Chapter 178: Labels

Chapter 178: Labels

Lena fell into deep thought, too. She was really torn about whether to accept Killian's proposal.

The two of them got along peacefully for a few days, but soon she noticed something strange at the company.

Several middle managers who had given her a hard time before suddenly changed their attitude completely and became very cooperative with her work.

Lena had always been smart - how could she not realize this was all the result of Killian cleaning house behind the scenes? This made her really angry.

Lena stormed straight into Killian's office, trying hard to control her emotions as she demanded, "Why did you do this? You think I can't tell? I don't need you to smooth everything out for me and clear all the obstacles. This will just make people label me as someone who relies on connections again!"

Lena had always believed in letting ability do the talking. She had gotten into the Thorne Group on her own merit before, and now that she was back at the company, she didn't want people thinking she was riding on Killian's coattails.

Even though it was difficult, she had been desperately trying to prove herself - whether it was working overtime day and night or handling matters decisively, that was her true attitude.

But Killian's actions would make all her efforts worthless and turn her into gossip fodder again.

No matter how hard she tried to prove herself, it would all be useless.

Seeing her storm in full of anger, Killian got up and walked over to her, saying in a low voice, "Lena, I understand how you feel, but now that you're in this position, why should you give in to rumors?"

"Everyone knows about our relationship. Do you expect me to just stand by and watch them walk all over you?"

He didn't have that kind of patience. Anyone who wasn't nice to Lena - if they didn't change their attitude, he wouldn't hesitate to get rid of them.

The Thorne Group didn't need people who weren't good to him and Lena. Besides, doing this could also stop some of the gossip.

"I can make them shut up with my ability!"

Lena shot back furiously, "Using power to silence them will only make them more resentful. It's better to let my work speak for itself!"

But on this matter, Killian's attitude was extremely firm with no room for compromise. He even brought up what Isolde had told him.

"This is just how it is in the company. Sometimes you have to use some power to suppress certain voices."

Killian held Lena's hand and said seriously, "Lena, your mother told me that over these years, you've gotten used to living alone, used to handling everything by yourself, and don't know how to truly rely on others."

"But I hope you can understand - let your guard down and rely on me more, because no matter what happens, I'll be by your side."

For a moment, Lena didn't know what to say. She knew Killian wasn't wrong, whether about the company or about her.

She stopped struggling, but her heart still felt uncomfortable, like there was a needle stuck in it.

After work, she didn't go straight home but met Robert for dinner.

Seeing that Lena didn't look too good, Robert asked bluntly, "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Mr. Thorne?"

Lena was a bit surprised and sighed with a laugh, "How did you know?"

"It's written all over your face," Robert said with a shake of his head and a smile, then continued, "Plus, there's been quite a bit of gossip at the company."

"What gossip?"

Lena asked casually out of curiosity, feeling a tightness in her chest and tension in her shoulders.

"They're saying Mr. Killian Thorne dealt with a lot of people because of you, especially those who previously supported Mr. Alfonso Thorne - anyone with obvious loyalty issues has been moved away from your area."

Although everyone was amazed by Killian's actions, Robert could tell that Lena wasn't particularly happy about it.

It was as if this matter had nothing to do with Lena - she wanted to prove herself through real results.

This wasn't much different from what Lena had expected, except Killian's moves were faster and more aggressive.

"Are you okay, Lena?"

Seeing her looking so down, Robert couldn't help but ask with concern.

"I'm fine," Lena took a big gulp of wine, saying with a forced smile, "I just feel a bit lost."

"This isn't what I wanted, but I also understand that Killian didn't do anything wrong. He did it for my own good."

Family power struggles were very cruel - one wrong step and you could even lose your life.

Alfonso's case was right there as an example. How could Killian be careless? Of course, he had to do things properly. Even if people accused him of being ruthless, he couldn't lower his standards.

Robert didn't fully understand the conflict between them, but nodded thoughtfully, "Actually, I think, Lena, you don't need to think so much. Your and Mr. Killian Thorne's positions and status mean there will inevitably be a lot of criticism."

"If you have to care about every single person, wouldn't that exhaust you? Might as well live more easily and simply, enjoy your life, and leave all that messy noise behind!"

"Can I do that?"

Lena asked hesitantly, already a bit drunk.

It sounded easy, but was hard to do.

"You can try," Robert said with a smile, patting her shoulder. "Trying doesn't hurt. Instead of being trapped in a cage like now, why not take a new path?"

"Maybe changing direction will give you a whole new experience of life."

Lena nodded hesitantly, seeming to think about something.

After she and Robert finished dinner and she got home, it was already late. Killian was still waiting for her in the living room.

"Why did you drink so much?"

Seeing her clearly drunk, Killian immediately got up and walked over.

Lena shook her head slightly. Killian then carried her back to the bedroom, changed her clothes, and tucked her in.

Watching her fall into a deep sleep, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned off the light to sleep.

Too many things had happened recently. He had to stay alert, afraid that Lena might accidentally encounter something and be in danger again.

The next day when she woke up, Lena felt a splitting headache, regretting drinking so much the night before.

Maybe because she was in a bad mood, she hadn't controlled herself and drank more and more.

She got up and came to the living room, only to find that Killian had already prepared breakfast and was waiting for her to eat.

"Feeling better?"

Killian asked with concern. Lena pressed her lips together, not forgetting that they had just had a fight.

"Mommy!"

Zoe jumped down from her chair, ran to her side, and pulled her hand toward the dining table. "Come eat breakfast!"