Chapter 5

By the time Mercy arrived at the office the next day, Wendy had already taken over her office.

"Miss Park, I've packed up all your belongings. They're right here. From now on, you'll work as a business development specialist, and specialists don't get private offices..."

Bianca Lane's mocking tone made her meaning clear: she was belittling Mercy's new status.

Mercy glanced at the cardboard box dumped on the floor. It did contain all her things.

Bianca was Joshua's secretary. She tried to seduce him shortly after joining the company, but Joshua showed no interest in her.

At the time, Mercy believed he remained faithful because of her.

Now she finally knew that he had done it for Wendy.

"You hardly ever came to work anyway, so you didn't need such a large office. It makes far more sense to give it to Wendy. Mr. Cooper really made a wise decision."

Bianca was clearly implying that Mercy occupied the position without doing any actual work.

It was true that Mercy rarely came to the office.

Joshua was the one who offered her the position of Director of Business Development. She never asked for it.

But once he offered, refusing would only have embarrassed him.

Joshua founded the company before their marriage, and Mercy trusted him completely at the time.

Therefore, she had never viewed the role as anything more than a nominal title.

She never interfered with the company's daily operations.

Mercy still remembered how often Joshua praised her for being such an understanding wife.

Now, it became ammunition for Bianca to use against her.

At that moment, Wendy stepped out of the director's office.

It was the first time Mercy saw her dressed in professional attire.

Every piece came from a luxury designer, and the entire outfit must have cost well over twenty thousand dollars.

Wendy noticed Mercy looking at her clothes and gave her an affected smile.

"Mercy, Joshua bought this outfit for me as a gift for my first day. It was a little expensive—over a hundred and thirty thousand dollars including the shoes. You don't mind, do you?"

Bianca practically drooled with envy.

She knew Wendy's outfit was expensive and recognized it as Prada, but she never imagined it could cost that much. It was nearly enough to buy a small apartment in her boyfriend's hometown.

"Mr. Cooper treats you so well, Wendy. He's completely devoted to his little sister!"

Bianca had clearly said it for Mercy's benefit.

Mercy could tell that Bianca knew nothing about the sordid relationship between Joshua and Wendy.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have reserved all her jealousy for Joshua's lawful wife.

"Only a hundred and thirty thousand? Joshua's getting stingier by the day."

Mercy's words left both Wendy and Bianca momentarily stunned.

"I was the one who told Joshua to buy you that outfit as a welcome gift. As your sister-in-law, it was only right for me to do something for your first day at my family's company."

Wendy opened her mouth, dying to call Mercy delusional.

She begged Joshua for that outfit for days, doing everything she could to persuade him before he finally agreed to buy it.

Besides, the company belonged to Joshua long before he married Mercy. It wasn't Mercy's family business at all.

The frustration Wendy struggled to suppress made the corners of Mercy's lips lift slightly.

Bianca saw that Wendy failed to gain the upper hand and quietly turned to leave.

"Hold on."

Mercy stopped her.

"Since you packed up my things without my permission, you can put them back in order."

Bianca's eyes widened.

"Miss Park, don't you think that's a bit much? I'm Mr. Cooper's secretary, not yours."

"Exactly, Mercy." Wendy smiled smugly. "You're just a specialist now. Your position isn't even as senior as Bianca's."

Instead of getting angry, Mercy laughed.

"My title may have changed, but I'm still your boss' wife—the lady of this company. If you're Joshua's secretary, doesn't that make you mine as well?"

"I..."

Bianca was left speechless.

"What are you all talking about?"

Everyone turned toward the voice.

Joshua strode over.

"Joshua..."

Without the slightest concern for who was watching, Wendy slipped her arm through his.

Joshua glanced at Mercy.

He expected her expression to darken.

Instead, it didn't change at all.

Mercy had always been naturally beautiful. Even wearing nothing more than light makeup, she outshone women caked in cosmetics. A faint smile rested on her lips.

How captivating.

Yet somehow, it felt like a mask.

For reasons he couldn't explain, a sudden unease settled over Joshua.

He gently removed Wendy's hand from his arm.

"Your sister-in-law is right here."

Wendy's expression immediately stiffened.

"It's fine. She's your sister, after all. It's perfectly normal for a little sister to cling to her brother."

By all rights, Joshua should have felt relieved to hear Mercy say that.

At the very least, it meant she didn't suspect there was anything inappropriate between him and Wendy.

Yet the fact that Mercy showed no trace of jealousy left him oddly unsettled.

"By the way, what were you all talking about?"

Joshua smoothly changed the subject.

"Miss Park wants me to move all her things to her new desk and organize them for her."

Bianca spoke with a hint of complaint, mixed with a touch of coquettishness toward Joshua.

"Then why don't you—"

Before Joshua could finish, Wendy cut in.

"I have a number of files that need Bianca's help. I just took over as director, and I'm already swamped with work."

She shot Bianca a meaningful look.

"That's right. The previous director left behind so much unfinished work. Wendy has barely stepped into the role and already has a mountain of files to deal with. Mr. Cooper, what would you like me to do?"

Joshua hesitated and cleared his throat.

"Bianca, help Wendy with the paperwork first. Mercy, I'm sure you can organize your own desk."

Mercy wasn't surprised by the decision.

In Joshua's eyes, Wendy was his real family, the one he would always choose over Mercy.

"All right."

Mercy's easy agreement caught Joshua off guard.

Just as he was about to say something, someone hurried over.

"Mr. Cooper, the manager from Felinda just called. He'd like to meet with our director this afternoon at two o'clock to discuss the serum we've been promoting. The meeting will be at their Experience Center."

Felinda was a high-end beauty retailer in Andovia. Joshua had been trying for ages to get his products onto their shelves, but they never showed any interest.

"That's wonderful, Mr. Cooper!"

Bianca exclaimed excitedly.

"It looks like our new director has finally earned Felinda's confidence, unlike someone here."

The "someone here" she was referring to was, of course, Mercy.

Joshua couldn't hide the smile spreading across his face.

He reached out and took Wendy's hand.

"Wendy, you really do bring me luck... You're my lucky charm."

Mercy caught the slip. For a moment, Joshua had sounded less like a brother praising his sister and more like a husband crediting his wife for his success. She sneered inwardly.

Wendy shot Mercy a triumphant glance.

"Well, Mercy, since I’ll be handling the meeting, you can take care of my work while I’m gone. Surely you can manage that much."

"Mr. Cooper..."

The employee who delivered the message spoke up again, drawing everyone's attention.

"Felinda specifically requested to meet with Miss Park."

For a moment, every eye in the room turned toward Mercy.

"But Mercy isn't the director anymore."

The words had barely left Bianca's mouth before Joshua shot her a warning look.

"Mercy, since Felinda specifically asked for you, you should go and meet with them."

"What position am I supposed to go as?" Mercy asked.

Joshua froze for a moment before answering, "As director, of course."

"In that case, Bianca, please move my things back into the director's office."

After speaking to Bianca, Mercy turned to Wendy.

"Well, Wendy, since I’ll be handling the meeting, you can take care of my work while I’m gone. Surely you can manage that much."

Wendy tugged hard at Joshua's sleeve.

"You don't need to worry about things here," Joshua said. "Wendy will take care of your work."

"Joshua!"

Joshua paid no attention to Wendy's protest and turned to Bianca.

"Hurry and move Mercy's things back."

Just like that, Mercy was temporarily reinstated as director.

She met Felinda's purchasing manager once before, but they were little more than acquaintances.

She couldn't understand why he specifically requested her for this meeting.

At exactly two o'clock that afternoon, Mercy arrived at the Felinda Experience Center.

A staff member led Mercy into the conference room.

David Day, Felinda's purchasing manager, was already waiting inside.

Beside him sat another man.