After returning to her apartment, Chloe took a shower and changed clothes, and slowly, the discomfort from the medication started to fade. She lay on her bed, thinking about what had happened, growing more and more angry.
How could there be such a brother in the world? He didn't take care of their mom and even schemed against his own sister. Donovan also wouldn't listen to her explanation, leaving her not knowing what to do.
Then Sofia came home from work and asked with concern, "Are you okay, Chloe?"
Chloe's voice was soft, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
Sofia, recalling the gossip she heard from a colleague, worried that her friend had been bullied. She quickly asked, "Did you have a fight with Mr. Blake? I just heard that a woman went looking for him at the office, and he even took her on the executive elevator."
"What about it?" Chloe asked.
"Well, they say she's Mr. Blake's ex-girlfriend," Sofia said somewhat carefully, sparing Chloe from the harsher words of the colleagues:
"Chloe, just a regular employee, rode in Mr. Blake's car twice and now you think you're Donovan's girlfriend?"
"Exactly, today Paisley visited the boss, now that's a well-matched pair. If Mr. Blake is to be matched, it should be with an elegant and intellectual woman like Paisley. She and the boss took the executive elevator. Chloe hasn't, right? It looks like she won't have the chance in this lifetime."
Chloe was a bit surprised by Sofia's words. She had not expected the woman from the photos to return so quickly. And indeed, Paisley had a history with Donovan.
Chloe felt a tinge of regret: she guessed that Paisley's return meant Donovan would end their agreement early. She would not earn the money, nor would she be able to see those eyes up close anymore.
The eyes were what made her feel so warmly familiar.
The next day, James Turner headed to the president's office to submit this year's list for the "New East International Group Star" from the finance department. Every year, the New East Group selected one of its newly regularized employees as the "New East International Group Star", grooming them as the company's reserve talent and preparing them for future management roles.
Normally, this decision was solely up to James Turner. After all, this year, the finance department had only one intern, Chloe, whose conversion to a permanent role depended exclusively on his arrangements. However, James wanted to get a feel for Donovan's opinion about Chloe. Rumors had been rampant through the company that she had broken up with Mr. Blake, leaving James uncertain about which side to take.
Donovan glanced at the form and simply stated, "Business is business."
"Got it, understood," James responded.
Chloe's transition from intern to permanent employee had come at the expense of Ellie's position, which already had James feeling somewhat displeased. He thought Ellie knew how to read his mind and was easy to work with. Meanwhile, Chloe was meticulous and by-the-book in her duties. She insisted on doing things properly, even when he would have preferred to turn a blind eye. Such an intern was great for the finance department, but James questioned how well she would do in management in the future.
Thus, Chloe's rightful place as a "New East International Group Star" was also removed by James Turner.