As Bella and Arabella entered Louie's office, their expressions immediately stiffened upon seeing Louie embracing Kathleen, who was vehemently biting his shoulder.
"Misunderstanding, it's just a misunderstanding," Louie quickly separated from Kathleen when he noticed Bella and Arabella entering. He chuckled and said, "This lovely policewoman was interrogating me in her own way."
A crimson blush spread across Kathleen's face. Despite her attempts to maintain composure, the situation was undeniably awkward. Initially, she had come to investigate Louie's background, only to find herself inexplicably taken advantage of. What made her even more embarrassed was that she couldn't deal with Louie as she would with any other man. While she felt a sense of shame, there was an inexplicable reluctance in her heart.
Kathleen shot Louie a fierce glare, leaving him with a parting remark, "Louie, just wait; I'll find you again." She then exited the office as if escaping from the scene.
Once Kathleen left the room, Bella spoke coldly, "Supervisor, I came to get your signature." She placed the signed contract she was holding on Louie's desk. Arabella also presented a document, stammering, "The supervisor needs to sign... I mean, this is a document that requires the supervisor's signature." Obviously, Arabella was still taken aback by what she had witnessed moments ago and hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
Catching Bella's icy expression, Louie thought, "This little girl seems to be jealous. Otherwise, why would she speak like this? Even if she usually ignores me, it's not like this." Looking at Arabella, their eyes met briefly before Arabella quickly lowered hers, avoiding direct eye contact. Louie understood what was going on—apparently, he still had some charm, enough to make two beauties from the marketing department jealous.
Clearing his throat, Louie swiftly signed both documents. Tossing them in front of Bella and Arabella, he leaned on his desk, smiling, "Just a misunderstanding. There's nothing between us. Besides, how could a policewoman be interested in me? Oh, Arabella, you should know; you must understand. This policewoman always finds trouble with me."
Arabella, recalling her previous encounters, responded, "Supervisor, I know this policewoman did it on purpose."
"Arabella, don't be naive," Bella pulled Arabella away, less inclined to discuss this matter with Louie. If they continued, she feared that Louie might think she cared too much. Holding the signed contract, Bella told Louie, "Supervisor, we'll leave now." She then led Arabella out of the office.
As soon as they returned to their desks, Bella slammed the contract on the table. Pushing aside the papers scattered before her, she grabbed a pen and began writing on a blank sheet as if releasing her frustrations.
Barton approached, leaning against the partition next to Bella's desk, and asked in a mysterious tone, "Bella, what's wrong? I saw you storming out of the supervisor's office looking angry. Did he give you a hard time?"
"None of your business," Bella retorted irritably. "Barton, if you have nothing to do, find someone else to chat with. Don't keep hovering around me."
Barton wasn't angry; instead, he chuckled and said, "Bella, I know you're in a bad mood, so I came over to check on you. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother."
Bella raised her head, scrutinizing Barton, and snorted, "Don't act so disgusting. I don't need your concern. Besides, we're just colleagues. Even if I have something going on, I don't need you to care."
"Cough, Bella, you're always like this, and it might get you into trouble," Barton sighed slightly. "I saw you upset in the supervisor's office, and I wanted to tell you something to prevent you from offending our unapproachable boss. But who would've thought you wouldn't appreciate it?"
"Offend who?" Bella blinked, looking into Barton's eyes. "Who do you think I would offend?"
"Our supervisor," Barton grinned. "You don't know yet? Our supervisor is about to get promoted and will soon become the manager of the organizational department. From now on, he'll be overseeing not only us but also production. If you offend him, he might purposely delay your production schedules, and even if you sign contracts, there's no guarantee they'll be fulfilled."
"Just him?" Bella expressed doubt. "I think our timely leader must be blind, or there's something fishy going on. I don't believe he can climb the ranks so quickly."
"Bella, that's fate for you. Our supervisor has a strong background. Look, he's only been in the marketing department for a few months, and he's already jumped past department managers to become the organizational department manager directly. It's faster than riding a rocket. That's why he's not afraid of how we see him; he knows what he's capable of. In the future, whenever we see him, we better be on our best behavior, be obedient, and not provoke him. He's the big shot we can't afford to offend." Lowering his voice, Barton added, "Others have said it too—show respect to the supervisor from now on. These guys don't want to mess with him anymore. So, I suggest you be careful too. If you ever feel wronged, you can come talk to me. If that doesn't work, my shoulder is always ready for you to lean on and cry."
"With your frail shoulder? Forget it. You better mind your own business and get busy." Bella shot Barton a disdainful look, leaving him with another failed attempt. Seeing that this approach wasn't working, Barton decided to go chat with Arabella. Before reaching Arabella's desk, he spotted the adorable Tang with a coffee cup in her hand, heading towards the coffee station.
"Arabella, why the pout? Did you have a rough time?" Barton greeted her enthusiastically.
To his surprise, Arabella seemed to ignore him, walking past Barton as if she hadn't heard a thing. Scratching his head, Barton pondered what might have upset Arabella today, leaving her looking as if she had lost her soul.