Chapter 2

Just as he was about to hang up, a pleasant but agitated female voice came through the phone.

"Hello? Are you with Theobald Scott? Put him on the phone!"

A jolt went through Mr. Wood.

Who was this?

She was polite enough to him, but she had the audacity to use Mr. Scott's full name!

Was she one of his admirers?

Mr. Scott was handsome, young, and wealthy-the infamous Northpine Wraith. Plenty of women were after him.

But this involved the CEO, and Mr. Wood didn't dare make a decision on his own.

He pressed the mute button and asked respectfully, “Mr. Scott, there's a young woman on the first floor who wants to speak with you. Should I put her through?"

He expected the CEO to refuse, but to his surprise, the man extended his hand without a moment's hesitation.

Mr. Wood unmuted the call and carefully handed his phone over.

Theobald took it and spoke curtly. "Who is this? What do you want?"

Marguerite's voice came through, clear and direct. "I'm your sister! I'm here to—"

Theobald's eyes went ice-cold. He cut her off. "Get lost."

The temperature in the office seemed to drop five degrees.

A shiver ran down Mr. Wood's spine. He took the phone back and quickly sent a text to the guard.

[Get rid of that woman now!]

The man in the executive chair was strikingly handsome. Dressed in a sharp black suit, his aura was now glacial.

Terrified, Mr. Wood forced himself to speak. "Mr. Scott, please calm down. I've already had security handle it."

He hadn't heard what the woman said, but he assumed it was just another obsessive admirer. Everyone knew the CEO was interested in Hannah, the dazzling movie star. These women just throw themselves at him without a second thought. Pathetic!

Theobald couldn't believe someone would dare impersonate Marguerite. He flicked a few of the rosary beads on his wrist, trying to suppress the rage building inside him, before picking up his own phone with his long, slender fingers.

He opened his pinned chat and sent a message.

[They're clearing the place out now. Let me know when you're close, and I'll come down to get you.]

The last message he'd sent, asking if she'd left yet, had gone unanswered. But she'd been busy with her movie's press tour lately. It was normal for her to be slow to respond on her rare day off.

Seeing the flicker of tenderness in the otherwise ruthless CEO's eyes, Mr. Wood knew he was texting Hannah.

"Mr. Scott, I saw Ms. Carter's latest film. It was absolutely brilliant! I've already taken my family to see it three or four times!"

Theobald looked up, a faint smile touching his cold features. "Is that so?"

Mr. Wood nodded eagerly. "Yes! In fact, I'm planning to organize a screening for the entire mall staff. A masterpiece like that deserves to be seen by everyone!"

Theobald's expression softened further. He took a sip of coffee. "Very well. The company will cover the costs."

Mr. Wood's face bloomed into a grin as he refilled Theobald's cup.

Starlight Plaza was one of many malls under the Starlight Group umbrella there were eight in Northpine alone and over a hundred nationwide. An audience wi

With the

CEO was a rare opportunity, and he was determined to make a good impression and secure that regional manager promotion next quarter.

Standing nearby, Theobald's executive assistant, Anna, felt a headache coming on as she watched her boss's undignified display He'd cut a crucial meeting short just because Ms. Carter

mentioned she wanted to go shopping. He could have waited until the mall was empty, but no, he insisted on coming here to wait for her.

Her phone was blowing up with messages about unresolved meeting items, but with

this sycophant in the room, she couldn't bring up work. Anna felt like this job was actively hostile to her well-being.

Mr. Wood was still talking. "Mr. Scott, regarding the brand that Ms. Carter endorses..."

"Mr. Wood, why don't you go supervise the clearing process?" Anna interrupted, unable to stand it any longer.

Mr. Wood shot her an annoyed look. "Anna, you can trust me to handle it.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly fashion."

Theobald, fingering his rosary beads, glanced coldly at his assistant before turning back to Mr. Wood. "Continue."

Anna was speechless.

It was like “Ms. Carter” was a magic phrase that made his IQ drop fifty points.

Mr. Wood mentally scoffed. He had

no idea how this woman got her job. She had zero tact and no sense of зего occasion. But he was a man of high griotioner

Bligence and kept his

thoughts to himself. "As I was saying, the brand Ms. Carter endorses has a boutique in our

mall..."

This time, he was interrupted again.

With a creak, the office door was pushed open.

All three of them looked up.

A young woman, no older than seventeen or eighteen, stood in the doorway, a

security guard rushing up behind her.

Mr. Wood's face darkened. "Who let you in? Get out! Security, hurry up and drag her out of here!"

Anna remained silent. There was something familiar about the girl's face.

Theobald didn't speak either. His mind went blank, and he froze in place.

The girl marched over, her expression furious, and yanked him by the ear. "Theobald, I swear, you're asking for it!"