Female Novel
Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“Haven’t you embarrassed him enough? Stop clinging to my brother! I’m warning you! Go away!”
The girl’s irate outburst threw Lianne for a loop.
Thank goodness Zane was there to stop her. “Do you know who you’re talking to, Nancy? Apologize
now!”
His brooding voice carried authority and dominance that was not to be challenged.
“Zane, are you expecting me to apologize to the shameless woman? You’ve never raised your voice at
me before, yet you’re doing it now because of a cheating woman.” In the twenty-odd years of her life,
Zane had never been so mean to her. Nancy burst into tears.
She sobbed uncontrollably, her face wet with snot and tears. “She slept with another man, Zane. Are
you going to pretend that didn’t happen?”
Then, it dawned on Lianne that Nancy had confused her for Mrs. Atlas.
Luck was not on Lianne’s side as everybody seemed to have it out for her since she started working
directly under Zane.
Lianne smiled, not hiding the passive-aggressive element in her tone. “Ms. Atlas, I’m only an assistant
to Mr. Atlas. What does it have to do with Mr. Atlas if I slept with another man?”
She was right. She was nothing more than his assistant and had the right to sleep with any man. It was
none of Zane’s business.
Yet somehow, Zane felt a drop in his gut.
Nancy’s tear-stained face quickly lit up with a bright smile. It was as if the earlier crying had never
happened. “Oh, so you’re Ms. Simpson! I’m sorry! The yelling wasn’t meant for you. I was talking about
my cheating sister-in-law.”
Lianne was confused. “Don’t you recognize your own sister-in-law?”
Zane curtly cut in before Nancy could say anything more. “Why are you back early?”
Nancy put on a sad face and replied, “I came back early to celebrate your birthday, of course. What’s
with the mean face?”
With a stern look, Zane gave his sister a telling-off. “You were hurling insults before getting your facts
right, and I’m the mean one? I don’t know what you’ve learned over the years, but it’s clearly not
manners.”
“I’m sorry, Zane. I was worried the bad woman had you wrapped around her little finger.” Nancy tugged
on his shirt to work those sad puppy dog eyes, but it did not seem to be doing much.
“Your concern doesn’t give you the right to yell at people. My people are not objects of amusement or
insults.” Zane pulled a sour face, and the tension showed in his entire demeanor.
Nancy grew scared as she had never seen Zane in such a way. She turned around and clung to
Lianne’s arm, begging for help. “Lianne, it was my fault. Please forgive me. Ask me for anything if that’s
what it takes for you to forgive me.”
Chapter 46
Despite the girl’s sweet voice, Zane did not recognize her.
Once again, Lianne had front-row seats to Zane turning down a woman’s advances. It was a direct,
crude, and soul-crushing method, for sure.
The girl hurtfully bit her lip as her eyes welled up. “Don’t you remember me, Zane?”
Nancy felt bad to see her best friend in a spot. “It’s Cece, Zane. You held her when you were little Cece
could’ve been your wife if it were not for that woman swooping in.”
Zane solemnly uttered, “My wife? Who told you? I’ll ground you if you carry on with the nonsense”
“I’m fine, Nancy. Don’t get in a fight with Zane because of me.” Through her teary eyes, Cece defiantly
refused to back down.
It was hard for any man to resist her charms, but Zane was immune to them. “Nancy, take your friend
and leave. Don’t bring an outsider to my place ever again.”
“Fine, I’ll go…” Not having it, Nancy was about to storm away when Cece gave her a gentle tug Nancy
then said, “I’m hungry, Zane. Can I have lunch before leaving?”
Nancy was his sister at the end of the day, and he could not possibly let her leave hungry. Without
saying a word, he turned on his heel and took off.
She took his silence as approval. “Mrs. Cook, is there anything in the kitchen for lunch?”
Mrs. Cook drew close with a smile. “Nancy, you grew taller.”
“I’ve passed the age of adding inches to my height, Mrs. Cook, but I always seem taller to you. I’m
starving. Is there anything to eat?” Nancy cozied up to Mrs. Cook.
Mrs. Cook shuffled her hair. “There is always food for you.”
“You’re the best, Mrs. Cook. Come on, Cece. Let’s have lunch.” Nancy tended to Cece.novelbin
Cece grinned at Lianne. “So pleased to meet you, Ms. Simpson.”
Lianne returned a courteous smile. “Good day to you too, Ms. Graham.”
While Cece was polite to Lianne, her eyes implied something else. Like her brother, Charlie, she looked
at Lianne with animosity.
Charlie’s hostility for Lianne came out of nowhere, but it all made sense now that Lianne met Cece.
Cece had feelings for Zane, and the Grahams hoped to be a family with the Atlases through. marriage.
However, should they not be viewing Zane’s wife as the threat? Why were they coming after a measly
assistant like her instead?
Lianne had to watch her back in the office as many coveted the spot as Zane’s personal assistant. If
that was not enough, a lot of people outside work were concerned Lianne would try and get close to
Zane under the pretense of work so that she could be the next Mrs. Atlas.