Aria asked, “Did you drive here?”


    Owen took her hand and said, “I took a cab here. We can just head straight home if you want. Things have been pretty quiet at the firmtely.”


    He recently streamlined his workload to focus solely on major cases, making his schedule much more rxed than before. He thought, ‘Now I’ll have more time to spend with Madelyn.


    Back at the Stars Group headquarters. Miles red at Silvia by the window and snapped, “Silvia, you’d better know your ce. You’re just a junior staff member now. You have no business bypassing the chain ofmand.”


    Silvia was gazing absentmindedly out the window when she suddenly spotted Aria and Owen. Instinctively, she leaned forward slightly for a clearer view.


    Miles’s anger red as he stepped closer. “You can’t even pay attention when I’m talking. Do you think you’re untouchable just because you have connections?”


    Silvia recoiled, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “Just use your words, Miles. Don’t get so close. You’re practically spitting on my face.”


    Miles’s fingers trembled with rage. “You-” He was on the verge of exploding.


    “Miles!” Johnny approached, his face grim. “What’s going on?”


    Miles immediatelyunched into aint. “Mr. Oconnor, Silvia has such an unprofessional attitude and absolutely no respect for her superiors. I was speaking to her quite civilly, and she just sat there staring out the window.”


    Johnny stepped closer, his gaze flickering briefly to the window just in time to see Aria’s car pulling out of the parking lot. Johnny tore his gaze away and regarded Silvia. “So, is this your idea of professionalism?”


    Silvia offered a deep bow. “My apologies, Mr. Qureshi. I shouldn’t have bypassed you to discuss the design drafts with Mr. Oconnor. You call the shots. If you want us to change something, we’ll change it.”


    Miles winced, quickly trying to exin, “Mr. Oconnor, that’s not what happened…”


    Johnny raised his hand, cutting Miles off. “I only care about results. If it’s Silvia’s fault, that proves she’s unfit for this position. But if responsibility lies with you, Miles…”


    Johnny shot Miles an icy re. “Then that also proves you’re unfit for this position, too.” Miles’s face fell instantly.


    “Silvia,” Johnny said, e with me to my office.” He turned and strode away. Silvia scurried after him in small, measured


    steps.


    Not far away, some employees from the advertising department were gossiping in hushed tones.


    “Hey, have you guys noticed that Mr. Oconnor seems to treat Silvia a little differently?”


    Another employee nodded discreetly. “I’ve actually noticed it for a while, ever since the night of the annual g.”


    Someone asked, “What exactly went down that night?”


    “Hey, Tilda, I remember you went out with them that night. Do you know what really happened?”


    Tilda looked distracted and shook her head. “I… I really don’t know.”


    The annual g was held at a hotel. Allpany employees attended, along with a number of the Stars Group’s business partners.


    28)


    Tilda was forced into a blind date by her family. The guy took a liking to her, but she wasn’t interested at all. Coincidentally, the man’s family happened to be one of the Stars Group’s business partners.


    The man ran into Tilda and immediately imed to be her boyfriend. Tilda fled to the hotel’s back garden, but he still managed to track her down. Noticing something was off, Silvia rushed over.


    But then, the guy set his sights on Silvia. He said to Silvia, “Silvia, I know the person you despise most is Aria. As long as you’re with me, that insignificant Aria? I’ll take care of her for you.”


    Silvia just smiled at him. “And how, exactly, do you n to ‘take care’ of her?”


    “Of course, I’ll destroy what she values most. I’ll get a few guys to have their way with her, record the whole thing, and we can make a fortune off it…”


    Silvia pped him across the face. “You filthy, despicable piece of trash!”