The next day...
When Anne woke, the space beside her was empty. Augustine had already left. Her eyes fell on a neatly folded note left on the pillow.
’Good morning, beautiful. I’m sorry I had to leave early. You looked so peaceful sleeping; I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Sleep in a little longer. When you are ready, take a bath and have so breakfast.’
A soft smile tugged at her lips as she glanced at the small tray waiting on the nightstand — golden toast arranged neatly, a playful smiley drawn in tomato sauce across one slice, and a glass of juice catching the morning light.
"You always know how to make smile," she murmured as she tucked the note aside.
She picked up her phone and quickly typed out a ssage, the corners of her mouth still lifted in amusent. ’Good morning. I’m a little upset with you. Why didn’t you wake ? Don’t do that again. If you ever have to leave early, wake . I’ll make breakfast for you.’
She hit send, and before long, her phone buzzed with a reply. Her heart skipped as she read it: ’How about we have lunch together? I’ll call you at the lunch break.’
Still grinning, she tapped out her answer: ’Sounds good. I can’t wait to see you.’
But then she rembered the new general manager was starting today, and she couldn’t afford to be late. With a sudden jolt of urgency, Anne tossed off the covers and rushed to the bathroom, her heart still warm from the morning’s sweetness.
When Anne stepped into the office, she sensed an uneasy tension in the air. People glanced her way with curious, almost judgntal eyes, whispering among themselves before quickly looking away when she got close.
A knot began to form in her stomach. Sothing was off.
As she neared her desk, her teammates, who had been murmuring sothing, abruptly fell silent. They turned to their laptops as if nothing had happened. But Anne caught the furtive glances, the awkward shuffling, the way they avoided eting her eyes.
’What on earth is going on?’ she thought, settling into her seat with a frown. She powered on her laptop, trying to brush off the strange energy, but the tension lingered.
Monts later, Rose approached, her expression grim. "Have you checked the company portal today?" she asked quietly.
Anne looked up, suspicion creeping in. "No. Why?"
Rose hesitated, then leaned in. "Soone uploaded a picture of you with a man — It is saying he is your sugar daddy. And there are rumors going around... that you were fired from Beaumont Group for trying to seduce the CEO, Mr. Denis Beaumont — and that you used the sa tactic to get hired here by seducing soone in upper managent. It’s all over the office. People are talking."
Anne’s eyes widened in disbelief. "That’s ridiculous. I didn’t seduce anyone. And what photo are you talking about?" she snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. Heads turned toward her.
Rose held up her phone and showed her a photograph — Anne, standing beside a sleek car, a man holding the door open for her. The angle, the timing, the implication — it all painted a misleading picture.
Anne stared at it, her pulse pounding. ’Who would do this? And why?’
Anne’s frown deepened as she studied the photo carefully. Then it hit her — the picture had been taken the day she visited the hospital to see her father. The man beside her, opening the car door, was Augustine. His back was to the cara, concealing his identity, which made it clear the person who took the photo had no idea who he really was.
A hollow laugh almost escaped her lips. She could see through it now — it was Lorie’s doing. Her spiteful stepsister must’ve spotted her leaving with Augustine that day and in her usual manipulative fashion, seized the opportunity to take the photograph to fra her. It seed Lorie hadn’t seen his face, and that tiny gap in knowledge had given her the boldness to post the photograph on the portal to stir up trouble.
But this ti, she had gone a little too far.
Posting the photo was one thing, but accusing Anne of sleeping her way into the job? That was malicious. And Anne wasn’t going to stay silent about it.
"This is bullshit," Anne said sharply. "Just because a woman is seen with a man doesn’t an he is her sugar daddy. Haven’t any of you ever had a male friend?" She glanced around at her teammates. "We work with n colleagues all the ti — we have conversations, grab coffee, and even hang out. Does that an we are all romantically involved with them?"
Murmurs rippled in the group, her logical words compelling them to reconsider.
"And all of you know exactly why I was hired," Anne continued, her tone steady. "I didn’t have to manipulate or seduce anyone to get this job. So, instead of getting caught up in groundless gossip, maybe we should all focus on our work."
Rose nodded in agreent, stepping in to back her up. "I believe you, Anne. This is clearly just a rumor — one with no truth to it. She earned her position here through her qualifications and experience. We all know that. Let’s not give attention to sothing so baseless."
"Yes, that’s right," Lily chid in. "We trust you, Anne."
"Yes, yes, we trust you," the rest of the team joined, their voices carrying support.
"Listen up, guys, let introduce you to soone," a lively voice cut through the buzz of the room.
Everyone turned toward the source of the commotion.
Anne also turned her head and saw Helena, the ever-energetic head of HR, walking in, her signature bright smile lighting up her face. Standing beside her was a woman who commanded attention without saying a word.
She was tall, poised, and striking. Dressed in a sleek black pencil gown, she gave off the kind of presence that made people sit up straighter without realizing why. Everything about her scread influence—wealth, education, and connections. She looked like soone who was used to being in control.
Helena bead as she gestured proudly to the woman beside her. "Everyone, et our new general manager—Miss gan Granet."
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