Chapter 4

It was then that a shy-looking young man dressed in everyday casual clothes walked in. He was clutching a piece of paper in his hand and stood in the middle of the showroom floor, looking completely lost.

Moira's eyes brightened as she rushed right over. "You're finally here, Mr. Lingard! You're incredibly accomplished for your age, looking even younger than the rumors made you out to be."

Those around were all looking at the young man, while Patrick, too, adopted a fawning smile as he prepared to step forward.

That young man scratched his head sheepishly, looking thoroughly confused. He handed over the paper to Moira and asked, "Who is this Mr. Lingard you're talking about? I'm not that person. I'm the new intern—this is my onboarding notice."

Moira's smile instantly stiffened upon realizing the paper was indeed an onboarding notice.

Patrick leaned in to take a look, and his temper instantly flared. "Who the hell just said that Mr. Lingard's car just pulled up? How dare you toy with me!"

It was then that a frail-looking employee started shaking violently out of terror, rushing forward with a groveling bow. "M-Mr. Lingard's car really is here, Mr. Walker! I-It's just that it arrived at the exact same time as this new intern!"

In that instant, a commotion broke out among the onlookers, and the hushed whispers steadily grew louder.

"Isn't Mr. Walker supposed to be tight with Mr. Lingard? How did he manage to mix him up with an intern?"

"I know, right? It's way too embarrassing!"

"Hold on! Who is that person kneeling on the floor if this young man is the new intern?"

Patrick felt utterly humiliated by the surrounding chatter. He snapped his head around to look at me, stormed over, and kicked me hard, his entire being filled with rage.

I was sent sprawling onto the floor by the impact, and the intense agony made it impossible to catch my breath.

Patrick crouched down and yanked my hair. "You useless fool! Why didn't you speak up if you weren't the intern? You made me mistake you for him and completely humiliated me! How dare you impersonate someone else just to get an internship! You're going to pay for—"

There was some commotion at the main entrance just as Patrick was gearing up to hit me again.

It was then that someone dressed in a sharp-looking suit walked through the door, tucking a black briefcase under his arm.

Patrick's eyes brightened at once. He immediately released me and hurried over with a flattering smile. "What brings you here, Mr. Sommer? Where's Mr. Lingard?"

Mateo looked around the lobby, but the area where I had collapsed was a blind spot, hidden behind a table. He looked back and forth multiple times but failed to spot me. "Mr. Lingard? He arrived quite some time ago."

That single sentence instantly plunged the entire lobby into a dead silence, and everyone looked at one another in utter surprise.

Patrick's smile immediately stiffened. He suddenly recalled something and realized that something was amiss, but he refused to accept it and shook his head in denial. "You've got to be kidding me, Mr. Sommer. We haven't seen—"

Mateo looked up and interrupted coldly before Patrick could even finish speaking. "I don't have time to play games with you. Mr. Lingard said you should call him yourself to request his presence."

In that instant, the surrounding employees grew visibly anxious. I was the only person who had arrived that morning, and since my age was comparable to Mr. Lingard's, a terrifying realization began to dawn on them.

Patrick was panicking inside, but he braced himself and pulled out his phone, dialing with trembling fingers.

In that instant, everyone in the lobby fell silent, save for the sound of his phone ringing out. Those around kept their eyes on him as the atmosphere turned incredibly tense.

It was a few seconds later when a clear ringtone sounded from behind the desk. I finally regained my composure, wiped away the blood at the corner of my mouth, and braced myself against the ground to stand upright.

Mateo rushed forward to help me, but I held up a hand to stop him.

Those around watched in absolute horror as I took out my phone from my pocket and answered it, my eyes locked onto Patrick, who had turned deathly pale. "I heard that you and I are best buddies, Patrick. How is it that I was entirely unaware of this?"