Chloe continued to scrub her clothes, choosing to ignore the situation.
"Aren't you going to fight back?" Sofia asked.
"Forget it. No need to bother. These types of posts will lose attention over time."
Sofia cocked her head, looking at Chloe skeptically. "You don't seriously have something going on with the deputy director, do you?"
Chloe glanced at Sofia. "I can't be bothered with you."
With that, Chloe picked up her freshly washed clothes and went out to hang them on the balcony.
Chloe was worried. She couldn't help but wonder if Donovan would blame her for the recent turn of events. After hanging up her laundry, she settled onto her bed with her laptop to work on her "Outstanding Graduate Report." Sofia was about to say something, but upon seeing Chloe's determined silence, decided to hold her tongue. All she mentioned was a reminder, "Don't forget, there's a new employee medical examination tomorrow."
Chloe simply acknowledged the reminder.
Having recently become the center of attention, Chloe was not looking forward to the next day's group medical checkup. The email had spelled it out: early Monday morning, all newly permanent employees would meet in the parking lot to take the company bus to New East International Hospital for a physical examination. Previously, Chloe could have just kept a low profile, but after the recent events, she expected that the entire company would now recognize her.
The next day, it unfolded just as Chloe predicted. More than thirty interns, now full-time employees, sat on the bus parked in the lot, headed for New East International Hospital. Despite taking a seat at the very back, Chloe could still hear people asking, "Which one is Chloe?" "Who came to pick her up?" "I heard her family's not well off, probably doesn't have much of a background. She must be kept by someone."
Many heads turned to glance back at Chloe.
Then someone said, "Look outside."
Everyone turned to follow the voice, including Chloe, curious to see what might divert the group from their gossip. It was the same unassuming Mercedes from the forum post, gracefully carving a wide arc before parking next to the bus. Some folks even pulled out their phones and compared the license plate to the one on the forum to confirm if it was the same car.
A hush fell over the bus as everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would get out of the car. Chloe could sense the palpable tension.
The car door opened, and Donovan stepped out, locked the door, slid his hands into his pockets, and walked nonchalantly toward the office building.
The bus fell silent.
Sofia turned to Chloe, surprised. "The rumor is about you and Mr. Blake?"
"I happened to be at the hospital that day and ran into him, so he gave me a lift," Chloe downplayed the event, but it was clear Sofia wasn't quite convinced.
Suddenly, the inside of the bus was as quiet as a tomb. the forum post had been discreetly deleted, and no one dared to gossip about the president any longer.
Chloe didn't know what Donovan intended by his appearance - if it was deliberate or simply casual - but it warmed her heart regardless. She felt an inexplicable closeness to him now and found herself eager to see him again.
For the first time, Chloe was truly looking forward to Saturday.
On Thursday, after staying late at work, Chloe was packing up to return to her dorm when she received a WhatsApp message from Donovan: "Send me your height, weight, and measurements."
Chloe glanced at her WhatsApp, and somehow found herself stepping onto the elevator, just as Donovan happened to be there too, sparing her the need to send a message.
"Mr. Blake, what's this all about?" Chloe asked, lifting her phone slightly.
"Wedding dress photography, ordering the gown."
"Is there such a production?" Chloe paused in surprise, having thought it'd be sufficient to just go home to see Samuel.
Chloe hesitated for a moment. If a wedding was taking place, would the whole town know about it? And after the agreement ended, if she got a divorce, wouldn't she become a well-known castoff?
"What size are you?" Donovan asked, ignoring Chloe's emotions and continuing the conversation.
"I haven't measured, I don't know," Chloe admitted honestly, mentioning that she usually just bought a small size without knowing her exact measurements.
Donovan's gaze turned toward her, scanning her from head to toe.
His piercing look made Chloe instinctively shrink back.
When the elevator reached the ground floor, Donovan didn't say anything and walked out.
Chloe stood dumbfounded in the lobby for a moment, knowing that Donovan never engaged in idle chat with her, nor did he respond to questions he didn't wish to answer.
That evening, back at the house, Chloe received another message from Donovan on WhatsApp: [Saturday, wedding dress shoot.]
Chloe couldn't wait to ask: [Aren't we going to see Samuel? Are we having a wedding?]
Donovan replied swiftly: [What are you thinking?]