Chapter 4 : A Familiar Feeling

A man walked into the room. He possessed an incredibly imposing, dominant aura and a breathtakingly handsome face. However, his expression was completely cold and indifferent.

His piercing dark eyes carried such intense authority that anyone who stared into them for too long would instantly shiver in fear.

His name was Jonathan Mason—the most ruthless billionaire bachelor in Maybach City and the CEO of the Mason Corporation.

Jonathan froze in his tracks. His eyes locked onto the intimate scene before him. David Morgan and a young woman who looked like an ethereal fairy were standing dangerously close, looking as if they were right in the middle of a kiss.

Jonathan’s brow furrowed. Had he just interrupted his best friend's private business?

Bethany quickly pushed David away, stepping back as her heart hammered against her ribs. When she recovered from the initial shock, she turned her head to look directly at the intruder.

Her breath caught in her throat.

What the... Bethany’s mind raced in utter disbelief. How could this stranger look so remarkably like her son, Alex? The facial structure, the cold intensity—it was as if they were father and son.

Bethany quickly shook the wild thought from her mind. People look alike all the time these days, she reasoned with herself. It's just a coincidence.

"Mr. Mason, to what do I owe the unexpected visit?" David asked, clearing his throat and bringing Jonathan out of his thoughts.

Jonathan didn't answer immediately. His eyes were glued to Bethany's face.

The moment he looked into her eyes, an unexplainable sense of Familiarity washed over him.

Those eyes... they looked hauntingly familiar. They looked exactly like the eyes of the mysterious woman from that dark hotel night six years ago. Why on earth did this stranger make him feel this way?

"I will get back to my department now, Mr. Morgan," Bethany said quickly. She gave a stiff nod and hurried past Jonathan, exiting the office.

The professional way she spoke and her sudden exit made Jonathan assume she was just an employee.

"Did you hire a new secretary?" Jonathan asked, his voice dropping to a cold, uninterested baritone.

David just laughed, shaking his head. How could a world-renowned genius like Bethany be a mere secretary? That stubborn fairy was going to be the absolute death of him.

"No," David said, smiling loudly. "She is the new Managing Director of our design department. She's the international genius I personally recruited from across the globe."

Jonathan stared at the closed door, his chest tightening strangely. "Her?"

"Yes, that's her," David replied.

"I've never seen you get that close with anyone before," Jonathan noted, his voice flat but intense. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Jonathan normally never cared about David's flings or dating life. Hearing him suddenly ask about a woman made David look up, his eyes narrowing with deep suspicion.

"Of course not," David laughed, waving his hand defensively. "She's just a very good friend. Remember when I told you about meeting a genius at the competition in Milan? That's her. It's really no big deal."

"Friends with benefits?" Jonathan asked bluntly.

David nearly choked on his own saliva. He coughed, staring at his best friend in utter shock. "What on earth has gotten into you today, Jonathan? You, asking me about the women around me? Are you suddenly interested in my love life, or what?"

Jonathan's handsome face instantly turned ice-cold. "Nonsense. Let's get down to business."

Right on cue, Jonathan’s personal assistant, Brian, walked into the president's office. He offered a respectful nod and placed a thick leather file onto the mahogany table.

"These are our company's official recommendations for the upcoming international design competition," Jonathan said coldly, gesturing toward the papers.

David pulled the file toward him and flipped it open. As he scanned the sketches, a look of pure disbelief crossed his face.

"These are completely low-class," David scoffed, tossing the file back onto the desk. "What happened to your legendary strict standards, CEO Mason?"

David knew it was completely unlike Jonathan to bring such mediocre, low-key concepts to a high-stakes corporate meeting.

"What makes them low-class?" Jonathan countered calmly, though his jaw tightened slightly. "The top senior designers from the Mason Corporation came up with those concepts."

"Are you trying to intentionally lose the design competition by submitting this trash?" David finally demanded, locking eyes with his friend.

If Jonathan truly wanted to win, he would never approve of such garbage. "Wait... are you withdrawing the Mason Corporation entirely?"

"Yes," Jonathan replied without a trace of emotion. "We won't be participating this year."

David let out a long, heavy sigh, leaning back in his leather chair. "I should have known. Yvonne is causing trouble again, isn't she?"

"It's none of your business," Jonathan snapped, his tone warning David to drop the subject.

But David knew the truth. That was exactly the reason. Jonathan felt a profound, heavy debt toward Yvonne because he truly believed she was the innocent woman he had taken the virginity of during that dark hotel setup six years ago. Because of that lingering guilt, the ruthless billionaire put up with all of Yvonne's manipulative tantrums.

During the last major fashion event, Yvonne had thrown a massive fit, pressuring Jonathan to choose her mediocre design over a much more talented designer. Rather than deal with her drama or tarnish his company's reputation, Jonathan had simply withdrawn the Mason Corporation from the competition entirely.

And now, she was at it again this year.

Meanwhile, as Bethany stepped out of David's office and walked down the executive corridor, a woman stepped out from around the corner. Her intense gaze was fixed entirely on Bethany's retreating figure.

Who could she be? Lisa thought, her brow furrowing. Who was this woman who could walk in and out of the president's private office so casually? Could she be the newly appointed Managing Director of the design department everyone was gossiping about?

A calculating, thoughtful look settled on Lisa’s face.

"Could that woman have a thing with David?" she whispered to herself.

Lisa had already pictured herself becoming the future lady of the Morgan family, and seeing another beautiful woman close to David made her gaze turn dark and venomous.

"I will have to find out exactly who she is," Lisa muttered, her hands clenching into fists.

To Bethany's surprise, her first afternoon of work wasn't nearly as stressful or difficult as she had anticipated. The other employees in the design department were actually remarkably polite and cooperative toward her.

As she reviewed the company files, she couldn't help but wonder. Was it all because of David Morgan's strict orders? She knew his influence in the company was absolute.