Chapter 043 Mr. Moore's Engagement with the Lin Family

The sound of two sharp knocks pierced the silence of the confined space.

Adelina was jolted awake by the disturbance, and Langston finally stopped his movements.

However, his lips were still against hers, his breath dangerously scorching.

Everyone looked expectantly toward the door, hearing someone call from the outside. "Is everyone okay in there? Mr. Moore, are you all right?"

The crowd knew help had arrived and they all breathed a sigh of relief, confirming their safety.

Only then did Langston let go of the person in his arms and turned forward again. "I'm fine."

Adelina's heart raced; her hand was still firmly grasped by him, and she couldn't break free.

Upon hearing Langston's voice, the person outside quickly responded, "Don't worry, Mr. Moore, we're about to get you out now!"

Their words were like a soothing balm to the anxious crowd.

Indeed, shortly after, noise came from the elevator hatch, and light finally returned.

When the jammed door was pried open with external force, everyone realized that the elevator had been stuck between two floors.

A repairman lowered a ladder into the cabin, urging Langston to climb up.

"You first." Instead, Langston pulled Adelina forward.

All eyes landed on Adelina, making her feel like she was under a microscope, and not daring to linger, she climbed out first with the repairman's assistance.

Langston followed her, then the second, third, fourth person...

"I'm sorry, Mr. Moore! We didn't mean to alarm you!"

After everyone was evacuated, the property manager sincerely apologized to Langston, "The elevator was due for inspection today. We planned to start after the afternoon rush, but we didn't anticipate this..."

Langston wiped his hands clean with a wet wipe and said indifferently, "Take care of the malfunction properly. Replace what needs replacing, fix what needs fixing. My concern is the safety of everyone in this building."

"Yes, of course!" the property manager bowed.

The crowd switched to another elevator, but Langston took Adelina towards the private CEO's elevator.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, his actions all but confirmed the special relationship between him and Adelina.

However, no one dared to gossip behind their backs while he was present.

It wasn't until they disappeared from view...

"Did you see what was going on inside just now? Mr. Moore seemed to be with that intern..."

"I've heard rumors that Mr. Moore took a liking to an intern recently, so it's her..."

"I heard that intern saved Mr. Moore's life once."

"I heard something more explosive; that intern is actually married already!"

"No way, she's married and still with Mr. Moore... Then, who is her husband?"

"I find it hard to believe she married someone like Mr. Moore."

"Probably not, since that intern and Mr. Moore don't live together..."

Adelina wasn't released from Langston's grasp until they entered the elevator.

She consciously stood at the farthest diagonal position from him, keeping her distance.

As the elevator slowly ascended, the lighting was brighter than the employee's elevator, and the space was larger.

"You really are obedient," Langston said with a laugh, watching her stick to her boundaries. "I kind of want to take back what I said to you at the Harano City airport."

Adelina tried hard to remember what he had told her at the airport.

It was something like, "I don't like women who are too obviously after a man; you're young, better focus your energy on improving your job skills."

Her heart tightened, and so she deliberately responded, "Mr. Moore, you've instructed me well; I've always followed your advice and dared not step out of line."

Langston's lips twitched into a cold smirk.

The two remained silent for the rest of the ride, and finally, the elevator stopped on the 88th floor.

Adelina stepped out before Langston, respectfully gesturing for him to exit the elevator.

Langston glanced at her, but his eye caught her smeared lipstick.

"Your lipstick is smudged. Touch it up when you can."

His mischievous reminder caused Adelina to instinctively cover her mouth.

Langston smiled triumphantly and headed to his office.

After he entered, Adelina turned and walked to the restroom on that floor.

Her reflection in the mirror was suspiciously flushed, and her light makeup seemed almost nonexistent after Langston's recent teasing, with the lipstick rubbed off.

She washed her face with cold water, and after drying off, she applied her makeup again.

"Are you Adelina?" Someone called out her name.

Adelina glanced in the mirror at the young woman dressed as a secretary who was just a bit older than her.

The woman smiled and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Ada, Mr. Moore's second secretary. You were in Design Team B downstairs before, right? There's a person named Zoe there; she's like a distant cousin of mine."

Hearing Zoe's name, Adelina instinctively became cautious but still shook her hand out of politeness.

"Hello, I'm just an intern who's been temporarily assigned to help with a project. I'll head back downstairs once it's completed."

The implication being that Ada shouldn't pay her too much attention, as her stay there wouldn't be long.

Ada seemed to come over specifically to chat with her. "I heard from Zoe that she annoyed you."

Ada continued. "I apologize on her behalf! She's playful by nature but not bad at heart. I've scolded her for you, please do not take it to heart."

Adelina only gave a noncommittal smile in response and said nothing.

"By the way, you know about Watson Enterprises, right? It's on par with the prominent Johnson family in Shadewood City. My uncle, my dad's brother, happens to be the majority shareholder of Watson Enterprises."

Listening to Ada's self-disclosure of her family background, Adelina found it even less interesting. Her background had nothing to do with Adelina.

She packed her makeup back into her bag, washed her hands, and turned to leave.

"Do you know that Mr. Moore is considering a business merger with our family?"

Seeing Adelina's indifference, Ada got straight to the point. "Just before you and Mr. Moore came up here, my uncle brought his daughter, who had just returned from overseas, my cousin Katherine, into Mr. Moore's office. I personally took them there!"

Adelina paused, finally grasping Ada's intent. She was reminding her to know her place.

Thinking this over, Adelina laughed, turned back, and glanced at Ada. "Secretary Lin, there's no need to deliberately tell me this. My relationship with Mr. Moore isn't what you all imagine. But if you insist on thinking that way, then I may also think that being a Watson shareholder and working at Moore Corporation, you may have ulterior motives!"

Ada's face changed color. "Adelina, do not assume you can speculate about others just because you're under Mr. Moore's wing now! Although I am from the Lin family, there's no law preventing me from working at Moore Corporation! Besides, Mr. Moore isn't a fool—if I had other motives, he wouldn't have let me be his secretary! I'm here entirely because of Mr. Moore..."

But before she could finish, someone else came in from outside.

Seeing Adelina, they said directly, "Miss Howard, there you are! Mr. Moore has been looking for you, hurry to his office!"