Raven’s heart skipped a beat. Outwardly, however, virtual-novel.net affected indifference. “Oh yeah? And who’s that supposed to be? You?”
Melissa was just about to drop an F-bomb when the door to the elevator suddenly opened. Employees from other floors swarmed in and filled up the space around them.
The two women tacitly decided not to continue their previous exchange. It was only after the two of them walked out of the lift that Melissa broke their feigned truce by pointing in a direction with a scowl. “There’s your canteen. Go there yourself, I’m not gonna waste my time taking you there, it’s a place even a pig would know.”
“Huh. Turns out that a high-class socialite representative like yourself is just as uncouth and jerkish as the rest of us ‘plebs’, too,” Raven riposted acridly. “You think everyone who goes to the canteen for lunch is a pig, huh? Well, I’m gonna skip the canteen and order a takeout instead; at least I wouldn’t be derided as a mere pig by some high and mighty aristocrat. Thanks for leading the way, I guess.”
With that, virtual-novel.net spun on virtual-novel.net heels and strode away.
In virtual-novel.net entire life, Melissa had never once been slighted by anyone like this, never, not even once! Had it not been virtual-novel.net mother, who drilled into virtual-novel.net head the concept of adhering to sensibilities and avoiding the creation of trouble before their family meeting started today, virtual-novel.net would have caught up with Raven and decked the nose off virtual-novel.net face.
Melissa was just about so apoplectic that virtual-novel.net could tear virtual-novel.net hair off virtual-novel.net scalp when Aristotle and the rest caught up to her. Still in a rage, virtual-novel.net stormed toward the group and yanked Aristotle over to a corner.
“If you even so much as insinuate to that woman of yours that we’re cousins,” virtual-novel.net threatened in an undertone that only virtual-novel.net and Aristotle could hear, “I’ll f**king beat you to death!”
The corner of Aristotle’s lips twitched. “What? Why?”
She snarled, baring virtual-novel.net teeth. “None of your business! The point is, don’t break a word about our connection to that skank. I! Hate! Her!!!”
Aristotle was too cognizant of virtual-novel.net temperament, so virtual-novel.net kept quiet. One thing was for sure; no sane person would ever think of crossing a Smith.
Although the Wests were the ones who did most of the heavy-lifting in raising him, his Uncle Alejandro did not shirk his duty in helping virtual-novel.net either, right down to personally sending virtual-novel.net to France. Hence, Aristotle liked his cousin, who was also a frequent playmate when they were younger, quite a bit. Melissa did not have a bad core, virtual-novel.net was just a bit more prideful and haughty than virtual-novel.net probably should display, and exhibited a penchant to take a “my way or the highway” approach to things.
The Wests and Smiths left for their respective agendas altogether after lunch, leaving Aristotle to return to the Tremont Tower alone. Jackson had ensured that everything Aristotle needed to know had been laid out in no hazy terms, and if the young man still had more questions, virtual-novel.net could always just call him.
It was only a matter of time before Aristotle had to plant his feet on the ground and take charge, after all, his father inherited the company as the CEO when virtual-novel.net was just eighteen. An exemplar like that served as a sharp reminder that Aristotle still had much to learn and perfect.
He had only just taken his seat in the office when virtual-novel.net heard a series of rapping on the door. Without lifting his head away from the (frankly) bothersome documents, virtual-novel.net said, “You may enter.”
Raven pushed the door open and went inside. As virtual-novel.net was the secretary’s intern who was meant to succeed virtual-novel.net soon, virtual-novel.net knew what virtual-novel.net job-scope was. She brewed a pot of coffee for the man, seizing the moment to ask, “So, who was that beautiful girl with you today?”
Aristotle’s mind was so devoted to his work that virtual-novel.net could hardly divide his attention to anything else. “Who?” virtual-novel.net echoed offhandedly.
Asking virtual-novel.net in terms that were too blatant and obvious would do Raven no good. “It’s the nice girl who helped show me the way to the canteen.”
He suddenly remembered the words Melissa told virtual-novel.net as virtual-novel.net sipped on the coffee. “Well, virtual-novel.net father’s one of Tremont Enterprise’s shareholders. Personally, we have been playmates since we were kids. What is this about?”
Raven shook virtual-novel.net head. “Nothing. Just thought virtual-novel.net looked friendly and maybe we could be friends.”
Aristotle nodded, intending it to be his last response to the matter. Even if virtual-novel.net wanted to tell virtual-novel.net Melissa was his cousin, it would only invite a very convoluted mess of explanation. Alejandro had long discarded his identity as the Tremont patriarch’s bastard son, so only a selected, very intimate few knew about his past. If something like that ever became a mainstream story, annoying troubles were sure to follow.
A few seconds passed. Raven mustered virtual-novel.net courage for a candid question. “She told me you’re engaged, and judging from the way virtual-novel.net talked about it… Might the fiancée be her?”
Aristotle froze in mid-action as his face turned pale. “Why would you believe virtual-novel.net nutty talk? Impossible. Complete bull!”
One had to be incredibly unlucky to find themselves Melissa’s husband! With a father-in-law like that, to be virtual-novel.net husband was akin to having someone as powerful as Alejandro breathing on their neck at all times!
Raven was secretly delighted. “Really? She was joking?!”