Chapter 65: Amelia Intentionally Spills Coffee
James was lost in thought about what Amelia had just said when he noticed the coffee coming toward him. He immediately stood up to dodge it.
But it was too late - most of the coffee spilled on his dress pants.
He stood there, looking down at his wet pants, his brow furrowing immediately.
His cleanliness obsession was kicking in.
The spill was quite large. Not only were his dress pants soaked, even his underwear underneath was drenched.
The coffee clung to his skin, making him feel so disgusted he wanted to strip off all his clothes right away.
"Sorry."
James, feeling uncomfortable all over, heard Amelia's voice and only then remembered there were other people in the office.
His attention shifted somewhat to Amelia. He looked up slightly, just in time to see her raising her hand.
When she raised her hand, James was so startled he kept backing away.
He retreated so quickly that the office chair against his legs slid backward.
It crashed into the bookshelf with a loud noise.
After several steps back, James finally stopped.
Seeing this, Amelia changed the direction of her hand and placed it on the tissue box.
As if that's what she had intended to do all along.
She pulled out several tissues, held them in her hand, and looked at James who had put several steps of distance between them. She asked with confusion, "What's wrong? Did it burn you?"
She wasn't angry at his behavior of avoiding her like the plague.
If he really was as he claimed - with nothing to hide, truly over her, and only seeing her as a friend.
His reaction wouldn't be this extreme.
The bigger James's reaction, the more it showed how important she was to him.
He was scared!
He was afraid she'd touch him, afraid his body's instinctive reaction would betray him!
Hearing Amelia's normal tone, James responded with a normal expression: "No."
All along, it had been his own mental issue between them.
Even though he had now truly decided to only see Amelia as a friend, his past feelings still made some of his actions uncontrollable.
James didn't linger on this topic.
His earlier dodge was a reflex - he thought she was going to help him wipe it off.
So he avoided it in time.
But now it seemed he had misunderstood.
James walked back to his desk, leaning inward a bit, standing in a position where Amelia couldn't reach him. At the same time, he used the desk to block her bold gaze that fell on where the coffee had spilled.
That spot was just too sensitive.
"Good, as long as you're okay. Wipe it off quickly."
Amelia handed him the tissues she had just pulled, and even though he had returned to his original position, she didn't do anything beyond friendship like helping him wipe.
"Thank you." James reached out to take them but didn't wipe in front of her.
The spot where the coffee spilled wasn't appropriate.
Enduring the uncomfortable feeling of ants crawling all over his body, he looked at Amelia and said flatly, "You can go back to work."
Amelia nodded and turned to walk out.
Only after the office door closed did James look down and wipe with the tissue.
It was useless.
Frowning, he turned around, pulled the office chair back, sat down, raised his hand, and pressed the intercom.
......
Amelia closed the office door behind her.
Standing outside the door, in front of everyone, she pulled down the slightly rolled-up hem of her skirt that had been resting against James's desk.
A small detailed action, but it successfully conveyed a message to those who seemed to be working but were clearly paying full attention to the office.
Message delivered, Amelia then walked out with a normal expression.
The new assistant Aaron Hill saw her and specifically stood up to greet her.
Amelia only nodded slightly, with no awareness of being a subordinate.
Aaron didn't mind and watched Amelia walk out.
As soon as he sat down, the phone on his desk rang.
It was James's intercom call.
"Mr. Smith."
Amelia, who had just reached the door, clearly slowed her steps when she heard this.
Aaron heard James ask him to bring in a new set of clothes, including underwear, and immediately responded, "Okay, Mr. Smith."
Hearing this, Amelia's lips slowly curved upward.
She knew him too well.
Because he was often locked in dirty, disgusting places by the Smith Family's servants when he was young, and fed disgusting things, it left him with psychological trauma.
As he grew older, it became increasingly severe.
Being in slightly dirty places or getting dirt on himself would trigger those painful memories.
It made him very uncomfortable.
That's what became his so-called cleanliness obsession.
After she spilled coffee on his pants, there was no way he could stand wearing dirty pants.
He would definitely have someone bring clean clothes.
As long as he made that call, her goal for today was achieved.
Amelia walked out satisfied, pressed the elevator button, and returned to the marketing department.
The fact that she came to work at the Smith Group.
Whether James confessed to Mia or kept it hidden, she had ways to make him unable to explain himself in the end.
Want to cut ties with her? Did he ask for her opinion?
That day when James rushed back despite her, Mia must have been quite pleased thinking she had won against her, right?
Mia was so unscrupulous in clinging to James?
How could she let her have her way?
Want to live peacefully?
In the next life, maybe.
If she didn't allow it, Mia could never stay with James.
......
Aaron was very efficient. After receiving the call, he immediately made a phone call.
Before Robert went to Zephyria, he had done a detailed handover.
Including official business and James's daily life.
Every detail.
Everything was explained clearly.
But work is fixed, while the mind is flexible.
Robert was smooth and thoughtful in handling matters. Everything he said and did favored James, with his image and interests as the top priority.
Aaron wasn't as thoughtful as Robert.
James was used to having Robert handle these matters, and each time it involved privacy issues, he handled them very well.
He didn't expect that Aaron would directly make a phone call and, according to James's preferences, have someone deliver new pants.
After the front desk signed for it, they sent it up to the 32nd floor.
Aaron personally delivered it inside.
......
The news that Amelia came out of James's office "disheveled" had just spread through the company's various chat groups.
Right after that, the latest news from the front desk.
James had someone deliver a set of clean clothes up, including the most intimate underwear.
A pair of men and women with an obviously ambiguous relationship.
James actively closed the door, then Amelia came out adjusting her skirt, and James had someone deliver new pants.
If they didn't do something, no one would believe it.
The gossip spread, becoming more and more scandalous. And all this, James, who changed into clean clothes and continued working, didn't know.
He wanted to finish work early and go home to be with Mia.
He urgently wanted to know what Mia's attitude was.
However, focused on his work, he didn't know that gossip about him was already flying everywhere.
......
James finished his work before closing time and drove home.
His speed kept close to the maximum limit, speeding all the way.
Seeing that he was almost at Luxe Haven, James suddenly released the gas pedal, put his foot on the brake, and the car gradually slowed down.
During the day, busy with work, he had temporarily put aside the matter of Amelia working at the Smith Group.
Now, almost home.
This problem suddenly flooded into his mind.
He, who had always been decisive.
For the first time in making a choice, he appeared hesitant.
Should he tell Mia or not?