Chapter 3

The chief secretary, Mason Zachary, stood at the door, still holding the spare key. He was in his early 40s and had been working with Ian for 13 years. He had been around since Sheffield Group's first office.

Everyone in the company knew an unwritten rule—in Ian's absence, Mason speaks with Ian's authority.

His gaze swept from the locked door to everyone in the lounge, finally settling on Erin. "I'll ask again."

He propped his glasses up, his tone as calm as though he were checking the meeting time. "Who ordered this room to be locked?"

Erin did not answer immediately. She glanced at Mason for a bit before looking at the badge on his chest.

'CEO's Office Chief Secretary: Mason Zachary.'

"It was me," she answered, raising her chin slightly without a hint of guilt in her voice. "There was an issue with the CEO's office, and I made a temporary arrangement according to the authorization Mr. Sheffield gave me."

Mason remained silent. He walked in, passed Erin, and went straight to me. He glanced down at the cold garlic cream bun on the table in front of me and then at me. "Trina, are you okay?"

I shook my head.

Mason nodded, turned around, and said to Fiona, "Have someone reheat one and add a bowl of mushroom soup. Mr. Sheffield specifically instructed me to do so because Trina was coming today."

Relieved, Fiona exclaimed, "Okay!" and started to walk outside.

"Wait." Erin's voice came from behind.

Fiona stopped.

"Mr. Zachary." Erin stepped forward, standing between Mason and Fiona. "I already said that non-staff members are not allowed to eat in the CEO's office, and this rule is effective today. Are you trying to overturn my decision by having someone deliver her food again?"

Mason turned around and looked at her. "Ms. Langley, I handled your onboarding process, and I know your authority better than you do. Mr. Sheffield authorized you to coordinate the CEO's office's day-to-day administrative affairs."

He paused. "Not personnel, not security deployments, and certainly not... locking doors."

Erin's expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly recovered, even managing a smile. "Mr. Zachary, what you're saying is just formalities. Did Mr. Sheffield bring me to the CEO's office just to do menial tasks? You've worked for Mr. Sheffield for 13 years. You should know better than anyone... that Mr. Sheffield doesn't assign people based solely on what's written in their job descriptions."

She tilted her head, her tone carrying an inexplicable intimacy. "My relationship with Mr. Sheffield can't be summarized by a job authorization letter. Mr. Zachary, you're a smart man. There are some things I don't want to say too explicitly."

Jerry nearly dropped his coffee cup upon hearing this.

Zac immediately turned his face away.

Fiona stood in the doorway, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

Mason adjusted his glasses, his expression unchanged. "Ms. Langley, regardless of your relationship with Mr. Sheffield, everything within Sheffield Group's office area is governed by rules. This is also the rule set by Mr. Sheffield himself."

He turned to Fiona, his tone unchanged. "Go on. Deliver the food."

This time, Fiona did not hesitate and turned to leave.

Erin watched Fiona's figure disappear down the corridor, her smile slowly fading. She turned to face Mason. This time, she did not smile. "Mr. Zachary, I respect your seniority, so I've always spoken to you politely. But your rebuttal in front of so many people today puts me in a difficult position."

Mason remained silent.

"I locked this lounge because Ms. Sheffield's behavior truly disrupted the normal order of the CEO's office. Mr. Chester has already expressed his support for this. Is a secretary like you more powerful than Mr. Chester?" Erin said in a low voice, enunciating each word clearly.