Chapter six.

“I'm all ears!" Her eyes brimmed with excitement, convinced that given the opportunity, she could forge friendships with anyone. It reminded her of her college days when she was always surrounded by a vibrant group of people. She cherished the feeling of being encompassed in such a way.

As Xavier gazed upon Alexia's captivating presence, a sudden image of Kathy's beautiful face flashed across his mind for no apparent reason. In an instant, his countenance darkened. He couldn't shake the feeling that one day this woman would deeply regret her choices.

 

Xavier's footsteps suddenly came to a halt as he observed the scene before him. He tightly pressed his lips together, his eyes fixed on the two figures in front of him. During his time at the company, there had been widespread rumors about Kathy attempting to win over influential business partners. Initially, he had dismissed these whispers as mere jealousy, refusing to believe them. However, now, witnessing Kathy engaged in a friendly conversation with Mr. Martin, whom he had scheduled the meeting with, Xavier couldn't help but feel a deep sense of discomfort. He had placed too much trust in Kathy, only to discover that she was nothing more than an untrustworthy and conniving woman.

 

Alexia also caught sight of the glamorous Kathy in front of her, and a subtle pang of jealousy flickered in her eyes. 

"Xavier, what's going on between Kathy and that man? They seem so affectionate together!"

Xavier let out a disdainful snort before picking up his pace and continuing forward. 

"Mr. Hubbard, my apologies for being late," he greeted Mr. Martin while stealing a sidelong glance at Kathy.

Mr. Martin nodded. "You're not late, I arrived early. Allow me to introduce you. This is Miss Kathy, the manager of Henderson Corp. Miss Kathy, meet Xavier, the CEO of Harvard Group."

"A manager? You've certainly climbed the ranks swiftly!" Xavier nearly ground his teeth together. It had only been a month since she switched companies, and she had already become a manager.

 

Kathy showed no interest in looking at him, and her smile disappeared. She responded coldly, saying, "You're being too generous."

Standing next to Xavier, Alexia felt uneasy witnessing their exchange. She held onto Xavier's arm and asked in a sly tone;

"Xavier, what is her relationship to you?"

Xavier shifted his attention and proceeded to introduce Alexia.

"Mr. Hubbard, this is my assistant, Miss Alexia." They had previously agreed upon this cover story before arriving, as it wouldn't be suitable for her to meet Mr. Martin in her current role.

 

"Miss Alexia is truly a vision of beauty, a refreshing sight!" Martin politely commented.

Alexia blushed, feeling a bit out of place given the circumstances and her role as an assistant. Mr. Martin then shifted his attention to Kathy, who sat across from him.

Xavier let out a slight cough, caught off guard by Kathy's presence. He regretted bringing Alexia to this particular occasion. Alexia still harbored some jealousy towards him, just like during their college days and when Xavier saw her smiling at other men, he would assert himself and make her take a step back.

Understanding this dynamic, Alexia's face turned even redder, and her body language took on a more childlike posture. Kathy looked at the two of them with a forced smile, feeling foolish for ever having feelings for Xavier, who she considered to be untrustworthy. Alexia noticed Kathy's gaze and immediately turned to cling to Xavier, leaning against him like a timid child. She even displayed a hint of pride as she glanced at her.

 

Xavier locked eyes with Kathy and started feeling uneasy, gently pulling away from Alexia's hand. 

"Let's focus on the business at hand, no need for such antics," he uttered, his headache intensifying. At that moment, he couldn't help but draw comparisons between Kathy and Alexia.

Previously, Xavier had considered Kathy to be a mere substitute for Alexia, but now he realized that Kathy surpassed Alexia in many ways. Especially in important settings, Kathy never held him back but instead proved to be an invaluable asset to his professional endeavors. Alexia, on the other hand, was different. She possessed a certain naivety and lacked an understanding of the challenges involved in launching a business, let alone the proper business etiquette. Instances like this one exemplified her behavior as childlike, which only served to make her the subject of ridicule rather than a serious business partner.

 

Mr. Martin greeted Kathy with a warm smile and engaged in conversation with her, showing less enthusiasm towards the just-arrived Xavier. Alexia's eyes were slightly teary, and she appeared hurt. Xavier had never treated her in this manner before, never pushing her away. Was it because Kathy was here? Did Xavier still have feelings for this woman? No, it couldn't be true! Alexia bit her lip, feigning anger as she turned her head away. In the past, whenever she was upset, Xavier would always nervously and fearfully try to appease her.

However, Alexia failed to realize that Xavier had changed, and she didn't recognize that this was not an appropriate setting for discussing matters of the heart. Xavier not only refrained from comforting Alexia but also grew slightly impatient. He furrowed his brow and shifted his gaze between Kathy and Mr. Martin. He hadn't even noticed when Kathy had become so familiar with Mr. Martin.

 

With that in mind, Xavier swiftly retrieved the artwork that Alexia had prepared from his bag.

"I've heard that you have a great appreciation for art. This is a lifelike painting by Mr. Gordon. Please accept it as a gift, Mr. Martin."

As expected, Mr. Martin's eyes sparkled with delight. He had been longing to acquire Mr. Gordon's artwork for quite some time but had been unsuccessful in his attempts. Unexpectedly, Xavier had managed to obtain it. Mr. Martin eagerly accepted the gift box, which was flawlessly wrapped, and carefully opened it.

"Wow! It truly is an authentic piece by Mr. Gordon!" Mr. Martin exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement.

 

Kathy arched her eyebrows slightly, surprised by how Xavier managed to obtain Mr. Gordon's artwork. She leaned in to examine the details of the painting and suddenly understood. It was a forgery. No wonder! Xavier was certainly audacious, but she couldn't deny that the imitation was remarkably realistic. If she hadn't been regularly visiting Mr. Gordon's studio to view his works lately, she might not have recognized it as a fake.

Alexia pursed her lips, feeling a tinge of unhappiness that Xavier hadn't introduced her to Mr. Martin, even though it was her forged artwork that had been presented. With that in mind, Alexia glanced at Xavier beside her and gently touched him under the table, silently reminding him of her presence.

Xavier ignored Alexia's gesture, recognizing that it was time to focus on business. He simply patted her hand beneath the table to placate her, then proceeded to disregard her.

 

Alexia waited patiently for a while, but Xavier continued to ignore her and made no effort to introduce her to others.

Kathy casually picked up her glass of water and took a sip. She didn't know Alexia well, their connection being solely through Xavier. Kathy didn't consider Alexia to be particularly intelligent, but in her previous life, she had endured hardships because of this woman. Reflecting on it now seemed ludicrous.

Alexia's face flushed with embarrassment, tears welling up in her eyes, giving her a pitiable appearance. In a fit of emotion, she abruptly stood up and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a table of bewildered onlookers.

"What's her problem?" Kathy questioned, a smirk forming on her glossy lips.