"Uh…" Aria stared at Clifford, her face a mixture of bewilderment and terror.Clifford could sense the innocence in Aria, a stark contrast to Clarissa, who, in his eyes, now seemed like nothing more than a common, flashy woman. He looked at Aria's confused and terrified expression and said with a slight smirk, "You and I are both grown-ups here, Ms. Snow. You surely know what I'm talking about, right?"Upon hearing that, Aria blushed deeply. She offered him a strained smile, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Johansen. I've never actually been in a relationship, so I've never been intimate with a man before. Is it possible that you're trying to set me up with someone, Mr. Johansen?"Aria suddenly looked at Clifford, her eyes brimming with expectation. Clifford was slightly taken aback. He noticed the expectation in her eyes and felt a deep sense of frustration stirring within him. How could she have misunderstood him so completely? He actually appreciated a woman who was "innocent".He na
In the meantime, the living room lamp cast a warm, soft glow that filled the room, creating a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere. Seraphine and Elliott had just finished watching the movie."I'm going to head back to get some rest now, Sera. I'll bring you breakfast in the morning, and remember to call me if you need anything," Elliott said as he looked at Seraphine, his eyes brimming with affection. He had been tempted to stay the night, but he held back, not wanting to scare her away with his bold advances.Seraphine smiled brightly. "Got it! Have a good night, Eli!"Elliot said in a low, resonant voice, "Good night, Sera." Seraphine waited until Elliott had left before checking the message and video Lorraine had sent. She couldn't help but grip her phone tightly as she saw Aria in that familiar dress and Clifford looking at her with such a protective gaze. She had once had such high hopes for him, and in that moment, the familiar pain returned and hit her hard.She sudden
Clifford glanced over and caught sight of Thomas Jenkinson, drunk and staggering, dragging Aria off without a thought for the crowd around them.Aria tried to pull away, but Thomas gripped her hand tightly, refusing to let her go. He slurred vile things under his breath, insisting that she accompany him to bed at a hotel.Those around looked on anxiously for Aria, but under the scrutiny of so many people, no one dared to risk offending someone at a banquet where the attendees were all wealthy and influential. They knew Thomas was a man they couldn't afford to anger, and they were all familiar with his habit of harassing people at these types of lavish banquets.Aria, with tears welling up in her eyes, pleaded desperately, "Please let me go! I'm Mr. Johansen's assistant! I've never attended such a banquet before, so please just let me off this one time!"Thomas looked at Aria's tear-filled eyes, and rather than elicit sympathy, they only made her more beautiful to him, further fue
Upon hearing the concern in Seraphine's voice, Elliott regarded her with a faint smile. He then noticed the warmth in her gaze, like a ray of sunshine, and felt his heart race. "Are you actually worried about me, Sera?"Seraphine nodded in assent. She couldn't help but favor Elliott since he had rescued her more than once. She knew that she would encounter plenty of bad people in her life, but she truly believed that Elliott was one of the good ones. "I care for you just as you care for me, Eli."Elliott smiled faintly, his voice laced with amusement as he said, "It turns out it's a matter of returning a favor."Seraphine fell silent.Elliott smiled reassuringly, saying, "You can rest assured that everything at my company is well under control, and everyone really loves your designs, Sera." Seraphine was overjoyed. "I'm just so glad that I could help you out, Eli! I'll do the design for the next version of the game for free!"She thought that the one million dollars Elliott had
Clifford pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, saying, "Got it, Jim. I'll look into it, and if what you say is true, then I'll make sure Seraphine hands us that core technology. It'll save us tens of millions of dollars, which could be reallocated to the funding of other research."Upon hearing that Clifford believed him, Jim sounded relieved and upbeat, saying, "You have to act quickly, Mr. Johansen. You see, if Professor Norton returns and his team gets their chip to market first, then our project will be a complete loss."In the end, we wouldn't be able to save any funds and would instead incur hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. You ought to remember that the only one who knows Professor Lodge's research theory is Seraphine."Clifford's expression hardened. He had to admit that Jim was right—Seraphine was one of the few people with direct access to Andrea's core technology. "Got it! I'll get to the bottom of this!"He ended the call and turned to the window, wat
Aria waited for Clarissa and Stephen to leave before walking into Clifford's office. She walked with a graceful sway, effortlessly maintaining her flawless act even when she knew Clifford wasn't watching.She approached slowly after noticing Clifford's pained expression. She then said gently, "Please have some water, Mr. Johansen. Mr. Harris mentioned that you have a banquet to attend tonight, so you should rest for a bit to save your energy for the banquet later."Clifford's eyes flew open once he heard Aria's gentle and melodic voice, and he breathed in the faint, familiar scent of jasmine that clung to her. He studied her intently, noting how every single one of her movements was so much like Seraphine's.He missed Seraphine so much right then. He knew that if she were with him, she would be finding a new way to cheer him up. She would have prepared his favorite meals and handled all the details of his life, allowing him to be completely at ease at work. She would have also hel