Chapter 20

"This isn't the kind of coffee the Boss likes. You should probably keep it for yourself," Zoey said, deftly intercepting the coffee Natalie offered to Alex.

Natalie's displeasure was barely concealed. She gave Zoey a careful look. "Ms. Cavendish, I know you don't like me, but you don't have to refuse me the chance to offer Mr. Windsor a cup of coffee, do you?"

She crouched slightly, placing the coffee on the small table beside the sofa, subtly angling her body to reveal half of her breast.

Then, with eyes that shimmered like seductive autumn water, she looked at Alex and said in a soft, delicate voice, "Mr. Windsor, even if you only take a sip, it's a small token of my appreciation."

Alex didn't even look at her. He simply instructed his assistant, John, "Throw that coffee in the trash. Don't soil my eyes."

The smirk froze on Natalie's face.

Carol couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like Natalie threw her charm at the wrong target. She thought Mr. Windsor was like those other foolish, gluttonous bosses. Does she really think he'd be interested in someone like her?"

Natalie's face turned an ugly shade of green.

Alex suddenly called out to John, "Wait."

Natalie's eyes lit up. Could it be that Mr. Windsor wanted her coffee after all?

She knew she still had charm. Aurora might be younger and prettier, but she lacked the feminine allure, the sophistication.

A man like Alex would never be interested in someone as bland as Aurora.

Natalie was fantasizing about Alex dismissing Aurora from the break room and then making love to her when Alex's icy voice cut through her reverie, "Take that coffee out and throw it in the outdoor trash can, in front of everyone."

Natalie's heart felt like it had shattered.

Seeing Natalie still standing there, Carol frowned. "Why aren't you leaving? Your perfume is so strong, it might make Zoey feel sick."

Zoey wanted to say that she had a fever and couldn't smell anything, but seeing Natalie's defeat pleased her, so she remained silent.

Even with her shameless audacity, Natalie couldn't stay any longer. She glared at Zoey, gritted her teeth, and stormed out of the break room.

"Should we change rooms?" Alex asked Zoey.

Zoey shook her head and finally told the truth, "No need. My sense of smell is completely out of whack."

Alex paused for a moment, then the corners of his lips curved upwards. He extended his long fingers and gently flicked Zoey's nose. "You, you..."

His usually cold, clear voice was now filled with a tenderness that surprised her.

Zoey's cheeks flushed even hotter. Didn't he realize there were other people in the room? Why was he acting so intimately with her? She wasn't his girlfriend.

She glanced at John and Carol.

They were both pretending to look somewhere else, one at the ceiling, the other at the floor, as if they could find something interesting there.

Zoey sighed and reached up to take off the necklace.

Seeing this, Alex immediately reached out and stopped her hand. "What are you doing?"

"This necklace is too expensive. I can't wear it. I think it should go to someone more suitable."

Someone more suitable?

Zoey suddenly felt a chill in the air. Even with her thick coat, a cold wind seemed to seep through the fabric, making her shiver.

Alex's cold voice sounded in her ear, "Keep the necklace, or let me kiss you here. You choose."

Zoey's eyes widened. "Are you threatening me?"

Alex's smile became even more charming, but also more dangerous. "I'm giving you a choice."

Zoey knew he was a man of his word.

"Such an expensive necklace, are you really willing to give it to me?"

She frowned, confirming it with him again.

Alex's hand smoothed through her soft, black hair like silk. "I never take back what I give. It's yours."

"Don't regret it."

Alex laughed, his dark eyes reflecting Zoey's exquisite face. "I won't regret it."

If he did, he wouldn't have stayed in Maple City.

Zoey looked at his handsome but enigmatic face, unsure of what he was thinking.

Could he actually like her?

They had only known each other for a few days, and he had not only defended her but also given her such an expensive necklace.

Even married couples might not do that for each other.

Before Zoey could figure it out, the door to the break room opened, and a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked in.

"Wow! He looks like he stepped out of a manga! Is this a real person?"

Carol exclaimed in amazement.

No wonder she was so impressed. Although the newcomer didn't have Alex's deeply handsome, sculpted features, he possessed an elegant and extraordinary handsomeness, like a character from a comic book.

However, the narrow, amber-brown eyes behind his glasses seemed to lack warmth.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. Joseph Green looked at Alex. "Who needs medical attention?"

"Zoey has a fever. Give her a shot to bring it down," Alex said, pulling Zoey into his arms.

Joseph, the sole heir to a medical dynasty, Stellaria's youngest and most renowned doctor, a medical genius, looked curiously at the woman in Alex's arms. "Zoey? So she's..."

"Alright, give her the injection. Her forehead is burning hot," Alex interrupted Joseph, his voice low and firm.

Zoey sensed a subtext in Joseph's words.

Could it be that he also knew she was the ex-fiancée that Alexander had manipulated?

And did Alex interrupt him to spare her feelings?

No, Alex hadn't called her by her full name just now.

"Miss Spencer, let me check your temperature," Joseph said, approaching her with a temperature probe, his usually expressionless face now softening into a warm smile.

Zoey nodded, her doubts growing.

He clearly didn't recognize her when he first came in.

Yet, after hearing Alex, he knew her identity without knowing her full name.

There was only one explanation: Alex must have known her all along.

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Alex asked, noticing Zoey staring at him during the injection.

"Nothing, I just think you're really handsome," Zoey said, not wanting him to see her suspicion.

Then she noticed that Alex's expression became even more tender.

"Good taste," he replied with a smile.