gan’s frown deepened. She instantly recalled Lorie’s warning about Anne cozying up to Augustine. Suspicion imdiately sparked in her chest.
Augustine fought the urge to leap from his chair and gather Anne into his arms, to declare his love for her in front of gan and wipe away every trace of doubt. But he restrained himself, reminding himself of the promise he made to Anne.
He kept his expression cool and professional as he picked up the docunts she had placed on his desk. After a quick glance, he set them down with a composed nod.
"So, you are the new secretary," he drawled. "I hope you won’t disappoint like the previous one did."
Anne gave him a bright, confident smile. "I’ll make sure you have no complaints, sir."
Augustine leaned back in his chair, regarding her with a look that was just a little too intense for a simple boss. As he watched her standing there so assured and radiant, flashes of their private monts together flickered through his mind. The urge to tease her grew too strong to resist.
"Really?" A teasing note curled in his voice. "You sound awfully sure of yourself."
Anne caught the playful glint in his eye and smirked. "I know my work. You won’t be disappointed."
Augustine’s gaze lingered on her, the corner of his lips twitching as if he was barely holding back a smile. He couldn’t rember the last ti anyone had made him feel this amused—and this alive—just by standing in front of him.
Across from him, gan seethed as she saw Augustine’s intense gaze fixed on Anne. Just monts ago, he had turned her down, declaring that he loved soone else. Yet now, his focus seed completely consud by Anne, as if his previous words had never been uttered.
gan couldn’t understand what was so special about Anne. To her, Anne seed like an ordinary woman, nothing remarkable. What could Augustine possibly see in her?
The resentnt in gan’s heart grew, fueled by jealousy and spite. Even if she couldn’t have Augustine, she was determined not to let Anne get close to him.
"Miss gan, do you have anything else to say?" Augustine’s cold voice broke through her thoughts.
"Uh... I’ll leave," gan muttered.
Without another word, she turned and walked out of his office. Once the door clicked shut, she gritted her teeth. "Anne Clair, you think you are so capable. But you won’t win. No man can resist my charm. And soon, Augustine will be mine."
She stord off.
Inside the office...
Augustine’s voice carried a hint of disappointnt, "We could’ve just told her the truth and ended all this."
Anne laughed softly. "If we had, we would’ve missed seeing gan’s expression. Let her stew for now. I’m sure Grandpa will invite the Granets to the engagent party. When the truth is revealed in front of gan, it’ll be entertaining to watch her reaction."
Augustine pushed away from his desk and closed the space between them in a few long strides. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "So my wife is looking for entertainnt, huh?" he teased.
Startled, Anne glanced anxiously toward the office door. She wriggled in his arms, trying to escape, but Augustine’s grip only tightened.
"Don’t," she whispered urgently. "Soone might walk in and see us."
With a teasing smile playing on his lips, he said, "Let them see. I’m not doing anything wrong. I am holding my wife."
Before she could protest further, he dipped his head and pressed a hot, lingering kiss against the curve of her neck. A shiver ran down Anne’s spine, her hands pushing weakly against his firm chest.
"Control yourself," she scolded in a breathy whisper. "This is the office. No intimacy here. Wait until we’re ho."
Augustine groaned quietly, his forehead dropping onto her shoulder. "You are torturing ."
Anne smiled softly, her lips brushing the shell of his ear as she promised, "I’ll make it up to you tonight."
Augustine’s eyes glead with boyish excitent, anticipation crackling through him. He recalled Anne’s earlier promise. It was impossible for him to focus on anything but the thought of being alone with her.
"You are making it harder for to be patient," he muttered. "I won’t let you go unless you give a kiss."
Anne laughed softly, unable to resist him. "You always know how to win," she said playfully as she slipped her arms around his neck, rose onto her toes, and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.
Augustine imdiately pulled her closer, deepening the kiss with a hunger he could barely contain. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, a sharp knock echoed through the room, followed by the door creaking open.
"Sir, there is sothing urgent—" Gustave’s voice trailed off as he caught sight of the intimate scene. His eyes widened slightly, and he awkwardly froze at the doorway.
Anne, startled, jolted backward, her face flushing a brilliant shade of red. She fumbled to compose herself, but mortification gripped her. Not daring to et Gustave’s gaze, she stamred, "I-I’ll go back to work now," and darted out of the room.
Augustine leveled a sharp, scathing look at Gustave, his displeasure unmistakable. Chills prickled on Gustave’s nape as he realized he needed to correct his behavior — he could no longer barge into Augustine’s office unannounced. After knocking, he would have to wait patiently for permission to enter.
"My apologies, sir," Gustave said quickly with genuine regret in his eyes. "I’ll be more careful next ti."
Augustine didn’t reply imdiately, just gave him a look that promised consequences if it happened again. With a stiff movent, he returned to his seat behind the grand desk, his face regaining its usual composure, though a flicker of annoyance still lingered in his eyes.
"Well?" he prompted curtly. "This better be important."
Straightening his posture, Gustave quickly composed himself. "The driver has finally woken up and given his full statent," he reported gravely. "He confessed that he was paid to target Madam specifically. His instructions ca through his boss, a local gang leader nad Robert. He never t the person behind the order directly."
At the ntion of the na, Augustine’s brows furrowed sharply. There was sothing familiar about it lingering at the edge of his mory, but he couldn’t imdiately rember where he had heard the na.
Gustave, sensing his boss’s struggle to recall, stepped forward and handed him a file. "Here is everything we gathered—his confession and Robert’s background. I’ve already assigned soone to tail Robert."
Augustine flipped open the file, scanning the driver’s statent swiftly before turning to the next page. The mont his gaze landed on the photograph of Robert, realization hit him like a lightning bolt.
"It’s him," he exclaid, his voice sharp and charged.
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