Chapter 2

I didn't want to waste my time arguing with Shermaine.

"You can just tell Alex Hammond to fire me, then. We'll see whether I need the company more or it's the other way round."

I turned my gaze toward my phone, planning to call Owen's assistant first.

At that moment, a man said nonchalantly, "Oh! Who was it that had the audacity to say something like that in this building? Did they forget whose company this is?"

People stepped aside, gradually making way for a man in an expensive suit walking toward us. He was rather tall and handsome, yet a frivolous expression lingered on his face.

Shermaine adopted a sad, pitiful expression the second she saw him. She hurried toward the man.

"Welcome back, Mr. Hammond." She immediately clung to Alex Hammond's arm, her voice dripping with longing and admiration.

Alex's gaze drifted across the room and eventually landed on me. "Was it you?"

Shermaine swiftly pointed at me.

"That's her, Lucy! She acts all arrogant and looks down on everyone else just because she's secured a few deals for the company.

"She comes in late and leaves the office early every day. She also slacks off during work. Even our HR staff isn't sure what to do about her.

"You're finally taking over managing the company, Mr. Hammond. You ought to punish people like her, who are always breaking our company rules!"

Shermaine's eyes turned red, looking as though she was the one who had been treated unfairly. "She even yelled at me just now when I reminded her that she was late again."

Several ladies around Shermaine, who looked like her underlings, quickly chimed in.

"She's right, Mr. Hammond. Lucy has always been very forceful and imposing. She's made things difficult for Shermaine by stealing a lot of business deals from her!"

"Even after Shermaine had reminded her that she should do things moderately, Lucy outright ignored her words."

"That's right. Moreover, Shermaine was Lucy's mentor who had shown her the ropes when she just joined the company."

Alex snickered and asked mockingly, "Are you really our company's top salesperson? It's just that you've been lucky enough to join a successful company like ours, Hammond Group. Without our company, you'd be nothing."

I had heard long before that Alex was a frivolous playboy. I didn't expect that he was also so shallow and unprincipled.

I let out a sigh. "Alex, I have no desire to argue with you over these things. I just want to know if Mr. Hammond Senior's condition has stabilized."

My parents and the Hammond couple had decided early on to have me and Alex marry each other.

Over the years, the Hammond family's business gradually went downhill. Meanwhile, my family's business had flourished.

There were several instances where the Hammond family had nearly gone bankrupt, and my father provided them with the necessary help each time.

Six months ago, my father suggested that I join Hammond Group and start in the most basic position.

One of his reasons for suggesting that was so that I, a young lady who just graduated from college, could gain more skills and experience.

Another very important reason was so that I could observe Alex and learn more about his temperament.

We would keep him as my fiance if he were an intelligent, decent man. Otherwise, we should probably just call off the engagement.

However, I couldn't even catch a glimpse of him during the past six months since Alex had traveled abroad for his studies.

Meanwhile, I tried to keep a low profile since I didn't want my colleagues to feel pressured if they were to find out who I was.

Not only did Owen help keep my real identity a secret, but he was also very kind to me. Naturally, I was concerned about his condition after learning that he had suffered a heart attack.

Yet, Alex had completely misunderstood why I was worried about Owen. He laughed contemptuously.

"Why? Are you worried about my dad? Are you that eager to become my stepmother?"