Chapter 95 Adding Fuel to the Flames

Chapter 95 Adding Fuel to the Flames

My lips instantly pressed into a tight line, my expression turning grave.

At this point, what wasn't there to understand?

Wendy and Oliver had obviously gotten word early on. They weren't happy about being assigned to work under some newbie, so they'd planned ahead for every possible scenario. This whole scene was just part of their script—Oliver provoked me, Wendy played the victim, and boom, they got HR to put pressure on me.

Turns out this was the real power play all along.

Oliver's gaze stayed locked on me. Seeing me stay silent, she pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, her tone mocking. "Mr. King, don't be too hard on Ms. Rosewood. She just got promoted, after all. It's normal that she lacks experience."

"Wendy and I don't mind taking a hit, but we still hope the company can assign us a different team leader."

Faced with Oliver's renewed request, Mr. King from HR was clearly starting to waver.

I caught his hesitation and spoke up. "Mr. King, this really is my fault. Since they don't want to work with me, I'd also like to request two different team members."

The office fell dead silent. Even Wendy's eyes went wide.

In this situation, wouldn't any normal person apologize and try to smooth things over?

I refused to play by their rules.

The standoff continued until two knocks broke the tension. Blake stood in the doorway. He nodded at Mr. King before looking at me. "Catherine, it's quitting time. Want to head out together?"

The atmosphere in the office instantly got even weirder. Even Wendy and Oliver's postures went rigid.

I knew they probably assumed I had connections, but I wasn't about to explain myself. Instead, I looked at Mr. King, waiting for his call.

Mr. King waved dismissively. "Since it's time to go, let's call it a day. We'll discuss this tomorrow. Tonight, everyone think it over. I want clear answers first thing in the morning."

We all left separately. It wasn't until I walked out of the building and looked up at the darkening sky that all my pent-up irritation came flooding out.

I'd wasted nearly two hours because of those two!

I'd gotten the email this morning. After picking up the documents this afternoon, I'd gone straight back to my desk to handle my workload. When I finally carved out time to meet with them about the project, they just ghosted me?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I couldn't help venting to Blake, then asked why he'd come looking for me in the first place.

Blake spread his hands helplessly. "I went to your desk to find you. Heard people gossiping about what went down, so I headed to HR."

"What?" I instinctively raised my voice. "Why did it spread so fast?"

Or was this part of those two's game plan? I shook my head, pushing the thought aside. "Let me buy you dinner. We can talk over food."

Blake had helped me out so much. Even the care I got while recovering had his fingerprints all over it—how could I not thank him properly?

Blake didn't make a fuss about it. "You pick the place. I'll grab Nicholas too."

Before I could refuse, Blake had already texted Nicholas. I felt helpless. Should've told Blake earlier that Nicholas and I weren't exactly vibing lately.

At dinner, I tried my best to ignore Nicholas's presence. Blake seemed completely oblivious to the tension between us.

"Nicholas, come sit by Catherine."

"Nicholas, pour Catherine some water—she must be parched after all that talking."

"Nicholas, don't just sit there, peel some shrimp for Catherine. Why are you only eating?"

After he'd bossed Nicholas around for what felt like the millionth time, I finally set down my fork and stared at Blake.

Blake looked guilty, avoiding my eyes as he focused on his plate. And here I'd thought he was clueless!

Just now, right after I'd finished telling them about today's disaster, as Blake was ordering Nicholas to peel shrimp for me, I'd clearly caught him shooting Nicholas a "don't worry, I've got your back" look.

At first I thought I'd imagined it. But as they got more and more obvious, I finally hit my limit.

So these two were working together? It looked like I was treating them to dinner, but really Blake was helping Nicholas smooth things over between us.

"Blake, are you seriously trying to mess with me right now?" I'd completely lost my appetite. "You knew Wendy and Oliver played me today, and now you and Nicholas are pulling the same crap?"

Nicholas, caught off guard, froze mid-peel. The half-shelled shrimp in his hand hung there awkwardly.

He pressed his lips together. "We're not."

"Not what?"

I stopped side-eyeing Nicholas and turned to face him directly. His face visibly flushed. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and looked away. "You've got it wrong. Blake and I go way back—we just click. You're a girl, so obviously we'd look out for you at dinner."

"Exactly." Blake jumped in, trying to smooth things over.

I felt annoyed and amused at the same time. Weirdly enough, my work frustration had faded a bit.

I didn't push it further, but I made a point of declining Nicholas's attempts to help. When I couldn't avoid it, I thanked him stiffly.

Blake picked up on the awkwardness without me saying a word. His eyes bounced between Nicholas and me. "Catherine, communication exists for a reason. Don't bottle things up and slowly ghost us, okay?"

Blake was laying it all out there. My expression shifted, but I just smiled without answering.

Nicholas stepped in. "So what happened with those two today?"

I took the out. "I'll see what they pull tomorrow and deal with it then."

"That won't work." Blake shook his head. "Catherine, you've already walked into their trap. If you want control back, you need to cut this off at the source."

I blinked. "Meaning?"

Blake clinked his glass against mine and proceeded to share every workplace trick he'd learned over the years, holding nothing back.

The more I listened, the more my eyes lit up. So that's how you handle it!

Nicholas, though, looked pretty unhappy. After Blake and I wrapped up strategizing, he spoke up. "Instead of jumping through all these hoops, Catherine, are you sure you won't reconsider working at my company?"

My fingers tightened around my wine glass. My smile gradually faded as I forced out, "No thanks. I've got this."

I knew Nicholas had heard I was in trouble and wanted to help. He was always like this.

But every time I accepted his help, I couldn't stop thinking about everything between us.

Nicholas's mood visibly tanked after my rejection. Blake was about to say something when a voice, bright with surprise, cut in. "Catherine?"

I turned. Samuel had already walked over to greet me. "Wow, what are the odds? Didn't expect to run into you here."