Chapter 67
Looking at his cold yet handsome profile, I couldn't help but smile slightly.
In the end, Benjamin drove me to my office building.
He said he had to deal with some business left over from his international flight, and would pick me up in the evening.
I walked into the office, and my assistant immediately came up to me, her face showing barely contained joy. "Ms. White, did you see the news? It's so satisfying! Willie and Freya finally got what they deserved!"
While helping me organize files, she sneaked glances at my expression and added cheerfully, "See, now that the truth is out, you're in such a better mood today. I noticed you were smiling the whole time you walked in."
I unconsciously touched my lips and realized that smile had never left my face.
So I'd been smiling this whole time?
I thought my good mood was because I'd cleared away the obstacle that was Freya, because those rumors had fallen apart on their own.
But only at this moment did I suddenly realize—that wasn't it.
Without knowing it, I had tied my emotions closely to his.
This realization made my heart skip a beat, bringing a strange and unsettling flutter.
"Yeah, Ms. White looks radiant today." A few colleagues from the planning department happened to walk by with files, and hearing my assistant's words, they laughed too. One of the bolder ones even winked at me playfully, "Ms. White, are you and Mr. Wilson getting married?"
My colleagues' teasing was like a feather, lightly brushing past, yet stirring up ripples in my heart that wouldn't settle.
I practically fled back to my office, closing the door and shutting out those well-meaning laughs.
I leaned against the door, my hand unconsciously touching my still-burning cheeks, my heartbeat racing out of rhythm.
Marriage?
That word circled in my mind like a spell, refusing to leave.
Would Benjamin and I really get married?
I didn't know.
For over twenty years, my life philosophy had been precise calculation and weighing pros and cons.
But Benjamin was like an immeasurable variable, forcefully entering my world and throwing all my composure and self-control into chaos.
To escape this feeling of losing control, I threw myself into work.
My thoughts kept drifting away uncontrollably, with images of Benjamin appearing before my eyes.
I closed the file in frustration and picked up my long-cold coffee, unable to taste any bitterness.
So a person's heart really could become so chaotic that even their sense of taste stopped working.
Near the end of the workday, my phone screen lit up with a message from Benjamin, short and direct.
Benjamin: [What do you want to eat? I'll come pick you up.]
Looking at those words, the restlessness that had occupied me all day was instantly smoothed away.
That smile on my lips that I hadn't even noticed myself appeared again, beyond my control.
I had just replied with a simple "okay" when there was a knock on my office door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and my assistant walked in with a somewhat complicated expression. Behind her was a stranger—a woman with a powerful presence.
The woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a sharply tailored white suit, her long hair pulled back neatly, revealing a smooth, full forehead. Her features were striking and bold, her eyes sharp and confident, and she carried herself with the ease and authority of someone long accustomed to power.
She walked straight to my desk, extended her hand, and gave me a formal but polite smile. "Ms. White, hello. I'm Zara."
Zara Jenkins, the eldest daughter of the Jenkins family, and now the actual person in control of the Jenkins Group.
My heart stirred slightly, but my face remained calm as I shook her hand. "Ms. Jenkins, hello. What brings you here today?"
She sat down in the chair across from me, elegantly crossing her legs, and got straight to the point. "I'm here today to discuss a collaboration with you."
Her secretary immediately handed over a document.
I took it and flipped it open. With just one glance, I understood the purpose of her visit.
This was a project for a high-end luxury brand collaboration and promotion—large in scale, highly profitable, but equally risky.
"The Jenkins Group has professional promotion teams. Why come to us?" I closed the document and looked at her.
Zara's lips curved into a meaningful smile. "Because for this project, I only want to work with you."
She leaned forward slightly, her shrewd eyes locked on mine. "I've been watching you for a long time, Ms. White. From when you parachuted in, to when you kicked Amelia out, to that beautiful online reputation turnaround a few days ago—I really admire your abilities."
She paused, then shifted her tone, adding a hint of scrutiny. "Of course, besides your abilities, there's another more important reason."
"This project carries significant risk. I need an absolutely reliable partner, and you," she tapped the desk lightly, speaking clearly and deliberately, "as Benjamin's fiancée, that identity provides the greatest guarantee for our collaboration, doesn't it?"
Looking at her frank yet sharp gaze, I suddenly felt that today's visit, while framed as collaboration, was actually a test.
My mind raced, but my face remained calm. "Ms. Jenkins, you're too kind. Business is business, personal is personal. Whether we can reach an agreement depends on Luna's actual capabilities."
I pulled the conversation back to business matters, leaving no openings.
Zara didn't seem surprised by my response. She just smiled and didn't pursue the topic further, instead launching into a discussion of project details.
Her thinking was clear and her words sharp—she was a very formidable negotiating opponent.
As time ticked by, the clock on the wall showed it was already six o'clock.
My hand under the desk unconsciously gripped my phone, and I began to feel anxious.
Benjamin should be arriving soon.
I had no desire to get too entangled with Zara, so I sped up the negotiation, made a few key commitments, and prepared to end the meeting.
"I'll have my team prepare the detailed collaboration proposal and send it to you as soon as possible," I stood up, making a gesture of seeing her out. "Let's leave it here for today, Ms. Jenkins."
Zara also stood up efficiently, still wearing that impeccable smile. "Alright, I'll wait for your good news."
She walked to the door but suddenly stopped and turned back to me. "Ms. White, could you walk me to the parking garage? There are some things I'd like to say to you privately."
A trace of doubt crossed my mind, but I still nodded.
From the office to the underground garage required walking through a long corridor.
The sound of high heels striking the floor echoed in the empty hallway, clear and rhythmic.
We both remained silent until the elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out everything outside.
The elevator was brightly lit, illuminating every expression on her face clearly.
"Ms. White," she suddenly spoke, "you remind me of someone I used to know."
The elevator dinged as it reached the first basement level, and the doors slowly opened.
She walked out first, and I followed behind her toward her red sports car parked not far away.
In the dim lighting, she stopped and turned to face me, looking at me quietly. "Ms. White, aren't you curious why I said your identity could provide the greatest guarantee for our collaboration?"
I didn't speak, just looked at her.
She suddenly smiled, that smile carrying a complex emotion I couldn't quite read—like self-mockery, or perhaps something else.
"Because," she looked into my eyes, her voice soft but like a thunderclap exploding in my ears, "three years ago, I was also Benjamin's fiancée."
"And also," she stepped closer to me, her gaze examining my face carefully, before finally saying in an almost sighing tone, "I think you really are a lot like I was back then."