Chapter 79

Douglas stood beside her. He let go as soon as she was steady. "What happened?"

Liliana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and forced a smile. "It's nothing." As she raised her arm, the collar of her shirt shifted, revealing the faint, dark marks on her neck. Douglas's eyes darkened for a split second.

"Are you settling in okay at work?" he asked, careful not to reveal his role in getting her the job.

"It's fine," she said, not mentioning Nina's hostility. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Given Sylvia's personality, the next few days were going to be difficult. If she didn't pull herself together, she would lose this job. She didn't have the energy to dwell on whether Sylvia had deliberately sought her out. All she knew was that she had no choice but to see this through.

She straightened her clothes and stood up, giving Douglas a slight nod. "Douglas... I mean, Mr. Sewell. I should get back to work."

Douglas's hand, hanging at his side, curled into a fist as he watched her. She didn't wait for a response, brushing past him and out of the room. He stared after her retreating back, his brow furrowed. After a long moment, he sighed and left as well.

Back at her desk, Nina approached her. "This is Miss Woods' business card. Contact her to schedule a time to take measurements at her place."

*Sylvia Woods, Vice President and Head of PR, Zephyr Group.* The card was made of a thick, sturdy material with raised gold edges, just like Cedric's. Liliana remembered how much she had loved his business card when she first saw it, how she had secretly kept one for herself.

She took the card. "Got it."

"Do you really not know Sylvia? Do you have some kind of history with her?" Nina asked, a sense of unease growing. She had sent Sylvia the photo of Liliana slacking off, but Sylvia had never mentioned knowing her. Then, today, they had acted like old rivals. Had she been used?

Liliana took a deep breath and looked up at Nina. "We might have met before. I don't really remember."

Nina frowned, then waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. Just handle it." It was too late to back out now. Regardless of their history, she still didn't want an unqualified assistant.

Liliana didn't want to call Sylvia, so she added her on WhatsApp instead. Sylvia accepted the request instantly.

[Miss Woods, this is Liliana. I was wondering when would be a good time to come and take measurements for your renovation.]

After sending the message, she

clicked on Sylvia's profile picture. It was a photo of her from when she was about eighteen or nineteen her now-glamorous features still soft with youth. Her dark eyes reflected the person taking the picture.

Liliana zoomed in. In the reflection, she could see a vast sky, a sweeping coastline and the back of a man, It

was fainst unnoticeable, But

after two years of loving him, Liliana recognized Cedric's silhouette immediately.

A new message popped up: [Friday at 5 PM. I'll send you the address then.]

Liliana quickly closed the app. Out of sight, out of mind.

Today was Tuesday. With nothing to do until she could take the measurements, she went back to organizing Nina's files.