Chapter 3

On Monday morning, as I stood in front of Kensington Group's building, the system was still rambling on and on in my head.

[Clement, have you really thought this through? You're walking right into Nolan's turf. According to the original storyline, he'll—]

Walking into the building, I casually asked, "He'll do what?"

[He'll prepare a complete set of office supplies for you on your first day, arrange your workstation, and even have his assistant buy you breakfast... Huh? Wait a second. He doesn't seem that villainous after all…]

I couldn't help but burst into laughter. I had known for five years that Nolan was far from an airheaded scion. If the system hadn't pitted us against each other, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out the way they were that day.

The elevator doors slid open, and before I could even take a step forward, Nolan was already waiting outside. He sized me up before knitting his brows. "I bought you new clothes, didn't I? Why are you still wearing this?"

I lowered my head and looked at the white shirt I had on. "Those clothes are too expensive. I—"

He cut me off. "I told you to wear them. So, you should've worn them! Why do you have so many excuses? Come with me. Your office is on the 18th floor."

I froze for a moment. "My office? I'm just an engineer. I don't need—"

Without sparing me a glance, he responded, "You need one, and that's final. Kensington Group isn't Langston Group. We don't dump our Chief Engineer in a cubicle. Also, your salary…"

He turned around and handed me a debit card. "Here's a three-month advance on your salary. Pay your rent first. I won't have you getting evicted and embarrassing me!"

Looking down at the bank card, my fingers trembled slightly.

The system suddenly asked quietly.

[Why do I feel like something's wrong, Clement? Aren't those supposed to be the heroine's lines?]

…

I was sitting at my desk, zoning out, when my new assistant, Jonah Jones, poked his head in. "Mr. Kensington asked me to let you know that he'd like to have lunch with you, Mr. Carlisle. Our company cafeteria's cuisine is as authentic as it gets."

I snapped my head up. The Langstons preferred bland food, as Aria suffered from severe stomach issues. I, on the other hand, was from the southwest region, yet over the past five years, it felt as though I had never tasted the flavors of my hometown.

Nolan and I sat across from each other at lunchtime. John trotted over with a steaming pot of chili con carne.

Nolan frowned. "I forgot to tell him not to add onions."

I stiffened. "How do you know I don't eat onions?"

He looked at me as if I had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "What kind of stupid question is that? I have eyes. Of course I'd noticed."

I couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle.

Right then, my phone lit up with an incoming call from Aria. I didn't answer it, letting it ring until it finally went to voicemail.

The very next second, Nolan's phone rang. He snickered and declined it without a second thought.

"She probably saw the announcement our company just released about our new Chief Engineer. Aria's been proud and arrogant for years. I never imagined I'd get to see her lose her cool."

Biting down on my fork, I lapsed into silence. "I thought you liked her."

He arched his brow. "Aria's wealthy and gorgeous. She truly is the dream goddess of everyone in this industry. However, I'm not so bad myself, either.

"At first, I merely couldn't stomach being outdone by a guy like you. But now that I can crush Langston Group in business, I can't tell you how happy I am!"

Aria's call came through again, but I still didn't answer.

The system asked cautiously.

[Clement, are you really not going to pick up? Realizing you've really left, she's actually panicking a little.]

As I stared at my phone, I remembered the countless nights in the last five years I had spent waiting—waiting for her call, her messages, or even a single glance from her. I had waited five years, yet she had no idea where I lived, when I went to bed, that I had gone to the hospital alone for an appendicitis surgery, or that I worried about rent every single month.

Aria wasn't aware that I didn't eat onions, that I was allergic to mangoes, or how many days and nights I had spent silently waiting for her. There were far too many things she wasn't aware of, yet Nolan was aware of all of them.

All of a sudden, I exhaled deeply, popped open a can of Coke, and raised it toward him. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Kensington."

Then, I blocked Aria's number.