Chapter 3 Unexpected Promotion

Judy's legs were trembling; she dared not even lift her head.

She wished she could find a hole to disappear into.

Did Lewis recognize her?

Judy was extremely nervous, her eyes glued to Lewis's shiny shoes. Whenever he took a step forward, she subconsciously retreated a step back.

The faint smell of mint on her body involuntarily drew Lewis closer and triggered some memories from the previous night.

Suddenly, Lewis's hand reached towards her chest. Startled, Judy looked up sharply, her hands defensively covering her chest, glaring at Lewis with wary eyes: "President, President Lewis..."

Despite Judy's stuttering, she resembled a bristled wild cat showing her sharp claws. Lewis would bet that if he took another step closer, this wild cat would bite.

Lewis's gaze scrutinized Judy from head to toe: fair skin, heavy bangs plus black-frame glasses, making it hard to see her whole face, jeans and shirt, the epitome of shabbiness, and a red hair tie on her wrist.

Judy's first impression on Lewis was simply plain.

He hadn't recognized Judy as the woman from last night, and any sense of familiarity vanished completely upon seeing her face.

With an icy expression, Lewis pointed to the badge on Judy's chest: "Judy? Intern? Which school did you graduate from, and how long have you been in the company?"

Judy didn't understand Lewis's intention but instinctively answered, "Graduated from the College of Finance, been in the company for three months."

"College of Finance," Lewis repeated softly, then said to Leo standing aside, "Her, let her report to the secretarial department."

Leo respectfully complied, "Yes, President."

Judy was full of questions: "???" 

Before she could ask anything, she saw Lewis stride away with his long legs.

He wasn't here to trouble her?

Judy breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Leo: "Leo, what does the president mean?"

Leo smiled and said, "Congratulations, you've been transferred to the secretarial department; you've been promoted. This is good news; you're the first to be promoted from intern to secretary directly."

"Why me? Leo, give me some insight, tell me the truth. Otherwise, I'm uneasy," Judy wondered, did Lewis recognize her and plan to keep her close to torment her slowly?

After all, it's not very honorable to be spread around that a woman slept with him.

Leo looked Judy over and said, "Probably because you're plain-looking and have a fiancé, safe and worry-free. The president just happens to need a secretary, so he chose you."

After all, hiring a single and pretty secretary could lead to distractions aiming to charm the boss.

Judy: "......"

Judy had delicate features and was considered a stunning beauty in school; she deliberately dressed drably and used heavy bangs and glasses to hide her appearance, which greatly diminished her attractiveness.

As just an intern in this big company, without any connections and many with higher education than her, having high attractiveness wasn't always a good thing; it could bring unnecessary trouble.

Seeing Judy speechless, Leo thought his words had hurt her and apologized: "Judy, no offense, just do your best, and report to the secretary department."

Judy came back to her senses and smiled, "Thanks, Leo, I'll treat you to a meal later."

Being inexplicably promoted and entering the secretary department left Judy feeling uneasy. She was afraid to encounter Lewis, and now she'd have to see him daily?

Did he recognize her as the person from last night?

In just a few minutes, Judy felt as though she had been tortured; what more if they met daily?

Judy managed to survive until the end of the workday. Like an ostrich hiding her head, she stayed in the secretary's office and avoided going to the president's office as much as possible to keep a low profile.

Exiting the company, Judy took a long breath of relief; working today felt like undergoing punishment.

Now that she had received a promotion and a raise, Judy felt as though she was striving for glory at the expense of herself.

Not wanting to squeeze into the subway today, Judy indulged in the luxury of a taxi ride home.

On her way, she sent a message to Susan: Susan, I got regularized and got a raise, I'll treat you tonight, let's go out for dinner, I'm almost home, get ready.

Inside the rental flat.

Susan sat anxiously on the living room sofa, and sitting across from her was Lewis.

Receiving Judy's message, her heart sank, she glanced at the phone just once before turning the screen off.