Female Novel
Chapter 1811-1820
That made her heart skip a beat. “Hi, Mr. Quarles.” She smiled and waved at him.
“Is it convenient to visit your company?” Ethan suddenly opened the car door and got out. Josephinedidn’t dare to bring him around in the company, so she politely said, “It is not convenient since it’s officehours now. But there is a coffee shop next door. We can go there.”
“Ok.” Ethan raised his eyebrows and got out of the car. Josephine was dressed in workwear today. Shehad a slim-fit suit jacket and pants on, which showcased her attractive figure.
With that, Josephine led him into the cafe and they chose a seat next to the window. Josephine thenasked him what coffee he wanted.
“Just give me whatever flavor you like!” Ethan said. He wasn’t being picky and chose to have herfavorite drink.
She ordered two cups of regular coffee and sat down. She smiled and asked Ethan, who was sitting infront of her, “Mr. Quarles, your job seems to be flexible!”
“Yes, I can work as long as I have a laptop with me. I don’t need a fixed office location.” Ethan noddedand mentioned.
Josephine knew she shouldn’t envy the flexibility that he had because he was the business owner. Onlybusiness owners had such freedom.
Just then, Josephine’s phone rang and she answered it, “Hello?”
“Josephine, where are you? Come back to your seat soon. There’s still a pile of videos to be edited. Ineed them before the end of the day.” Katrina’s voice could be heard from the other end.
“It’s lunchtime now and I have the right to take a break,” Josephine replied.
“I’m just reminding you so that you can get it done by this afternoon,” Katrina said and hung up.
Josephine sighed in frustration, and Ethan could tell from her phone call and expression that she wasclearly having a tough time at work.
“Are you having any difficulties at work?” Ethan asked her as he picked up his coffee mug.
Josephine lifted up the mug of coffee that was just served and took a sip. “It’s not difficulties; it’s moreof a challenge. One of the female anchors in our station is stepping down, and I want to compete forher position.”
“Do you have confidence?” Ethan asked curiously.
Josephine leaned closer to him and whispered, “Of course, but unfortunately, one of the competitors isthe director’s sister-in-law. I’m afraid that there would be nepotism, and that I wouldn’t stand a chanceat all.”
Hearing that, Ethan looked at her sympathetically and softly asked, “Do you really want to be a newsanchor?”
“I do! This is my dream.” Josephine’s eyes lit up as she spoke.
“Do you need my help?” Ethan smiled.
At first, Josephine was surprised, then she thought for a moment before refusing. “No, I don’t need it. Interms of work, I still want to succeed based on my ability and credentials. It’s getting late and I have togo back to work. Mr. Quarles, do you want to stay here for a while?”
Ethan smirked as he looked at her before glancing at his watch. “I have a meeting to attend soon.”
“Is that so? Then let’s end our meeting here today, and I’ll treat you to coffee next time.” Josephinesmiled.
“Okay, let’s go!” Ethan said while standing up. As they walked, Josephine was being thoughtful andopened the coffee shop door for him, which made Ethan feel like a guest. He was amused but at thesame time, he couldn’t do anything about it.
Josephine walked toward the company building, thinking that Ethan would return to his car, but to hersurprise, he was following her.
“Mr. Quarles, your car is over there,” Josephine thought he had forgotten where he had parked andkindly reminded him.
Hearing that, Ethan smiled and pointed to her company’s entrance, “I’m going inside for a meeting.”
Josephine was stunned upon hearing that. The entire building was their company’s office area. Is hehere to discuss a collaboration?
She pointed to her company building and asked, “You are coming to my company for a meeting?”
“Mm-hmm!” Ethan replied in a very deep and sexy voice.novelbin
Josephine couldn’t guess what meeting he was going to attend, but she didn’t want to pry too much, soshe made a gesture and said, “Come on then!”
Ethan followed her and they went in. Suddenly, all of the six female receptionists were attracted to himand looked over. Josephine intentionally kept a distance from him by standing half a meter away. Ethansmirked upon noticing that. When they reached the elevator, Josephine rushed over from behind him tohold the elevator door for him like a server.
Ethan tried to suppress the laughter as he was amused by Josephine’s behavior. When they enteredthe elevator, Josephine asked him, “Which floor, please?”
“16th floor,” Ethan replied.
Josephine blinked her eyes when she realized that it was where the company’s executives heldmeetings. While pressing the button for the 16th floor, she also pressed the button for the 8th floor.
Finally, they arrived on the 8th floor. Josephine quickly said goodbye, “I’ll leave first. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye,” Ethan replied in a deep voice.
As soon as Josephine got off the elevator, she felt a little dazed. Her mind was full of questions aboutwhat he was doing in the company and why he was going to the meeting room on the 16th floor. Is hehere to meet a client?
As Josephine walked, she almost bumped into someone and that person was angered.
“Josephine, are you blind? Can’t you watch where you’re going?”
Josephine sure was unlucky. The person she almost bumped into was Katrina. “Look at you. And youdare think about getting promoted with this kind of behavior. You must be dreaming.” Katrina sneered.
Following that, Josephine let out a sigh and walked back to her desk. Wren was curious and asked,“Where did you go? Why did you just come back now?”
“I was meeting a friend at the coffee shop downstairs,” Josephine replied.
“What kind of friend? A male friend?” Wren teased, “Is Luke still pursuing you?”
“I ran into him at the wedding,” Josephine replied.
“He’s not bad. At least he’s from a wealthy family. You should stop being picky and might as well go forhim. You’re getting old so you shouldn’t be too choosy,” Wren said.
“Wren, this is about my marriage. I have to marry someone I love, not just someone who loves me.This concerns my happiness for the rest of my life. I don’t lack money. I just want to be with someoneI’m in love with,” Josephine said.
“Don’t be too naive. Do you think you can find true love in this day and age? Love can’t fill yourstomach, but money can fulfill all your material needs and buy your happiness and contentment. I thinkLuke is not bad.” Wren thought Josephine’s standards were too high.
“Anyway, I won’t settle for less. I want to be with someone I love.” Josephine sighed.
“Tsk, I predict you will become an old lonely woman,” Wren, who was engaged, hoped Josephine wouldfind a partner soon so they could have common topics to talk about.
“I don’t mind being an old lonely woman. Being alone is quite nice,” Josephine said nonchalantly.
Meanwhile, Katrina came to deliver some documents to the office on the sixteenth floor. As she walkedpast the conference room, she couldn’t help but peek inside through the slightly open blinds. Her jawdropped when she saw Ethan inside.
Oh my god! Where did this handsome man come from? That man happened to be in a meeting withAtticus.
The quick-witted Katrina noticed an assistant carrying tea and she approached her and said, “I’ll takethe tea, you can go do something else!”
The assistant happened to have something to attend to and handed her the tea. Katrina then knockedon the door nervously and excitedly before pushing it open. Even though she didn’t look directly at
Ethan, her heart was already racing.
“Mr. Kowalski, here’s your tea,” Katrina handed a cup of tea to Atticus Kowalski, the director, and thenhanded another to Ethan. Katrina boldly took the opportunity to steal a glance at Ethan and she almostfainted right after. Ethan was so good-looking that he could be the reincarnation of Apollo. His facemust have been carved by God himself. He was just too handsome.
“Kat, you can leave now!” Atticus had to remind his sister-in-law to leave.
Katrina quickly walked out of the room with a flushed face while pressing her chest to calm herheartbeat. Oh my God! He’s the perfect husband I’ve always dreamed of! When Atticus comes outlater, I must ask him who that man is and ask him to introduce that man to me.
At this moment, in the conference room, Atticus handed over a cigarette, but Ethan waved his hand. “Idon’t smoke.”
“Have some tea then, Mr. Quarles.” Atticus didn’t dare neglect this precious investor who came to theirdoor. Their TV station’s funds were tight now, and they had already started to look for externalinvestors. They didn’t know that they would find one so quickly. Moreover, if this gentleman invested,he would inject a large amount of capital and directly purchase 52% of the company’s shares,becoming the largest shareholder.
“Mr. Quarles, if I may ask, why did you choose our TV station?” Atticus was also confused, for Ethan’sstatus and wealth were such that even if he were to invest in ten famous TV stations, it would just be amatter of words, but he chose their station.
“For personal reasons. If there are no other issues, we can sign the contract anytime, and the funds willbe transferred to your account within an hour,” Ethan said calmly.
Atticus had been looking for investors for almost a year now, and finally, a tycoon had come. How couldhe let him go? So, he immediately nodded. “Okay, I’ll prepare the contract right away. From now on, Mr.Quarles, you will have the highest executive power in the company, and I will follow your orderscompletely.”
After a nod, Ethan picked up the teacup to take a sip. “Okay, you go ahead and prepare thedocuments. I’ll take a look around at my leisure.”
“Alright, Mr. Quarles, do you need our vice president to accompany you?”
“No need. I’ll just walk around by myself.” Ethan waved his hand.
With a smile, Atticus replied, “Okay. I’ll notify you when the contract is ready.”
He hurried back to his office to prepare the investment contract, while Ethan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, drinking tea and looking at the scenery outside. For him, this place was his vacationspot, as he had taken a six-month leave from his family.
After he pushed the door open, he remembered that Josephine had stopped on the eighth floor earlier,so her workplace should also be on that floor. He walked toward the direction of the elevator andpressed the button for the eighth floor.
On the other hand, with the warm afternoon sun shining in, Josephine held her face, struggling to stayawake. Even coffee can’t save me. This must be a post-vacation work syndrome. I’m just so tired!
Her seat was in a very good position. When the warm afternoon sun shone on her, she couldn’t resistthe urge to doze off anymore. She looked around and saw that her team leader was not in her seat, soshe quickly found a comfortable position and fell asleep. She must have been really tired, as she driftedto sleep in seconds.
Meanwhile, at the elevator, the female employees in the corridor were buzzing with excitement asEthan appeared. He politely asked one of the female employees, “Excuse me, may I know whereJosephine’s desk is?”
“Oh, Josephine! She’s in the last row of seats in the large working space, near the window,” the femaleemployee replied, her heart filled with envy. He’s here to find Josephine! I wonder what theirrelationship is.
The moment he walked into the working space, the whole bustling room seemed to instantly quietdown as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the handsome man who had just appeared.Such a handsome man!
However, there was one person who missed seeing his handsome figure as she was currently asleepon her desk.
Meanwhile, Wren had just returned to her seat with some documents when she saw a man walkingtoward her from the aisle. Her first thought was, He looks familiar. Where have I seen this handsomeman? At once, she recalled that she had seen him in a photo on Josephine’s phone. She thought thatJosephine wasn’t in her seat, but when she stood up and looked, she realized that Josephine wasactually sleeping on her desk.
At the same time, Ethan had already noticed Josephine. When he saw her sleeping on the desk, anaffectionate and nonchalant smile played on his lips. He walked over to her desk and quietly looked ather sleeping face without disturbing her.
By now, everyone knew that this handsome man was here to find Josephine, but she was actuallysleeping during work hours.
To not let her continue to be embarrassed, Wren kindly poked her with a pen.
Josephine was happily riding unicorns in her dream when she felt someone touching her arm. So, shemuttered in her sleep, “What?”
“Joey, wake up.” Wren tried harder to wake her up.
Only when Josephine heard Wren’s voice did she realize that she wasn’t at home but at work. Shequickly opened her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and she woke up instantly.Then, she sensed that someone was standing in front of her desk, so she looked up in shock.
As soon as she saw the man, she was petrified and wished she could bury herself in a hole. F*ck!When did Ethan come? And he’s standing right in front of me. Did I drool? She quickly wiped hermouth, thankfully finding nothing. “Why are you here, Mr. Quarles?” While blushing, she stood up butdidn’t dare look at him.
With a smile, Ethan answered, “No reason. I just wanted to see you.” His low and husky voice soundedlike a professional voice actor.
“Are you done with your meeting?” She finally looked at him, meeting his deep and mesmerizing eyes,which made her face even hotter.
“Not yet.” After saying that, he flipped through the documents on her desk and asked, “Are you notbusy?”
At this moment, her face was burning. I am busy! Busy sleeping!
“Here you are, Mr. Quarles! Mr. Kowalski sent me to look for you.” Atticus’ assistant came downstairs tofind Ethan.
“Okay,” Ethan replied before turning to Josephine. “I’ll go upstairs first.”
“Okay, take care,” Josephine answered and watched him leave.
As soon as he left, five to six faces gathered around her desk, all clamoring to ask, “Who is he,Josephine?”
“What’s your relationship with him?”
“Is he pursuing you, or are you pursuing him?”
“He looks very rich. What business is he discussing with Mr. Kowalski?”
Her head was spinning at this moment, as she was surrounded and felt a little suffocated. Immediately,she stood up and answered, “I’m not close to him. We’re just acquaintances. Stop guessing around.”
No one believed her words. If they’re not close to each other, why would this handsome man comeover and say hello to her? And his eyes clearly showed a hint of affection toward her.
As the others left, Wren whispered to Josephine, “Joey, does the husband of your dreams look likethis?”
Josephine burst into laughter. “I dare not dream such a beautiful dream.”
“Exactly what kind of relationship do you have with him? Tell me. I promise not to spread it around.”
“There’s really nothing between us. We just met at a wedding. He came here today for a meeting andjust stopped by to say hello to me,” Josephine explained, feeling a little guilty as she recalled the kissshe shared with Ethan. That should be a dream, right?
On the other hand, Ethan elegantly signed his name and became the largest shareholder of Tribus TV.After that, he turned to Atticus and said, “I heard that your company has a vacant female anchorposition. I would like to recommend someone for the job.”
“Who do you have in mind, Mr. Quarles?”
“Josephine Jacobson.”
Instantly, Atticus was stunned and finally seemed to understand why Ethan had invested in theircompany. Did he invest in us for the sake of Josephine?
“She does have what it takes for the job. Okay, we will talk to her immediately, and we will train her ifshe is interested.” He didn’t dare oppose his suggestion. Then, he continued, “To extend our warmwelcome to you, I plan to treat all the company’s mid-to-high-level employees to dinner tonight so wecan get to know each other better.”
“Sure, just don’t forget to invite Josephine,” Ethan reminded him.
Atticus nodded and bowed as he replied, “Of course. Josephine is our key training target. Of course,she needs to be there.”
“Great. I have some other things to attend to. Contact me tonight,” Ethan said as he stood up and leftas if his visit was just a casual chat.
Yet, in the contract Ethan just signed, he committed a total of 725 million to the project.
After seeing Ethan off, Atticus instantly breathed a sigh of relief as his struggling TV station finallyreceived a new lease on life. Moreover, the projects that he had put on hold now had the funds to getstarted. He could finally showcase his abilities.
He called his assistant over. “Call Josephine over. I want to talk to her.”
When Josephine received the call from Atticus’ assistant, she was a little puzzled. Why did Mr.Kowalski suddenly want to talk to me?
With a lot of questions in her mind, she went up to the director’s office. As soon as she entered, shesaw the usually serious Atticus smiling at her and greeting her, “Hi, Josephine! Come on in.”
“Is there something you need from me, Mr. Kowalski?”
“Have a sit. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Atticus pointed to the couch and sat himselfdown as well. He looked like he had become ten years younger, and even the bald spot in the middle ofhis head seemed livelier.
After she sat down, she couldn’t help feeling nervous. “What is it, Mr. Kowalski?”
“Well, Josephine, can you first tell me what kind of relationship you have with Mr. Quarles?”
At once, she became speechless. Why is everyone asking me this question today? Even Mr. Kowalski?What kind of relationship could I have with Ethan? Aren’t we just acquaintances? “We’re justacquaintances.” She smiled.
“Mr. Quarles is pursuing you, isn’t he?”
Hearing that, her face flushed, and she quickly waved her hand. “No, no. There’s nothing like that.”
However, Atticus looked at Josephine very seriously and said, “Tell me the truth, Josephine. Are youtwo dating? This is very important.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and then she told the truth, “We’re really not. We’re just friends who havehad a meal or two together.”
“So, Mr. Quarles is pursuing you then!”
“I…I’m not sure about that.” She didn’t dare simply answer this question. If the answer was no, shewould only embarrass herself.
At this moment, Atticus scrutinized her face with sharp eyes. In his eyes, she was a pretty andenergetic young girl, and it was not surprising that Ethan would pursue her.
Josephine was getting uncomfortable being scrutinized by him, so she forced a smile and asked, “Mr.Kowalski, is Mr. Quarles your guest?”
“Aren’t you guys close? You should know what he’s here for.” He didn’t answer her directly.
When she heard his reply, she chuckled awkwardly. “I was just asking.”
“Get off work at 3.00PM later. Go home early and dress yourself up. I have a social engagement foryou tonight.”
At once, her brain went blank for a few seconds. What kind of social engagement requires me to dressup? I’m just a small reporter. I don’t think I need to be there even if there is an important socialengagement. After all, our company has several well-known female anchors with good looks andfigures!
“Or… you don’t have to go home. Instead, go to the dress shop next door. I’ll call them and ask them todress you up.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, Mr. Kowalski.”
“It is necessary, absolutely necessary. You can go now.” After saying that, Atticus waved his hand todismiss her.
Perturbed, she left the office, still unable to understand why she was being asked to attend a socialengagement.
Shortly after she left the office, Katrina came in and asked directly, “Atticus, who was that handsomeman in the conference room with you just now?”
After a chuckle, he asked, “Why? You’re interested in him?”
“I’m already at that age to marry, Atticus. Ivanka keeps asking you to introduce me to someone. Can’tyou introduce that handsome man to me?” she said with a hopeful face.
Atticus looked at his sister-in-law’s face, which was quite pretty, but someone as wealthy as Ethan wasout of her league.
“It’s not that I don’t want to introduce him to you, Kat, but the gap between your status and that of Mr.Quarles is too great.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Atticus. Just introduce him to me.” She persisted.
“Alright, here’s what I can do. We have a banquet among the high-level executives tonight, and Mr.Quarles will be there too. You can come along. That’s the most I can do. To capture his heart, you’llhave to show him what you’ve got.”
“Really? Tonight? Can I leave work early and go home to dress up?” Katrina asked quickly.
“Okay, okay.” Atticus let her leave early.
After Josephine returned to her desk, she continued to work absentmindedly. She looked at her phoneseveral times, wanting to ask Ethan what he was doing at the company and if he would be at the dinnertonight that Atticus had asked her to join. Could it be that Mr. Kowalski thought Ethan has feelings forme, so he wants me to be Ethan’s companion tonight? I think this is highly possible.
“What did Mr. Kowalski want with you?” Wren asked curiously.
“It’s nothing. Just work-related.”
“Is he promoting you? I believe he acknowledges your abilities.”
Just then, Josephine checked the time, and it was already 4.30PM. So, she got up and said, “Wren, Ihave something to do. I’ll leave early today.”
She drove to a dress shop contracted by the company. As soon as she entered, a service staff greetedher and helped her with makeup and selecting dresses. She picked a classic black mini dress thatcould be worn for both daily wear and dinner parties.
After staying there for a while, it was almost 5.30PM. She received a text message from Atticus withthe address of a restaurant, a five-star one. Seeing that, she wondered, Will I see Ethan tonight? Withthat thought in mind, she left the dress shop and drove straight to the hotel.
Meanwhile, inside the hotel, Ethan also received the address sent by Atticus, along with a messagesaying, ‘Mr. Quarles, we’ll be waiting for you at this restaurant. Josephine is here too.’ When he readthe second part of the message, his eyes lit up with a strong anticipation for the night.
On the other hand, Josephine was tidying up her dress and getting into an elevator. Just as it wasabout to close, someone rushed in from the opposite, and the elevator opened again. To her surprise, itwas Katrina, dressed in a sexy outfit.
When Katrina saw that Josephine was also wearing a mini dress, her eyes flickered with surprise, andshe asked, “Where are you going?”
“To the company dinner. What about you?” Josephine asked.
Incredulously, Katrina raised an eyebrow. “You’re also invited?” Since she had been out in theafternoon and went to look for Atticus as soon as she returned to the company, she had not heardabout the event of Ethan going downstairs to look for Josephine.
“Mr. Kowalski personally invited me. I didn’t want to go, but he insisted,” replied Josephine.
“Hmph! Well, let me make this clear. Among the guests who will be here tonight, the tallest and mosthandsome man is mine, so you better not try to compete with me,” Katrina said with a commandinglook while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Hearing that, Josephine waved her off. “I’m not interested.”
When Katrina sized up Josephine’s outfit, she couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous. Josephine usuallyonly wore shirts and jeans tonight, yet she exuded a flamboyant and bold beauty tonight after dressingup. That gave Katrina a sense of crisis. Mr. Quarles won’t take interest in her, will he?
The two of them arrived at the restaurant together, while Atticus had already arrived early. As he lookedat the two beauties of the company, he thought, This will definitely satisfy Mr. Quarles.
“Here. Come here. Your mission tonight is to make our major shareholder happy.”
“What major shareholder?” asked Katrina.
“Mr. Quarles, the one you want to meet. He has invested in our company and entered as the largestshareholder.” Atticus revealed the truth so that Josephine and Katrina could understand the situationand serve this major shareholder better.
Josephine’s eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, “Are you serious, Mr. Kowalski?”
“Do I look like I’m joking? Of course, I’m serious. He will be in charge of everything in the companyfrom now on. Your chance has come, Josephine. You have to try your best to serve him well tonight.”
At his words, Josephine’s face flushed. What does he mean by ‘serve him well?’ Does he mean I haveto be Ethan’s companion throughout dinner?
On the contrary, Katrina was confident. “Don’t worry, Atticus. I will definitely serve him well.”
Hearing that, Josephine turned around to see Katrina’s ambitious smile and thought to herself, Doesshe want to sleep with Ethan?
Deep down, Josephine was still shocked. Why did Ethan invest in our company? Our company hasbeen struggling in the TV industry for the past few years. With his investment insight, he couldn’t havetargeted our company. So, the meeting that he mentioned was about this investment, which makes himsuddenly our largest shareholder. In other words, he’s my big boss and immediate superior now, right?
At this thought, she felt a sense of inexplicable happiness. After all, having a familiar face in thecompany’s top management would be beneficial for her promotion.
Likewise, Katrina was also pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect that handsome man to become ourcompany’s boss, but with that, we can meet and interact with each other more often at work. Will Ieventually become his wife? Just thinking about it made her so happy that she was on cloud nine. Shehad already started to imagine scenes of her dating Ethan at the company in the future.
At this moment, the two vice presidents and four department managers of the company had arrived,and they were ready to particularly put their focus on this major shareholder of theirs tonight.
Everyone took their seats, and just as Josephine was about to pull out the last chair to sit down, Atticusbeckoned her over and said, “Josephine, your seat is here.”
It turned out to be on the left side of the main seat.
Seeing that, she quickly waved her hand and said, “No, it’s okay, Mr. Kowalski. I’ll just sit here.”
“Come over here. This is your seat.” Atticus insisted.
“I’ll sit there then, Atticus.” Different from Josephine, Katrina rushed into sitting in that seat. The mainseat must be for Mr. Quarles and sitting next to him means that I’m one step closer to my dream.
However, her volunteering only earned her a glare from Atticus. In the end, Josephine had no choicebut to take the seat next to the main seat. As soon as she sat down, the vice presidents couldn’t helpbut cast admiring glances at her. With a pendant lamp shining on her, it made her fair and beautiful skineven more attractive.
On the other hand, Katrina secretly resented and glared at Josephine. At the same time, shewondered, Why does Atticus arrange the seats in such a way that gives Josephine the chance to getclose to Mr. Quarles? Shouldn’t he be prioritizing me, his family member?
After a while, the door to the private room opened. Ethan walked in wearing a black shirt and vest, witha limited edition watch on his wrist, emitting a cool luster. His innate elegance exuded exceptionalnobility.
He’s here. Josephine’s heart couldn’t help but beat faster, while Katrina was excitedly covering hermouth. She couldn’t believe how sexy and wild Ethan looked at night. He’s so hot!
The moment he came in, his gaze immediately landed on the charming figure sitting under the lightbeside the main seat. Josephine just happened to look up, and their eyes met. Right then, she stood upwith everyone else to greet him.
“Welcome, Mr. Quarles. Please have a seat,” Atticus greeted him.
With a nod, Ethan sat at the main seat. After sitting down, his gaze fell on Josephine, and he greetedher, “Good evening, Miss Jacobson.”
“Good evening, Mr. Quarles.” Josephine also smiled. It’s great that he has become my boss now.
“Mr. Quarles, let me introduce you to the management team of our station,” Atticus said, introducingeach person one by one and finally introducing Katrina. “This is our company’s senior secretary,
Katrina Sullivan.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Quarles,” Katrina greeted him with her most charming smile.
Ethan just nodded in acknowledgment, and then it was time to order. Unexpectedly, Atticus handed thetask of ordering to Josephine. “Josephine, you order.”
Hearing that, she reluctantly took over the menu, but she really didn’t know what to order. She had noidea about anyone’s taste at the table, so she asked Ethan, “Do you have any particular dishes in mind,Mr. Quarles?”
With a smile, Ethan replied, “You can order whatever you like, Miss Jacobson. I’m fine with anything.”This sentence gave her a lot of freedom, allowing her to order whatever she wanted. In other words, hehad no objections, so no one else was allowed to have objections.
At this moment, her face started blushing and burning a little. Looking at the menu, she just ordered theexpensive dishes. After all, Atticus would be paying for it.
Meanwhile, Katrina felt that something was not quite right. It seems like Josephine knew Mr. Quarlesbefore this. They look like old friends from the way they look at each other.
However, Katrina had to remember one thing—Peter’s status. Hence, it was expected that he would beacquainted with Ethan. Does that mean Ethan likes Josephine? As Katrina thought about it, her hatredfor Josephine grew.
After Josephine had ordered the food, the director ordered some wine, while Atticus was in charge toliven up the mood. As Atticus was telling Ethan about how the project would progress, Ethan waszoning out. He looked like he was not interested in any of the projects Atticus mentioned.
Josephine was sitting beside him and noticed his mood. It seems like Mr. Kowalski is talking to himself!As she thought about it, she changed her sitting position. Then, she noticed that she had sat on herdress. Just as she stretched her legs, she felt that she had kicked something. At that moment, her mindwent blank when she realized it didn’t feel like the table’s legs. What did I just kick?
In that split second, Ethan looked at her with a thoughtful expression. When Josephine met his gaze,her face turned red since she realized she had accidentally kicked his legs!
Josephine bit her lips and smiled awkwardly at him. On the other hand, Ethan raised his wine glass andwinked at her, indicating that it was fine.
Everyone saw their sweet interaction and knew Ethan was uninterested in hearing the proposal.Instead, he had his eyes on Josephine!
Katrina also saw their interactions. She clenched her fists under the table and thought, As expected,she is trying to seduce Ethan.
“Hurry up and give a toast to Mr. Quarles, Josephine,” said the director.
“A toast to you, Mr. Quarles.” Josephine raised her glass toward Ethan.
Ethan also raised his glass and bumped it against hers. Just as Josephine was about to take a smallsip, the vice director, Damien Posh, quickly said, “That’s not right, Josephine. You can’t just take asmall sip when Mr. Quarles has such a high status.”
Does that mean I have to drink it all? I’m not a heavy drinker, though! thought Josephine. Then, shelooked at Ethan. I’m sure he will get me out of this mess. However, Ethan didn’t say anything and waswaiting for her to do as Damien said! She could tell that he was in for a show.
Although Josephine felt helpless, she still smiled and said, “Well then, I guess I have to do it.” Then,she drank the alcohol in one shot. Fortunately, the alcohol didn’t taste bad, or else she would havethrown up. What is wrong with him? I thought we were good friends, yet he didn’t help me! Fine then. Iguess I thought too highly of our relationship, she thought grumpily.
When the food arrived, Josephine started to imitate how people at social intercourse would do. Shewas telling Ethan to eat while getting up and pouring him some alcohol, seemingly as if she was tryingto get him drunk.
She sure knows how to bear a grudge. Ethan smiled inwardly.
On the other hand, Katrina could only watch as Josephine entertained Ethan while she sat in the darkcorner. Since it was a rectangular table, she couldn’t do anything but just sit there.
Josephine didn’t eat much, but she had had three glasses of wine. At that moment, she was upset.After all, Ethan didn’t care for her. I might as well just drink to my death, she thought.
Just as she was going to have the fourth glass, Ethan finally made a move. He reached out andstopped her. “That’s enough. You have too much alcohol tonight,” he said.
Josephine was slightly drunk. Hence, she was bolder. When she heard his words, she smiled. Thelights made her look like a goddess with that beautiful smile of hers. “This won’t do, Mr. Quarles. Afterall, you are my boss, so I have to satisfy you! Here’s another toast to you!” As she spoke, she raisedher glass toward him.
On the other hand, Atticus was dumbfounded by her actions. It seems like Josephine is drunk. It wouldbe bad if she offended Mr. Quarles with her slurs. Thinking about it, he stood up and said to Katrina,“Kat, come here and help Josephine to the car. It seems that she is drunk.”
“I’m not drunk, Mr. Kowalski. I’m still clear in my head!” replied Josephine. She didn’t think she wasdrunk. Other than feeling wobbly, she felt amazing.
When Katrina heard Atticus’ words, she stood up unwillingly. However, as soon as she realized shecould take Josephine’s place and sit beside Ethan, she was happy again. Thus, she walked towardJosephine and said, “Let’s get some rest, Josephine. Come on!”
However, Josephine knew what Katrina had in mind. She curved her lips and wiggled her index fingertoward Katrina. “I’m not going, Katrina. I want to stay here and accompany Mr. Quarles!”
Ethan’s eyes widened when he heard her words. I never expected her to be so clingy, he thought.
“You’re drunk, Josephine. I think it’s best if you get some rest!” Katrina said while secretly gritting herteeth. Josephine must have wanted to seduce Mr. Quarles while drunk. I won’t let this happen.
Josephine was persistent and sat on her spot. “I’m not drunk. I still haven’t eaten yet, and I’m hungry!No one is going to make me leave!”
Atticus didn’t expect Josephine would act in such a way when she was drunk. If we don’t get her out ofhere any sooner, she will make a fool of herself, he thought.
Suddenly, Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, he looked at Katrina and said, “I’ll take her to rest.”
Katrina was shocked and quickly waved him off. “There’s no need for that, Mr. Quarles. I’ll take heraway immediately.” Then, she used all her might to pull Josephine upwards. When Josephine wasdragged away from her seat, an arm wrapped around her gently, pushing Katrina away.
“I’ll send her home. Enjoy your meal,” said Ethan. Without waiting for the others to respond, he tookJosephine out of the room.
However, Josephine was going against him. “Let go of me, Ethan. I’m not leaving with you!”
The others were frightened and thought, Josephine is too hot-tempered! How can she be so impudentwhen he is our boss?!
“Listen to Mr. Quarles, Josephine!” Atticus quickly reminded her. However, he could still hear herstruggling. “Let go of me, Ethan.”
“Behave now.” Ethan cooed at her.
When the others heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Ethan wouldn’t be mad nomatter how Josephine acted.
After some time, they could vaguely hear Josephine’s voice again. “I’m not going to listen to you.”
Katrina was seeing red. She sat on Josephine’s seat, thinking, Josephine is so disrespectful to him…On second thought, I’m going to let her be! It’s best if Ethan has had enough of her petty behavior.
On the other hand, Josephine was being dragged into Ethan’s car. As she sat on the passenger seat,her mind was dizzy, and she felt light-headed. “I’m dizzy, Ethan,” she slurred.
“Do you want to go home? Or should I take you somewhere else to sober up?” As Ethan spoke, heleaned toward her and stared at her.
“Do you have a place to let me sober up? I can’t go home like this. My mom will scold me.” Josephineremembered her mother getting upset when she got home drunk the last time. After all, she came froma strict family. Thus, it was a no-no to get drunk.
“Come with me then,” replied Ethan as he started his car. After ten minutes, they arrived at a hotel’sunderground parking lot where Ethan stayed in. During the ride, Josephine’s eyes were half-closed.When she opened them, she didn’t know where they were.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Ethan opened the car door for her and said, “Come on!”
Josephine trusted him very much and obliged. However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, herknees weakened, and she quickly hugged Ethan. In that split second, Ethan’s arms wrapped aroundher waist, and he looked at her. When Josephine raised her head, their faces were just inches apart. Atthat moment, Josephine felt her heart skip a beat. How is he so charming? Does he have to be thisgood-looking?
“Can you walk?” Ethan asked her with a low voice.
Josephine smiled sweetly and said, “Why? Are you going to carry me up the stairs?” As soon as herwords fell, Ethan took the initiative and carried her bridal style. Josephine yelped in shock and quicklywrapped her arms around him, afraid she would fall.
Her face was flushed red as Ethan carried her. It looks like I can’t tease him anymore. He looks likehe’ll give in easily, she thought. She didn’t think it would be fun if she had him wrapped around herfingers that easily.
Inside the elevator, Josephine was so embarrassed that she kept her head down. When she smelledthe fragrance from him, she couldn’t help but take a whiff. He smells nice, she thought.
Ethan could see her getting closer to him from the mirror’s reflection. What is she doing? Is shesmelling me? She acts like a puppy.
Finally, the elevator’s sound rang. Ethan directly took her to his room.
When Ethan put her down, she asked, “Is this your room?”
“Yes. You can stay here. I’ll take you home later,” replied Ethan. Then, he pressed the button thatconnected to the 180-degree curtains. As the beautiful night scenery unfolded before Josephine’s eyes,
she couldn’t help but be amazed. Her eyes widened.
This is so beautiful.
Ethan poured a glass of water and gave it to her. “Here. Have some water.”
Josephine took the water and sat on the couch that was by the balcony. Although she had drunk it, herface was still burning hot. As she put down the glass, she could feel the effect of the wine. Feeling hot,she couldn’t help but tug on her shirt, and her dress curled up to her knees. When Ethan walked backinto the room, he gulped when he saw her in such an alluring state. He couldn’t tell if she had done iton purpose since she had an innocent look on her face.
On the other hand, Josephine leaned her head against the couch. When she raised her head and sawEthan, she smiled. Her smile was beautiful, seemingly like a rose, which is sweet and luscious.
Ethan quickly drank the water he was holding to suppress his desires. Then, he took the initiative toquestion her as he sat in front of her. “What’s the matter with you today? You drank so much alcoholwhen you know you aren’t a heavy drinker.”
“Why don’t you take a guess?” Josephine tilted her head and looked at him.
“Are you unhappy?”
“Say, are we friends, Mr. Quarles?”
“Of course we are!” Ethan cocked his eyebrow.
“If you are my friend, don’t ask this question,” replied Josephine as she propped her chin.
Ethan was startled by her words and thought, She sure is hard to guess, but it’s fun.
At this moment, Josephine’s phone rang. When she picked it up and saw the caller’s ID, she mumbled,“Luke? Why is he calling me?”
At that moment, Ethan was unhappy. “Don’t answer it.”
It was too late. Josephine had already answered the call. “Hello! Is something the matter, Luke?”
“Will you go to work tomorrow, Josephine?”
“Yeah!”
“Alright. I have a surprise gift for you tomorrow.”
“I won’t keep it, so don’t send me any gift.”
“I made it just for you. Please take it for my sake!”
“I…” Before Josephine could say anything, Luke hung up the call. Josephine was speechless as sheput her phone aside and rubbed her temple. “I’m dizzy. Can I lie down for a moment?”
“Go ahead!” Ethan replied.
As Josephine lay on the bed, she didn’t notice that the collar of her shirt had slipped. From Ethan’sview, he could see the inside of her clothes. Initially, he was embarrassed and averted his gaze.However, something seemed to lure him in, and he couldn’t help but stare at her.
After some time, Josephine had fallen asleep. It seemed like her default mode when being drunk wassleep mode.
“Josephine,” Ethan called her softly.