On the second floor of a private vi, clothesy scattered across the floor–men’s and women’s alike. A <b>pair </b>of tom ck stockings dingled from the edge of the couch
Joseph lounged against the headboard, a cigarette resting between his fingers, his face filled with quiet satisfaction.
The woman beside him still wore a hazy, sultry expression, clearly lost in the afterglow,
His phone buzzed. Joseph took a slow drag from his cigarette before calmly answering
John’s respectful voice came through the line.
“Boss, the Rileys just held a press conference. They’ve officially announced the cancetion of the engagement with the Jasper family. Also, there’s a rumor spreading online that Sean was spotted entering a hotel with a top actress–looks like he’s cheating.”
Josephlet <b>out </b>a short, mockingugh.
“So much for being the <b>great </b>romantic. Tums out he’s no different than his father. A shameless womanizer.”
John paused
“So.. what do we <b>do </b>about the Rileys<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Joseph’s eyes narrowed in thought.
“Keep watching them. This might <b>be </b><b>a </b>staged breakup just to throw me off.”
“Understood.”
<b>“</b>And pay special attention to Charlotte Riley. Track her movements. Report back the moment anything changes.”
After resting at home for a full day, Charlotte finally pulled herself together and returned to work at thew firm.
Things had been calm the past <b>couple </b><b>of </b>days. No idents. No strange disturbances. She and her family were safe and sound.
So breaking off the engagement really was for the best. At least that lunatic Joseph won’t bother us anymore,” Charlotte smiled bitterly to herself.
As she stepped into the firm, her coworkers greeted her warmly.
She returned their greetings with a polite smile, walking <b>into </b>her office in ck leather mid–heeled shoes,
The firm <b>had </b>a strict dress code–professional attire and ck shoes were <b>mandatory</b>. <b>Today</b>, Charlotte <b>wore </b><b>a </b><b>ck </b>pantsult. Her long <b>hair </b>was neatly pinned up, concealing the dark circles under her eyes with <b>concealer</b>. A swipe of vintage red lipstick brought some color back to her face.
Compared <b>to </b>just a few <b>days </b>ago, she looked like a different person. No one could tell she had just been through a painful breakup.
Her supervisor handed her three new cases, and Charlotte quickly threw herself into work, analyzing each one with focus
Ever <b>since </b>Yvonne resigned, their new supervisor, Lily<b>, </b><b>had </b><b>taken </b>over.
Lily had no personal vendetta against Charlotte and wasn’t under anyone’s influence. With her <b>arrival</b>, work had been much smoother
That evening, Chudlotte stayedte <b>to </b>finish her tasks. Once she wrapped everything up and tumed off the office lights, she heard the faint sound of someone
Sher frowned slightly and stepped outside to check
The sound wasing from the assistant work area.
Unlike the attorneys, the <b>legal </b>assistants didn’t have private offices. They <b>all </b>worked in a shared space with partitioned desks.
Carlotte followed the sound and quickly spotted who it was—Jenny,
“Jen?” she said gently, walking over. “What’s wrong! Are <b>you </b><b>okay</b>?”
pony hurriedly grabbed some tissues and wiped her eyes.
Miss Miley. Really.
Culotte pulled out the duine to her <b>and </b>sat down.
“Come on. You don’t need to put on a brave face with me. Talk to me. <b>Maybe </b><b>I </b><b>can </b>help
Jenny’s eyes were red, and she stayed quiet for a moment. Then, her voice trembling, she said, “It’s nothing serious, I just……….”
Just then, two coworkers walked by. Jenny quickly fell silent, not wanting anyone else to overhear
Charlotte immediately understood.
“Is it something you can’t talk about here? Do <b>you </b>have any ns tonight? If not, how about we grab dinner?
“I don’t have anything nned.” Jenny said, her voice soft
“Perfect. Go freshen up<b>. </b>Let’s go eat<b>.</b>”
+25 Bonus
Charlotte picked a Korean ce she knew Jenny liked.
The restaurant <b>had </b><b>a </b>ssy vibe, dim lighting, and a cozy atmosphere.
Jenny <b>had </b>heard of the ce. It was known to be upscale, with meals costing several hundred dors per person
<b>She </b>looked a bit flustered.
“Miss Riley…isn’t this a little too fancy<b>?</b>“”
Charlotte gave <b>her </b>a warm smile,
“Let me take care of it. You don’t <b>have </b>to feel awkward. We’re friends”
After everything they’d been through with the Leonard siblings, Charlotte and Jenny had grown <b>closer</b>. They weren’t just coworkers anymore. They were friends.
Jenny still hesitated.
“I don’t know. I feel kind of bad.”
Charlotte waved her off.
“You’re feeling down, and I’m your friend. Of course I’m going to treat you to a good meal to cheer you up There’s nothing wrong with that.”