Chapter 60 Inappropriate Thing
"Audrey," Elliot answered without hesitation, his gaze remaining sharp. "I want Audrey to accompany me as my secretary. I need someone who understands the business to help keep conversations professional."
Audrey gasped, her eyes wide. "Mr. Harrington, I think that—"
"That's my decision," Elliot cut in firmly. "Mother, you want me to attend, right? Then this is my condition."
Rebecca was silent for a moment, clearly not expecting her son to give such an answer. Meanwhile, Catherine looked unhappy, although she tried to hide it with a small, forced smile.
"Fine," Rebecca finally said, not wanting to make a fuss further. The most important thing was that her son had complied with her request. "If that's what you want. But remember, Elliot, I don't like playing games in matters like this."
Elliot only nodded expressionlessly.
Rebecca turned to Audrey, smiling. "Make sure your boss doesn't cause trouble when attending the event, alright?"
The person asked could only offer an awkward smile while nodding vaguely.
After saying goodbye, Rebecca and Catherine finally left the room. However, before completely leaving, Catherine managed to glance at Audrey with an inscrutable smile, as if she was hiding something.
When the door closed behind them, Audrey remained standing in place, thinking about what had just happened, while Elliot walked toward the large window in the room.
Silence enveloped the room for an unknown period until Audrey realized they weren't doing anything.
"Mr. Harrington, I will immediately contact the R&D team to..."
"You don't need to do that," Elliot interrupted with a low but firm voice, his back still facing Audrey. "I will handle it."
"But, Mrs. Rebecca—"
"I said, you don't need to do it," Elliot repeated, this time turning around and looking at her intensely. "You are my secretary. And I decide what your priority is."
Audrey nodded softly, although she still felt uncertain. "Alright, Sir. Then, I'll be leaving now."
However, before Audrey could step out, Elliot's voice stopped her again.
"Audrey."
Audrey turned, waiting for what the man would say.
Elliot stood towering in front of her. His gaze was so piercing and once again made the soul inside Audrey writhe.
"Before you go, don't you want to give me a farewell kiss?"
Audrey’s eyes widened, and her face crumpled before she hit Elliot’s arm quite hard, making the man wince slightly while chuckling softly.
"Well, Audrey Clarke. You dare to hit your boss—"
"I'm not in the mood for jokes!" Audrey replied with a serious tone. Her look was equally sharp, making Elliot instantly become serious too.
The man seemed to understand what was making his secretary act this way. "Don't pay attention to anything my mother or Catherine said—"
"And you still want to continue doing what we just did?" Audrey asked with a cutting voice.
Elliot fell silent, his forehead slowly furrowing. "What's wrong with what we just did?"
Annoyance began to show on Audrey's face. "After the conversation with your mother and Miss Catherine, you still want us to do this inappropriate thing?"
"Inappropriate?" This time Elliot couldn't hide his emotion. His jaw tightened briefly. "Which part do you call inappropriate?"
The atmosphere between them became increasingly tense. Audrey bit her lower lip, trying to calm herself, but her heart was churning.
Which part was inappropriate? She knew the answer very well, but it was hard to say it in front of Elliot, especially with the man's intense gaze that seemed to be hunting for all her explanations.
If Audrey elaborated on all of it, she would automatically be lowering her own self-respect.
"You don't want to say it?" Elliot's eyes began to darken.
Audrey wrung her hands together as she slightly lowered her head. "I... feel like a woman who—"
"Don't you dare finish that!" Elliot quickly retorted with a look of distaste. "You know you're not like that!"
"But my behavior is!" Audrey looked up at Elliot, as if wanting to convey the unrest in her heart.
The man let out a long sigh. "Auds—"
Audrey's shake of the head stopped Elliot from speaking.
Though with some difficulty, Audrey tried to articulate what was bothering her. "You know that this is... wrong. You... already have Miss Catherine. We shouldn't be—"
"Stop," Elliot cut in quickly, his gaze becoming sharper. "Don't bring Catherine into this conversation! She has nothing to do with it! And what do you mean I have Catherine?!"
"Because that's what's supposed to happen!" Audrey countered, her voice rising slightly. "How can I not think about it? And why don't you care about it?"
"Because right now I only care about one thing. You!"
Elliot's words startled Audrey. Her chest felt tight, a mix of surprise and a warmth she couldn't understand.
If the situation weren't like this, and not with their respective statuses, it was certain Audrey would immediately rush toward the man in front of her and give him an intense kiss.
For Audrey... the image of Catherine, the collaboration between the families, and so on made her increasingly aware of who she was.
Elliot stepped closer, but Audrey spontaneously retreated. Seeing the reaction, the man swallowed hard.
Was everything going to end? After he had felt a glimmer of happiness and a spark in his life that made it more colorful? Just like this for a moment?
"I know I shouldn't be doing this inappropriate thing," Elliot continued, slightly surprising the woman. His voice was lower, filled with emotion. "But I can't ignore this feeling, Audrey. You know very well that I wasn't like this before!"
Audrey looked at Elliot with eyes that were slightly glistening.
A long silence stretched between them. The two only exchanged gazes that mutually hurt each other's hearts.
"Do you know how hard I fought to get into this company?" Audrey asked without context, with a forced smile.
The man didn't answer, letting his secretary continue.
"Working at MGC was one of my biggest dreams because I wanted to help my mother at the time." Audrey seemed to be remembering the past. Her face looked tired and melancholic at the same time. "A secure future, the salary offered, the benefits provided, everything sounded like something to be proud of. And I succeeded in getting in."
Audrey ended her story with a smile. She looked at Elliot even more sadly. "You can imagine how proud my mother was of me at that time, right?"
Elliot was about to say something, but Audrey didn't give him a chance. "So, Mr. Harrington." The woman paused briefly, gathering the strength to speak again, though her voice was starting to be hoarse. "I still want to work here. For quite a long time..."
"Auds…"
"If this situation of ours continues, I'm not sure I can last long here…," Audrey continued softly.