Chapter 1140

Sandy knew how to play the game. With the poise of a seasoned boss and an air of quiet authority, she swept into the executive assistant team like she owned the place. Naturally, everyone in the department started whispering about her-where did she come from, and who did she know to land this job out of nowhere?

No one wanted to mess with her. Sandy's past was a closed book and, frankly, that made her a little intimidating.

On her first day, she handed out thoughtful little gifts to everyone instantly charming the team. In just a few hours, she'd already sized up everyone's personality and backstory, and she knew exactly how to win them over. She didn't waste a minute.

Scott, meanwhile, was completely unaware he had a new powerhouse on his team. After a long day packed with meetings, he finally got back to his office and had barely sat down when Sandy appeared at his door with a fresh cup of coffee.

He looked up, all business. “Thanks. Which department are you with?"

Sandy set the coffee down, her head respectfully bowed. "I'm with the assistants. Today's my first day. I'm Sandia."

“Sandia?” Scott thought for a second. “Oh, right-you went to school with Juliana, didn't you?"

She nodded politely. "That's right."

With a quick glance, Scott dismissed her. "Alright, get back to work. If you have questions, ask Linda-she'll show you around."

Scott had a reputation for being a gentleman. As long as you didn't cross any lines, he was never hard on anyone.

"Thank you, Mr. Stranz." Sandy replied, striking the perfect balance between polite and confident as she walked out.

Only then did Scott take a sip of the coffee. He paused, pleasantly surprised—it was brewed just the way he liked it, both the temperature and sweetness spot-on.

Everyone in the assistant team knew: master Scott's coffee, and you're halfway to success. There had even been one poor soul who spent a month trying to get it right, but never did.

Sandy, though, had nailed it in under a day.

She'd definitely made an impression—and that was exactly what she wanted.

Still, Scott wasn't the type to pay too much attention to a woman like Sandy. Especially since Juliana had introduced her as an old classmate; he saw no reason to read into it.

A man in Scott's position had his own set of headaches. Every woman who tried to get close to him seemed to be angling for the title of Mrs. Stranz.

That was exactly the kind of woman he wanted nothing to do with.

After his coffee, Scott made a quick call. “Herman, about the Zenos project-how about dinner tonight? Mr. Hughes from Sterling Holdings will be there, he's organizing it..."

Goad Group and Elysian Technologies had been working together more and more lately.

By evening, Scott brought two assistants with him to the dinner-Sandy was one of them.

Sandy knew Herman would be there and didn't want to risk bumping into him. When they got to the restaurant, she faked a

stomachache and asked Linda to go

in with Scott instead.

Normally, everyone would jump at an opportunity like this, but Sandy handed the chance to Linda without hesitation winning Linda's gratitude and scoring a few brownie points.

Scott didn't think anything of it. "If you're not feeling well, just head home and rest. Don't push yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Stranz. I really am sorry," Sandy said, giving him an apologetic smile.

Scott waved her off and went inside with Linda.

Tonight, Herman showed up with Anastasia. When the private room door opened, Sandy lingered in the hallway sneaking a peek through the crack and catching sight of Anastasia sitting right next to

Herman.

If he brought her to a business dinner like this, it said everything about how much he

cared about her—and just how important she was in his life.

Sandy made a silent promise to herself. She would win Scott's heart. One day, she'd be sitting beside him, just like Anastasia.

She left the restaurant, but instead of heading home, she popped into a nearby pharmacy for some hangover pills—she had a feeling they'd come in handy later. The real trick would be getting Linda to leave so she could have Scott to herself. Inside the private room, Scott was getting drinks pressed on him left and right. Herman, ever the sly one, used his wife's strict rules as an excuse to barely drink a thing.

Scott joked, "Herman, you're too smooth! Anastasia, cut him some slack, will you? Let him drink tonight. Mr. Hughes, don't you agree?"

Mr. Hughes laughed, “Mr. Salstrom, I've seen your drinking skills before—I can't keep up, I really can't."

Anastasia grinned, "If anyone here can hold their liquor, it's Mr. Stranz."

Scott grinned back, "Now you're just teasing me. Come on, Anastasia, let Herman

off the hook-he'll only drink if you say so."

Herman and Anastasia exchanged a glance, then Herman raised his glass. "Alright, one drink with you."

"Cheers!” Scott said, clearly in high spirits.