remembered something and turned. back to her. âYou can go to my study and read some books if youâre bored.â
Shirley watched him leave as one of the cars from the convoy came over to pick him up. While watching the convoy leave, she turned around to clean up the dining table. Then, she washed up and went upstairs to the master bedroom to grab the clothes he changed out of last night.
Shirley had never washed clothes for her family at home but now found herself tending to a man. After tidying up the place by herself, she went to his study to read some books. As she sat on the couch with a cup of tea, engrossed in her reading, she thought, The treatment here isnât half bad! At least Zacharias isnât as cold as the rumors say he is.
While reading, she heard a notification sound from her phone and picked up her phone. Her heart raced when she saw that it was a reply from Cole.
âSorry, I was busy just now and didnât have time to look at my private phone,â Cole replied. Knowing his job was so demanding that he even had more than two phones, Shirley understood it was normal for him not to have seen her messages right away, so she replied with a smile. âNo problem, Cole. Your work is more important.â
âNo. Your messages are important as well. I will check my private phone more regularly from now on,â
Cole replied again.
Shirley couldnât help but cover her red lips as she carefully read that reply with her pretty eyes, analyzing it in her mind. Why are my messages also important? Does this mean Cole also thinks Iâm important?
âThatâs not right. You should focus on your job and reply to my messages when youâre free.â Shirley didnât want to cause him to lose his job. After all, his job was to protect her great-uncle..
âSure. Whatever you say, Cole replied. While chatting with Cole, Shirley felt that her afternoon became even more meaningful, but the former soon received a task and had to end their conversation.
Shirley sat with her arms crossed for a while as her imagination began to run wild. Since she also had a romance novel in her hands, she wanted to pursue love bravely like the female protagonist in the book.
At around 4.00PM, she received a call. It turned out that she had left a set of keys at her dormitory, and the cleaning lady called to inform her to retrieve them because she had no way of sending them over.
Shirley just happened to be free, so she decided to head over there to get them. Shirley arrived at the cleaning ladyâs office and got her keys, but just as she and the cleaning lady were having a casual conversation, she saw Corinne approaching them.
Corinne was in sportswear as she glanced at Shirley. A calculating glint flashed in her eyes. as she thought, Wouldnât I be the only one by Zachariasâ side if Shirley got expelled for fighting or something?
With that thought in mind, she approached Shirley and demanded, âShirley, I have something to say to you. Come with me.â
However, Shirley coldly replied, âI have nothing to say to you.â
âI know a secret of yours. Are you sure you donât want to know?â Corinne pretended to sound mysterious when, in fact, she was just bluffing. However, she couldnât have known that Shirley indeed had a secret she couldnât reveal.
Shirley became slightly tense as she asked, âWhat do you want to say?
âThis is not the right place to talk. Letâs find somewhere else to talk.â Corinne pointed toward the corner of the room. âLetâs talk over there.â
In the meantime, Shirley was already on high alert. How did Corinne know about her identity? Had she investigated her? But even if she had, Shirley had altered the photos on her file, making it impossible to find information about her if one wasnât given clearance from a high- level officer.
However, she couldnât let her guard down. After all, this matter wasnât just about her; it was also linked to Imogenâs future, so she had to handle it carefully.