Chapter 4

Early the next morning, every employee at Zenith Global Language Solutions received Linda’s public apology letter.

Daisy Morgan’s phone was still displaying the letter.

The moment she saw Claire, she rushed over and carefully examined her face.

The mark on Claire’s left cheek had not faded yet, and it stood out sharply against her porcelain-clear skin.

“Linda must have lost her mind! Her husband is hardly a prize. Only a fool would treat him like one!” Daisy said angrily.

She had been out on a field assignment the day before and only heard about the incident afterward.

Once she learned the truth, she was so angry that she could barely sleep that night.

Claire smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine. It looks worse than it is. Besides, we share the same name, so it’s understandable that she mistook me for someone else.”

Daisy suddenly thought of something.

She leaned toward Claire and whispered, “I heard the other Claire Jones was fired on the spot. Mr. Grant was also summoned by upper management first thing this morning.

“He’s probably in trouble too. How strange. Since when did the smiling viper become so righteous?”

Claire paused.

Her fingers tightened around the pen in her hand as a sudden thought flashed through her mind, too quickly for her to grasp.

“Everyone, put your work aside for a moment. Who’s free tonight?”

Gordon appeared out of nowhere, and Daisy immediately returned to her seat.

He walked past everyone’s desks, scanning the employees who deliberately kept their heads lowered.

In the end, his gaze settled on Claire.

“There’s a dinner with Mr. Parker at the Golden Bay Club tonight. Claire, you’re coming with me.”

Everyone knew that Martin Parker was the head of Newcrest Group, one of Zenith’s long-standing clients. Their contract was now approaching its crucial renewal period.

Unfortunately, Martin had a terrible reputation.

Everyone else at Zenith Global Language Solutions avoided him whenever possible.

“Of course, Mr. Bennett.” Claire simply nodded.

Gordon was thoroughly pleased.

Claire was not only highly skilled at her job, but also exceptionally beautiful.

With a face like hers, many things could be accomplished with half the effort.

“Dress up nicely tonight.”

Only after Gordon left did Daisy give Claire a sympathetic look.

“Claire, the smiling viper obviously singled you out for this.”

Claire gave her a faint smile. “It’s fine. I happen to be free tonight.”

“Then remember to eat something beforehand so you’re not drinking on an empty stomach. And try to drink as little as possible.”

Daisy sighed softly after reminding her.

Claire had never told them about her circumstances, but everyone could see that she was very short of money.

That was why she never refused any of Gordon’s requests.

She needed to take on as many assignments as possible.

Gordon was not exactly a good man.

Everyone privately called him “the smiling viper,” but as long as they met his work demands, he was willing to lead his employees to make money.

Claire was extremely hardworking. Even when she was not working overtime, plenty of people had seen her taking on freelance jobs after work.

Daisy studied Claire’s face again as she thought about it.

They had not worked together for very long, but Claire’s professional abilities were obvious to everyone.

However, what Daisy remembered most was her breathtaking beauty.

There was also something about the way she carried herself. The confidence she radiated did not come from her appearance alone; it came from deep within her.

Daisy had worked for many years and met all kinds of people.

She could tell that although Claire’s clothes and daily necessities were far from luxurious, her background was unfathomable.

She wondered what Claire had gone through to end up so short of money.

It was truly a shame…

At the Golden Bay Club, Gordon entered a private room with Claire. Unlike the dazzling opulence of other clubs, this place had a more refined elegance.

The private room was spacious, with more than twenty people inside. They sat in small groups, while the dim lighting left most of their figures hidden in the shadows.

Several people stood up when they saw Gordon and greeted him warmly. “Mr. Bennett, long time no see.”

Gordon had spent years trying to break into elite social circles, and his efforts had helped him get to know quite a few people.

Claire knew her place as someone who was meant to remain unnoticed. She found a quiet spot that was still within Gordon’s line of sight, then waited for him to call her over.

There were many people in the room, all seated in their own small groups and chatting over drinks. The only exception was the group in the corner, which seemed to exist in a world of its own.

Several people sat on the sofa, chatting quietly.

Although others surrounded them, the group seemed to possess an invisible aura of its own.

Everyone’s body language and gaze made it clear that they were all flattering one particular person.

Claire noticed him the moment she entered the room.

However, the lighting was dim, and his back was to her, so all she could see was his relaxed posture and broad, graceful shoulders.

“Claire, come here.”

Gordon suddenly called her over from the corner. The person standing beside him was none other than Martin.

Claire raised her wineglass and walked over with a professional smile.

Several people in the room turned to look at her, their eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

“Claire, why are you sitting all by yourself in the corner?” Martin’s eyes lit up the moment he saw her graceful figure.

Gordon immediately shot Claire a meaningful look. “Claire, what are you waiting for? Have a drink with Mr. Parker.”

“Mr. Parker, it’s been a long time.” Claire smiled and raised her glass in a toast.

Martin kept drinking, but his eyes were constantly drawn to Claire’s beautiful face.

He made no effort to hide the way he looked her up and down.

Perhaps it had been too long since he last saw her, or perhaps the alcohol had gone to his head, but he thought she looked even more radiant than before.

She was more striking than anyone else in the room…

“Mr. Parker, where did you find such a beautiful woman? How come I’ve never seen her before?”

One of the men standing beside the sofa noticed Claire and teased him.

His words instantly interrupted the conversation in the corner.

Everyone looked in that direction, some openly and others discreetly, while several people quietly exclaimed in admiration.

“She’s the best translator at Zenith Global Language Solutions—Claire Jones,” Martin said with a laugh.

As expected, bringing a beautiful woman along easily drew everyone’s attention.

One of the businessmen teased, “Mr. Parker, how do you know so much about another company’s translator? Is it because she’s good at her job, or because Claire is beautiful?”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Once everyone’s attention turned to him, Martin’s vanity was inexplicably satisfied.

A shrewd glint suddenly appeared in his narrow eyes.

“Claire is not only beautiful and an excellent translator, but she’s talented too. I heard from Gordon that she studied dance in the past. How about it, Claire? Give everyone a dance to liven things up?”

“Dance! Dance!”

Some of the men had already been drinking heavily. Their desires took over the moment they heard Martin’s suggestion, and they began shouting along without thinking.

Claire had attended many gatherings like this, but this was the first time she had been publicly humiliated in such a way.

What did they take her for, asking her to dance for their entertainment?

But Martin was an important client of the company, and she could not refuse him.

The voices around her rose and fell in waves, circling in her mind and pressing the air from her lungs.

Claire felt like a clown placed in the center of a stage, utterly alone and helpless, humiliated beyond words.

The scrutinizing gazes around her pricked and burned, slowly devouring every bit of her dignity.

“Mr. Parker, I didn’t know you had such a taste.”

A cold, commanding voice suddenly cut through the jeering from the corner, and the entire room fell silent.

Everyone turned toward the owner of the voice—the man whom they had been flattering all evening.

Claire followed their gazes.

The first thing she saw was the man’s legs crossed over each other.

His fingers held a wineglass, which hung casually above his knee.

Every knuckle was sharply defined.

Her gaze moved slowly upward, and she froze.

Eustace Sterling…

Claire’s mind went blank.

A tingling numbness ran through her limbs, leaving her rigid on the spot.

How could it be him…?

Somehow, she always seemed to meet him at her most humiliating moments.

Eustace gave Claire a fleeting glance before letting out a cold laugh. “So, this is the kind of woman you like?”