Laura stammered, "Y-Yes. Mrs. Russell hasn't called me, and I haven't been able to reach her. S-She might've blocked my number."
Connor slammed his cutlery on the table and walked away, his expression frosty.
Laura watched him leave, unsure of how to react. She was wrong about one thing—Connor would throw a tantrum at anyone once Phoebe upset him.
She had originally hoped that Phoebe would leave Connor hanging for a few days, but she no longer thought so. Even an outsider like her could tell that Connor responded better to softness than defiance, so Phoebe, of all people, should have known that.
Laura believed Phoebe shouldn't have played hard to get from the start. Her little stunt was making life difficult for everyone, and Laura found it incredibly frustrating.
…
Connor arrived at the office and attended a routine meeting. Shortly after that, his secretary knocked on the door and entered with a gift bag.
He opened it to see that it was a plain ring.
Evan had previously mentioned that Phoebe had gone to another jewelry store after selling her wedding ring. So, it seemed that her two-day disappearance was leading up to this.
He was certain that she would show up at the company later with a lunchbox.
Connor frowned and shut the ring box. Then, he set it aside and threw himself into his work. A moment later, he called Lance and said icily, "Don't let Phoebe into the building today!"
He didn't like her playing these games with him. After hanging up, he threw the ring box into the trash can.
…
Monday was a workday.
Phoebe sat at her desk right on time. When she first got married, she didn't have a job. But during a family dinner that Philip hadn't attended, Connor's mother, Amelia Vaughn, had berated her in front of everyone.
She had called Phoebe a waste of space and a freeloader who couldn't have children or take care of Connor properly. She had also said that she felt utterly embarrassed when mentioning Phoebe to her friends.
Connor had been around, but he hadn't defended her. He had allowed Amelia to attack Phoebe with her sharp and harsh words.
That same night, Phoebe sent out her résumé—not to Russell Group, but to Spectrum Group. Spectrum Group was a tech company that had only been established five years ago, but it already had a market value exceeding a trillion dollars.
As a top-tier firm, even a secretarial position would only accept candidates who were graduates from the best institutions in the country.
Phoebe was an Alden College graduate with a degree in the highly sought-after field of computer science, which qualified her for a position in the R&D department.
However, technical positions usually meant long hours. If she were assigned to a major project, it would typically demand around-the-clock work. Then, she wouldn't have time to care for Connor.
And so, Phoebe had opted for a relatively relaxed administrative role—a secretary in the CEO's office's secretariat.
Philip had asked her to work at Russell Group upon hearing about this. After all, working at the family's company would mean flexible hours, less strain, and overall more freedom.
But Phoebe knew how much Amelia despised her. If she worked at Russell Group, she knew Amelia would only pick on her more and accuse her of chasing the Russell family fortune. She wouldn't have to face those issues if she worked at Spectrum Group.
Because of her pregnancy, Phoebe had written a resignation letter the previous week. Now, however, she decided not to submit it.
Since she wanted to rewrite her paper, she would need to know more about the industry. Spectrum Group was at the forefront of technology, offering her numerous opportunities and resources that she could leverage. At the same time, her leisurely secretarial job would give her plenty of time to focus on her research.
"Phoebe, why haven't you brought a lunchbox today?" a colleague at the next desk asked curiously.
Phoebe occasionally brought an elaborate lunchbox to work, but she would leave the company with it at noon. No one knew who she delivered the food to.
The lunchbox had been for Connor.
When he drank at social events, she usually woke up early the next day to prepare a meal that would be gentle on his stomach. Taking the lunchbox to the office with him would have been the easiest option, but he refused to do it, finding it a bother, even though it didn't require any extra effort on his part.
And so, Phoebe had no choice but to take his portion to the office and take a cab to his company during her lunch break to deliver it. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, so she always had enough time for that.
Phoebe simply said, "I didn't feel like making one."
And she no longer needed to.
Just then, Natalie Moore, the head of the secretariat, hurried in to make an important announcement. "The company's CEO will be back in Dalea next Monday. We need to compile and organize all departmental documents to ensure they have complete and accurate files to review."
She rapped her knuckles on a table. "Get moving, everyone!"
Spectrum Group's growth over the years was nothing short of a miracle, but the most enigmatic thing about it was its founder. He had been abroad expanding the company's market share all these years, while the deputy CEO, Ian Faulker, managed domestic operations.
Phoebe had never seen the group's true decision-maker.
After the initial excitement, everyone dove into a busy day.
…
A woman abruptly showed up in Connor's office at Russell Group.
If anyone wanted to see Connor, they had to schedule an appointment in advance. However, the woman hadn't been on the list. But what was more surprising was that Lance had gone downstairs in person to bring her up so she could see Connor. He'd even shut the door to Connor's office when he left it.
The special treatment piqued the curiosity of all the employees in the secretariat.
"Who is she? She's so pretty and gracious. She looks like she could be a celebrity!"
"Mr. Russell hates unscheduled interruptions, but he made an exception for her. That's so unlike him."
"Mr. Russell always keeps his distance from other women. In all my years here, I've never seen him alone with a woman in his office."
A theory began to form among them. "Do you think she's his wife-to-be?"
Connor had kept his marriage to Phoebe a secret, so only his close friends were aware of it. As a man with a spotless reputation and no hint of scandal, his rare preferential treatment of a woman only made it more plausible to guess that she was his future wife.
Inside the office, Connor set his work aside when he saw Vanessa.
She walked toward him and stopped before his desk, placing her hands on it as she leaned forward. Then, she looked down at his bare fingers and asked, "Didn't you get the ring?"
He faltered. "That was from you?"
He was surprised to learn that the ring hadn't been from Phoebe.
"I promised to have dinner with you last night, but I had to stand you up because something came up with Professor Dupont. I got you the ring to make up for it." She showed him the one she wore on her ring finger.
Vanessa continued, "This brand doesn't have many rings for men, and the only one I liked was the one that matched mine as a set. I just wear this one for fun, so I picked a nice style for you, too. You don't mind, do you?"
Despite her question, she knew that he wouldn't.
Connor returned to his senses and remembered that he'd thrown the ring away. He bent down to retrieve it from his trash can. As he inspected it, the earlier disgust in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.
Vanessa stiffened and asked, "You threw it away?"
He glanced at her, noticing her minute change. He opened the box and slipped the ring onto his left ring finger. His gaze was tender as he said, "I didn't know it was from you."
Vanessa relaxed at his words. Evan had mentioned that Connor never wore his wedding ring unless it was absolutely necessary. It wasn't hard for her to guess why.
Connor asked, "Are you upset?"
She shook her head and said, "No. After all, it wasn't the ring that you disliked."
It was the person he thought had given it to him.
She asked, "Do you like it?"
"It's nice." He nodded. Then, he asked, "What were you busy with last night?"
"Professor Dupont's project hit a snag. I spent all night reviewing materials, but I didn't make much progress. Fortunately, a classmate's company is working on a project related to this technology. I'm planning to reach out to her soon."
The owner of said company was named Alexandra Cooper. Coincidentally, they were both alumni of Alden College. Alexandra was Vanessa's junior by a few years.
As fellow top-tier graduates, Vanessa believed that it would be easy enough to connect with her.
