Chapter 130

"Uh... yes, it was from Ms. Madison. I'm just a little swamped, so I was hoping Latisha could lend a hand."

"So busy, Rosalie? What exactly are you working on?"

“I..." Rosalie suddenly felt that Ziven was deliberately picking a fight. He never cared about these petty office squabbles before.

Seeing her struggle for an answer, Ziven didn't press further, not wanting to make his intervention too obvious.

He turned to Latisha. "Come to the president's office. Mr. Lambert wants to see you."

Latisha was taken aback. Why would Clifford want to see her?

She stood and followed Ziven. He knocked on the door for her and then gestured for her to go in alone.

Latisha pushed the door open to find Clifford on the phone. She walked quietly and stood before his desk, waiting for him to finish his call. He was wearing a simple black dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, the collar slightly open. As he leaned on his elbow, she could see the faint outline of his chest.

She had seen him without a shirt countless times, yet there was something about this subtle, fleeting glimpse that was far more captivating, more alluring.

Clifford hung up the phone and looked up, catching her staring at his collar. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, snapping her out of her trance.

Latisha quickly averted her gaze, her eyes fixed on the floor as she waited for his instructions.

"Come here."

She walked around the desk to his side. An arm snaked around her waist, and before she could react, she was pulled down, landing squarely in his lap.

She scrambled to stand up, but his arm held her firmly in place. He leaned in close, his warm breath fanning across her nose.

"You can see better from here," Clifford murmured.

Heat rushed to her cheeks, turning them a deep crimson. She glanced nervously at

the door, terrified someone would walk in at any moment.

She signed frantically, *Someone might come in.*

Clifford was unfazed. “Are you afraid?”

She stared at him, confused, but then she understood his meaning.

Whether she should be afraid depended entirely on him. If he refused to acknowledge her, she would be seen as a home-wrecker seducing the boss, and in that case, yes, she should be terrified.

Latisha sidestepped the question: *Why did you call me here?*

"I'm going on a business trip for a few days. Do you want to come with me?"

A look of astonishment crossed her face. He was... inviting her on a business trip? Shouldn't he be going with Yesenia?

Before she could respond, there was a sharp knock on the door.

Latisha shot up from his lap, scrambling back several feet to put distance between them.

Clifford shot her a sideways glance before leaning back in his chair and slowly, deliberately, fastening the buttons on his shirt. “Come in."

It was Ms. Madison-Selah Madison, the manager of the executive assistants' office.

This was the first time Latisha had seen her since starting at the

company, and the sight of her wasza

shock. Selah was stunning. She looked to be in her late twenties, dressed in a sharp business sur with her hair styled in a chic, ear-length bob. She was intelligent, beautiful, and radiated a powerful, capable charm.

And... she bore a striking resemblance to Yesenia. The same eyes, the same arch

of the brow. Yet, after a second look, they were completely different.

Latisha stared at Selah's face, her mind going blank. A chaotic jumble of fragmented memories swirled together, leaving nothing but a void.

Selah seemed to sense her gaze and turned to look at her. "The new hire?"

Latisha snapped back to the present, struggling to compose her expression as she nodded.

Selah offered a faint, polite smile.

ет

"I've been traveling for the last few days, so I haven't been keeping up

with office news Mr. Lambert, did. you hire her?" Śwnovels