Chapter 8

On the way back, Lana kept bombarding Kylie with messages, urging her not to be late. She stressed that if she was, the consequences would be serious.

That only made Kylie more anxious. She kept urging the driver to go faster.

Before long, the taxi pulled up in front of the company building.

Hearing that the new CEO was about to arrive, the department heads were already lined up downstairs in formal attire, ready to welcome him.

Seeing the scene, Kylie quickly lowered her head and hurried past. She reached out to press the elevator button—

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" a security guard barked at her. "That's the CEO's private elevator!"

Kylie was forced to use the regular elevator, but the floor indicator wasn't moving. Time was running out.

Gritting her teeth, she made a decision—stairs it was!

The finance department was on the 12th floor. If she ran, it would be faster than waiting for the elevator.

Without hesitation, Kylie kicked off her heels and dashed into the stairwell.

By the time she finally reached the office, she was completely out of breath.

Climbing twelve flights of stairs was no joke—especially for someone like Kylie, who hardly exercised.

She collapsed into her chair, reaching for her water bottle to take a sip, when Lana suddenly patted her on the shoulder and shrieked, "Kylie! Why are you barefoot?!"

Startled, Kylie fumbled and knocked over her water bottle.

The cold water drenched the front of her light blue blouse.

She scrambled to grab some tissues, dabbing at the fabric. But before she could do much, Alex Hill, the Finance Department Manager, was already leading Jonathan into the office.

As they entered, Alex was all smiles, bowing and scraping as he introduced the new CEO.

The man behind him carried an air of dominance—his presence was sharp, his gaze intense.

"Wow, he looks even better in person," Lana whispered excitedly.

Kylie kept her head down as she stood behind her chair, hoping to avoid his attention.

Jonathan strode closer. Even without looking up, she could feel the weight of his presence bearing down on her.

A moment later, his cool, impassive voice rang out—

"Ms. Cooper seems to have a lot of free time at work."

Kylie froze. She had no idea what Jonathan's words meant, and Alex seemed just as confused.

The man chuckled darkly, his tone growing sharper.

"Ms. Cooper, since you have time to work part-time at the club at night, I imagine your days must be pretty free, huh?"

Kylie bit her lip, a wave of hurt rising in her chest.

Why was Jonathan singling her out like this?

Even if he didn't love her, she hadn't done anything to offend him, had she? Well… except for that time when she had smashed something over his head.

Okay. Now Kylie regretted it—she regretted being so impulsive and smashing the cup on him. He probably never had anyone treat him like that before. Maybe she really had offended him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sinclair," she said quickly. "I've already quit the part-time job at the nightclub. I won't..."

"Did you quit, or were you fired?" Jonathan cut in, pressing harder.

"I was fired..."

The exchange made the room go still. Everyone, except for Michael, was left with wide eyes and expressions of disbelief.

Kylie gave up fighting back. She lowered her head even further, trying to shrink into herself.

Jonathan's gaze flicked down to Kylie's damp blouse, now almost see-through and clinging to her chest.

His eyes moved lower, catching sight of her bare feet. His brow furrowed.

He let out a disgusted snort, a look of disdain crossing his face. Turning to Alex, he snapped, "Is this the company dress code?"

"Huh?" Alex was stunned. He turned to Kylie, his face suddenly flushed with embarrassment.

Flustered, he hurriedly explained, "Mr. Sinclair, this... this must be a misunderstanding, really!"

Jonathan's cold eyes locked onto Alex's, sending a clear message of authority. Then, flanked by his entourage, he strode out of the finance department.

Alex stood there, drenched in sweat, still muttering to himself as Jonathan walked away.

"Misunderstanding... definitely a misunderstanding... ugh!"