“Are you sure you want to call me that?” Jeffrey asked. He wasn’t mad at all. He stayed as cool and unconcerned as if nothing could ever stir him.


    “I’m absolutely sure,” Samuel replied.


    Jeffrey gave him a little flick on the forehead. “Okay.”


    He thought, ‘You’re being this polite because you’ll probably need my help again someday, right? If we were too close, you’d hesitate to ask.’


    Samuel found his reaction strangely out of character.


    “Make sure to tell your mom not to get that wound wet,” Jeffrey reminded as he nced at Reba’s injured ankle before leaving. “Otherwise, it will get worse.”


    Samuel didn’t say anything. After Jeffrey left, he pulled Reba toward the door. His voice was quiet, yet just loud enough for Jeffrey to catch. “Mom, we need to change the lock code.”


    “Okay,” Reba replied.


    Jeffrey stood by the elevator, watching them busy themselves with the lock. Without a word, he stepped inside. To him, this kind of digital lock was easier to crack than a regr one–just a few lines of code, and it would fall apart.


    Reba had no idea. She racked her brain toe up with a code that was both memorable and difficult for anyone else to guess<b>. </b>


    “Mom,” Samuel said softly after closing the door, his voice tinged with guilt.


    “What?” Reba responded.


    “I’m sorry,” Samuel said, honestly feeling guilty. “I knew you didn’t want to see Dad, but I gave him the code anyway and let him in. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have had to deal with him.”


    “I know you did it because you were worried about me,” Reba said softly, rubbing his head. “That means a lot, so you don’t need <i>to </i>say sorry.”


    “Mom, I love you,” Samuel said as he hugged her tightly.


    Reba’s heart softened. She asked Samuel how he had been during the past few days at Jeffrey’s ce.


    Samuel gave the same answer as before. He said he was doing fine, just that he really missed her.


    Reba knew Jeffrey loved Samuel deeply, and she knew that as long as his parents stayed away, Samuel would be treated with care in his home, but she still didn’t dare let Samuel stay with him.


    She had already made up her mind to stay single forever, just so she could put all her energy into taking care


    of Samuel.


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    Jeffrey was not like her. He was bound to take care of Andrea for the rest of his life, and the thought of Andrea bing Samuel’s stepmother was something Reba could never ept.


    After chatting for a while, Reba reminded Samuel that it was time for bed.


    The next morning, Reba dropped Samuel off at school as usual before rushing back to the office. She had barely sat down when a crowd of coworkers swarmed around her, their faces alight with gossip.


    “Morning, Reba, did you have breakfast?”


    “Did you sleep wellst night?”


    “Oh my goodness, when that chandelier fell, I was really scared. Are you alright?”


    The flood of questions left Reba momentarily dazed. Setting down her bag, she gave them a puzzled look, curious about what they were really trying to say.


    “Thest person who went on stagest night was Mr. Hanson, wasn’t it?” Lisa said, “I saw him holding your hand.”


    “Yeah, I saw that too.”


    “Seriously, what’s going on between you two?”


    “When the chandelier fell, Stephen wasn’t even the closest one to you. Why did he suddenly rush to help?”


    At first, they had all believed what Reba had told them, but none of them had expected something even juicier to happen afterward.


    Stephen risked his own life to protect her, while Jeffrey held her hand. She suddenly became the woman every other girl envied.


    “Don’t you get it? You only noticed Mr. Hanson holding Reba’s hand, but none of you paid attention to how hard he was gripping it,” E said as she came over.


    They tried to recall, but none of them had any clear memory of it. What stood out most in their minds was Jeffrey pulling Reba back just as she was about to leave.


    It looked just like one of those movie scenes, where the guy dragged the girl back after a fight.


    “You can go ask the people who were on stage at the time just how angry Mr. Hanson was when he grabbed Reba,” E said, shielding Reba firmly. “Once you know the whole story, you’ll stop gossiping.”


    Hearing her words, everyone fell silent. Gossip thrived in groups, but once someone interrupted, the buzz just died down.


    “What are you all doing here?” Derek showed up out of nowhere. “It’s work hours. Are you cking off?”


    “Nothing. We were just talking with Reba about what happenedst night.” Lisa knew Derek was curious too, so she didn’t bother hiding it.


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    She thought, ‘Maybe he knew something, and then we could learn more from him. Since he had already raised the question, E could no longer dodge it.‘


    Reba frowned unconsciously, casting Lisa a look of faint displeasure. To her, Lisa’sment sounded a bit too staged.


    “Oh, thanks for reminding me,” Derek said as he walked over, his tone a little serious.


    Lisa’s eyes sparkled with eager anticipation.


    Derek said, “I’ve been told that no one is allowed to gossip about what happened atst night’s party within thepany, nor spread it outside, including online.”


    All eyes turned to Reba at once. They wondered if it was really that serious or if things were being blown out of proportion.


    “Mentioning Mr. Hanson, Mr. Stephen Hanson, or any of the other important figures presentst night is strictly forbidden within thepany,” Derek stressed. “Anyone caught spreading rumors will face consequences.”


    “Is it really that serious? Why can’t we talk about it?” Lisa never thought she would end up getting in trouble for this.


    “It’s far more serious than you think,” Derek said rapidly. “Rich families hate it when gossip spreads. One story can turn into ten versions depending on who tells it, and the truth always gets warped.”


    His warning shut everyone up. By about 9:30 a.m., the notice came down in an officialpany memo.


    At first, no one took it seriously, and they continued whispering in secret. Someone even exaggerated the story and posted it online–only to be summoned by management half an hourter.


    The others were baffled. They thought, ‘We’re not even connected to thepanywork. How did they know who posted it?‘


    They were never going to get an answer to that. And they would never know it was Jeffrey who sent out the notice, with the Hanson Group’s tech team tracking the person down.


    After this happened, the directors of each department told their teams just how important this matter was. Later, no one dared gossip about it online. They only whispered about it at work.


    “What do you think Reba is really all about? Why would Mr. Stephen Hanson risk himself saving a random girl?”


    “Maybe she’s his secret lover.”


    “Probably not. Mr. Hanson treats her very well, though. Thest time we had dinner together, he actually went out of his way to talk to her.”


    “Y’all should all take notes from Reba. That way, if you ever meet your prince charming, you’ll know a trick or two to keep him close<b>.” </b>


    Reba could hear their conversation loud and clear.


    E, who hade with her, nced at her with concern. “I’ll go talk to them.”


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    “No need,” Reba replied, trying to stay calm. She pushed open the lounge door, passed the group who had been whispering, and walked straight to the coffee machine.