Chapter 53
That's when it hit me. Jason always uses exclusive passages when he goes anywhere.
Different from the elevator I usually take.
By the time the regular elevator reached the basement level, Jason's private elevator had already arrived at the conference hall on the 22nd floor.
When I entered the meeting room, Brian was already seated.
Looking at him, I felt guilty.
Although I hadn't lied, I really did plan to deceive Brian at first.
"Mr. Ethan, at noon, did you have some questions you wanted to ask me?"
I sat down next to Brian, turning my head to look at him with confusion.
Brian just glanced at me and shook his head, "It's nothing, I've already dealt with it."
His response made me feel even more guilty.
"Mr. Ethan, have you eaten?" I asked again.
Brian paused slightly and shook his head again, "No, by the time I finished handling things, it was already late, and I haven't had time to eat yet."
I couldn't believe Brian still hadn't eaten!
I stood up, wanting to go downstairs to grab him a simple packed lunch, but there wasn't enough time.
There were fewer than ten minutes until the meeting officially started.
As Brian's assistant, taking care of his daily needs was my responsibility.
But I couldn't let Brian sit through the afternoon meeting on an empty stomach.
After thinking for a moment, I said softly, "I remember Glacier Corp's break room has plenty of snacks and treats. Let me go get some food to tide you over, okay?"
Brian had no objections and nodded slightly, "Go ahead."
Only then did I leave the meeting room and head straight for the break room.
The break room at Glacier Corp had a wide variety of snacks and treats.
Several snack shelves were fully stocked.
I carefully selected a few items that suited Brian's taste and made an iced Americano.
Just as I walked out carrying everything, I ran right into Jason.
Jason stared at me with furrowed brows and asked, "What? Didn't eat enough at lunch?"
"No, this is for Mr. Ethan." I shook my head to explain.
Who knew that upon hearing this, Jason's face immediately darkened. He stared at me and said irritably, "What's that supposed to mean? You're taking my stuff to please another man?"
Why did that sound so strange?
I frowned, gritting my teeth as I patiently said, "That's a weird thing to say, Mr. Cooper. We came to Glacier Corp for a meeting, and the food and drinks in the break room are meant to be taken freely. How did they suddenly become yours?"
"The entire company is mine." Jason sneered and snatched the coffee from my hand.
His eyes were fixed on me, as if challenging me, as he drank the entire coffee in one go.
The words of protest I was about to say never made it out.
Brian usually likes iced Americanos, but Jason absolutely hates them.
After Jason finished it in one gulp, his face looked grim.
He frowned and said, "What is this crap? It tastes awful!"
Then Jason tossed the empty cup back at me.
I fumbled to catch it, looking at him in confusion.
This wasn't even prepared for him in the first place.
It tastes bad?
Of course it does!
I thought he would leave after making this scene.
After all, the meeting was about to start.
But Jason's gaze fell on the small snacks on the tray.
He picked up a small piece of bread, paused, then turned and tossed it to Samuel, who was following behind him, "You eat it!"
Samuel looked at his boss with hesitation.
For the first time, I could see a hint of exasperation on Samuel's usually expressionless face.
"Mr. Cooper, you're really childish sometimes!"
I suppressed my anger and threw out that line, left the tray with all the snacks on the break room counter, and walked away.
Jason, that childish, petty person! Won't even let others eat the break room snacks.
But I couldn't let Brian go hungry either. I was considering whether it was feasible to run downstairs to a nearby convenience store to buy some food.
The convenience stores near Glacier Corp were all pretty far away.
I might not make it back in time for the meeting.
I was getting anxious.
"Ms. Wilson." Samuel had caught up with me at some point.
He looked at me with confusion and asked softly, "Didn't Mr. Ethan eat enough at lunch today?"
"Mr. Ethan didn't have lunch. I was trying to get him something to eat." I explained.
"That's not right. Mr. Ethan did eat lunch today. He was sitting right in front of me to the right."
Samuel thought for a moment, then rattled off a series of dish names, "These are all what Mr. Ethan ate for lunch today. When I saw it, I was thinking, Mr. Ethan has quite an appetite, eating so much."
My fist clenched tighter at my side. In front of Samuel, I forced out a polite smile, "I understand. Thanks."
With that, I turned and strode toward the meeting room.
I was walking so fast that I didn't notice Jason, who had caught up, patting Samuel's shoulder with satisfaction, "Well done. Your year-end bonus is doubled."
The smile on Samuel's face became much more genuine. "Thank you, Mr. Cooper."
I returned to the meeting room empty-handed.
Brian looked at me with surprise as I sat down next to him. "Was there no food in the break room?"
I looked at him deeply without saying anything.
Brian clearly didn't understand the meaning in my eyes.
He sighed helplessly and shook his head gently, "It's fine if there's no food, I can manage."
The corners of my mouth twitched, full of cold laughter inside.
Even now, he was still putting on an act with me!
"I really didn't expect that Glacier Corp, being a top company here, wouldn't even have snacks in their break room. They're really lacking when it comes to employee welfare."
Brian got more into it as he spoke, "Unlike our DT Corp, although we can't match Glacier Corp's resources and history, our employee benefits are excellent. We fully consider every aspect of our employees' needs."
He paused, then turned to look at me, who had been silent the whole time, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "Ms. Wilson, you're not thinking of switching jobs, are you?"
"Mr. Ethan, tell me honestly, did you really not eat lunch today?" I asked.
Brian's expression froze.
He cleared his throat and nodded with certainty, "Yes, I was so busy at lunch today, dealing with lots of documents. By the time I finished everything, there was no time left to eat."
As if worried I wouldn't believe him, Brian wanted to say more, but I cut him off directly, "Mr. Ethan, I know you ate lunch."
A flash of panic crossed Brian's eyes.
He forced out a smile and said, "Well, I just thought the meeting would be boring, so I played a little joke on you."
"Okay, but please don't make jokes like that in the future," I said.
Brian seemed to sense something, sneaking glances at my expression, and said carefully, "Are you angry? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"No." I softly interrupted Brian, "I'm just reminding you."