Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“Take care of your health, though. Since Cornelia became the president’s assistant, no one knew better than Zack and Abigail how much stress she was under.

A lot of times, they would hear her talking in her sleep about work when they woke up in the middle of the night.

hey had advised her multiple times not to work so hard. Their manga studio was doing well, and she didn’t need to work as the CEO’s special assistant. She could still live a comfortable life.

But she didn’t dare to let herself relax. She was afraid that having too much free time would make her overthink and remember those bad experiences from the past…

She could only keep working non–stop and making money. Seeing her bank account balance grow bigger and bigger would make her feel a little more at ease.

Wiping away her tears, Cornelia said, “Ugh, I really can’t drink. It makes me cry”

Zack rubbed her head, “It’s okay to cry, no shame in that.”

Cornelia, “Ugh…”

Zack patted her back, “How much did you drink, anyway?”

Having not eaten much that night, the burning sensation in her stomach made Cornelia feel like throwing up, “Not too much, just had a bit of white wine, red wine, and champagne…”

Zack was so mad he didn’t even want to scold her, “Come on, let’s go home.”

“Okay, let’s go home.” Cornelia agreed, still tipsy but not forgetting the task the president assigned her, “Help me carry those things on the ground to the car.”

“What are these?” Zack helped her into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and then went to move the stuff.

“These are gifts my boss didn’t send out. He asked me to handle them. I plan to sell them all and give him the money? With the items being worth millions, she couldn’t just throw them away. Selling them and giving the money back to Marcus was the best option.

After loading the stuff, Zack got back in the driver’s seat and wanted to curse, “He left you like this but still asked you to do things for him. What was he thinking?”

Even though Cornelia was drunk, she didn’t forget about the money, “The workload is a bit much, but the salary is really high. If I do well, a million annual salary is no problem.”

Zack didn’t want to deal with her money talk and texted Abigail, “Abby, Nelly’s drunk. Can you make some hangover soup for her when she gets back?”

Abigail replied quickly, “Sure. Keep an eye on her.”

While driving, Zack occasionally glanced at Cornelia in the passenger seat. She was staring blankly ahead, her eyes empty and pitiful, “Nelly, what are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about my parents. If my mom hadn’t left my dad after giving birth to me, maybe my dad wouldn’t have taken on extra jobs driving at night to give me a better life. Then he wouldn’t have had that car accident, and maybe my life would have turned out differently.”

That was what Cornelia was thinking, but she never liked showing her vulnerable side to others, not even her best friends.

She smiled, “Zack, the stars are so bright tonight. Do you still remember the days when the three of us were lying on the roof watching the stars when we were young?”

Zack knew that she was changing the subject and didn’t expose it. He said, “That is the most precious memory of the three of us. How can we forget it?

Cornelia continued, “When I save up a bit more, let’s go on a road trip together. I heard the stars in the fields are beautiful.”

As she mentioned money again, Zack thought of some good news, “Nelly, your romance comic has been very well–received, and several film and TV companies want to buy the rights.”

Cornelia’s eyes lit up, “Which companies?”

Zack mentioned one of the company names.

“Really? Really?” Cornelia excitedly asked several times.

That film and TV company was very reputable in the industry, with great ratings and box office records, as well as excellent word of

mouth.

Zack continued, “They want to meet with us to discuss it. We know you’re very busy and only have time on weekends, so they’re willing to meet with us on a weekend. They’re really sincere.”

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12:49

Chapter 13

“Okay. When are we meeting them?”

“This weekend. If you agree, I’ll have Abby book the tickets, and we’ll fly there after you finish work on Friday.”

Cornelia thought about Marcus‘ schedule for the next two days, and since he was free on the weekend, she agreed, “Alright.”

The next day, Cornelia refreshed.

As she walked into the office, Cornelia felt that everyone’s gazes were a bit strange. She greeted her colleagues warmly, but they avoided her like the plague, with some whispering behind her back.

The familiar colleagues in the president’s office were the same, huddling together and whispering. When she appeared, they quieted down immediately.

Just as Cornelia was feeling confused, she received a message from Yolanda, “Cornelia, go check the company chat group.”

“Okay.” Cornelia replied with her phone, not noticing Eden approaching her head–on, nor his malicious actions and stare.

When she sensed danger, she instinctively dodged to the side. The boiling water from Eden’s cup didn’t splash on her face, but her ear and neck couldn’t escape.

The scalded area turned red instantly, and Cornelia shuddered from the pain.

“Cornelia, I’m so sorry! I didn’t notice, did I burn you?” He apologized loudly, but his hands were trying to tug at Cornelia’s wet collar.

“What are you doing?” Cornelia slapped his hand away and scolded him.

“I want to ruin you!” He leaned in close to Cornelia’s face, his smile sinister and vicious, “Cornelia, I warned you not to compete with me for the president’s assistant position, but you didn’t listen. Now I have to make you leave in the most humiliating way possible.”

“With you? You’re not worthy!” Cornelia didn’t bother arguing with him and turned back to her office to open her computer. She didn’t have to search for the post Yolanda mentioned; it popped up as soon as she opened the company’s intranet.

[Cornelia’s Shameful Secrets]

She clicked on the post and saw that there were no text descriptions, only pictures.

The first three were of her and Leonardo chatting at the Wilson Manor last night, their backs to the camera.

Due to the angle of the shot, the distance between her and Leonardo, which was actually enough for two people to stand between them, looked as if they were whispering closely together in the photos.

The fourth picture showed her falling into Zack’s arms, with Zack leaning down as if kissing her.

The fifth picture was of Zack affectionately touching her head.

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In the sixth picture, Zack was standing outside the passenger seat, while she was sitting inside. At first glance, it seemed like they were kissing, but in reality, Zack was just helping her fasten her seatbelt.

The background of the seventh photo is a supermarket. She’s picking out soy sauce, and there’s a random guy pushing a shopping cart next to her, who’s also mistakenly thought to be one of her many male friends.

In all these photos, none of the guys have a clear front view, but her face is super clear, even the red mole on her earlobe is visible.

Compared to these photos, what freaked Cornelia out even more was the comments that follow.

Those who didn’t know the truth thought they knww everything and threw shade at her.