Chapter 457

All the deleted documents were gone.

Kieran wasn’t upset by it. He continued to translate the remaining three documents.

However, his typing speed had slowed down a lot.

Once again, silence ensued in the office. Nobody said anything more.

Time seemed to tick by faster when everyone was busy. In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.

Inez began to pack up her stuff to get off work. “Once you’re done organizing the translated documents, send them to me,” she said casually.

Kieran paused what he was doing and turned to look at her. “Aren’t you going to check them?”

“You’ve finished translating. What is there for me to check?”

Kieran lowered his gaze, finding it hard to speak. “I… I have two more documents left to be translated.”

Inez was stunned. She shot him a look and asked, “You had three documents left one hour ago. And now, there are still two left? What have you been doing for the past hour?”

Inez carefully recalled and didn’t remember seeing Kieran slacking off. He had indeed been focusing on his translation.

Kieran’s face stiffened slightly. He didn’t make any response.

Inez walked over suspiciously and took a look at his computer screen. Soon, she noticed something was amiss.

“I came by earlier and saw that you had translated these documents. Why are they gone? Are you trying to fool me?”

“I accidentally deleted them, so I had to translate them all over again,” Kieran explained calmly.

Inez stared at him in confusion. She immediately clicked the recycle bin on his computer, but it was empty.

“So you’re saying that you accidentally deleted them from the recycle bin too?” she teased.

Kieran fell silent.

“Even if you happened to delete the files for real, judging from your ability, you should be able to translate them again in no time. Do you think I’m easy to fool?” she went on.

Kieran pursed his lips. His ears were slightly red.

He wasn’t good at lying, so he didn’t know what to say.

Inez’s face was gloomy. “You’re playing tricks right under my nose on your first day of work. Do you think I won’t punish you just because you have a distinguished status?”

Swallowing hard, Kieran clenched his fists. “In this office, you’re the CEO, and I’m your secretary. Feel free to punish me for the mistakes I made.”

Inez fixed her eyes on him, feeling a little taken aback.

It was the first time she had seen Kieran, who was always haughty and cold, being so humble.

Indeed, she seemed like his boss.

“In that case, I’m more than glad to help you complete your childhood memories, Mr. Kieran.”

Inez walked to her desk and took out a sandalwood ruler from the drawer.

Previously, she had used that to educate her cousin brother who had interned at the company. Since then, she had been keeping the ruler in the drawer.

Inez felt a little bad for using it on Kieran, who was the second son of the Harris family and also the most powerful man in Salinsburgh.

However, as she pondered about it, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with teaching her secretary a lesson for being dishonest.

Moreover, she knew what she was doing.

Mustering her courage, she walked toward Kieran with steady steps.

Kieran felt guilty as he watched her come over to him. He had been obedient since he was young and hadn’t caused any trouble. No one had used a ruler to hit him before, so he didn’t know how it felt.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. By then, Inez had already walked up to him. “Please stretch out your left hand, Mr. Kieran,” she ordered sternly.

While sitting, he looked up at her and extended his hand as told.

“Spread your fingers. Face your palm up.”

Knowing that he had no experience of being beaten by a ruler, Inez taught him patiently.

Kieran followed her instructions.

The moment he spread his hand, Inez slapped his palm hard with the ruler. A stinging pain seared through his skin in an instant.

Pressing his lips into a thin line, he frowned in pain and stifled the urge to withdraw his palm.

As Inez hit him with the ruler, she observed the expression on his face at the same time. She didn’t go easy on him.

After hitting him ten times, she stopped and asked in a deep voice, “How do you feel, Mr. Kieran?”

Kieran looked at his reddened palm and said honestly, “It hurts.”

“I’m honored to be the one to let you experience the feeling of getting hit with a ruler for the first time.”

Inez held back her laughter.

Noticing her casual tone, Kieran felt that the pain was worth it.

Looking up at her, he said seriously, “There are actually a lot of first times—first time kissing, first time being a secretary, first time apologizing, and the list goes on.”

Inez was moved.

However, at the thought that he was punished because of a mistake, she immediately regained her composure and reprimanded him, “Go ahead and play tricks if you’re not afraid of being punished. The tasks in these seven days will only increase. Please be prepared, Mr. Kieran.”

“Okay.”

Inez furrowed her brows. “Hmm?”

“Yes, Ms. Mossey.”

Only then did Inez walk to her desk and put the ruler back into the drawer. She picked up her bag and was about to leave when she turned around and said, “Go back only when you’re done with the translations.”

“Inez,” Kieran called out. “Could you wait for me and let me hitch a ride with you?”

Inez arched her brows. “Are you asking your boss to send you home on your first day of work? You’re putting on airs, Mr. Kieran.”

“I’m not. I don’t have my phone. I don’t even have money to hail a taxi, nor do I recognize my way home.”

“You had money when you paid for lunch in the afternoon, no?” Inez asked.

“I only had that much in my wallet. I finished everything in the afternoon. Now I barely have any.”

Inez didn’t say anything.

She watched him from afar, neither agreeing to his request nor refusing it.

He lowered his head and looked at the slightly swollen wound on his palm, lost in thought.

Inez followed his line of sight. When she saw his injured palm, it struck a chord in her heart.

She pretended to be casual as she sat down on the couch. Then, she laid out an exquisite coffee brewing kit on the table.

“It’s still early. I’m not in a hurry to go home. Let me spend half an hour familiarizing myself with coffeemaking.”

Kieran understood her. He immediately shifted his attention back to his computer and continued with the translations without caring about the pain in his left palm.

Inez focused on making coffee. Her every move exuded the elegance of a fine lady. Soon, the office was filled with a faint coffee aroma.

She poured away the coffee she brewed the first time and took the trouble to prepare it again.

Half an hour later, Kieran finished the remaining two documents and sent them to Inez.

It had been a long day. He let out a long sigh and switched off the computer.

Inez had just finished making coffee and poured two cups of it.

Kieran went over to her and waited for her to finish.

“There’s no hurry. Have a try, Mr. Kieran.” Inez’s voice was gentle.