Chapter 63 Are You Okay?
"Audrey!"
Audrey flinched when Liam's voice called her name. She immediately turned to the man, who then gave a subtle signal with his eyes in another direction.
On instinct, Audrey followed the direction Liam intended. Her heart seemed to stop beating when she encountered Elliot's piercing gaze, which looked like it wanted to penetrate her.
"Ahem." Someone tried to draw attention, making the situation even more awkward.
Audrey immediately realized that all the personal assistants present at the meeting were also looking at her.
Her face slowly flushed. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then spoke, "I'm sorry, I... didn't hear the question..."
The room fell silent again for a moment. Elliot leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers on the table while sighing softly. His gaze was still fixed on Audrey and intensified.
"This is an important meeting, and I hope everyone in this room understands the meaning of concentration, even if they might be having personal issues," Elliot said softly but with emphasis.
The man's gaze swept across the room, as if what he said was directed at everyone present. However, Audrey knew, it was aimed at her.
"In the workplace, there is no room for daydreaming," he continued. "When you sit in this room, you are expected to give your full attention. If just one piece of information is missed, it will affect the entire team, not just yourselves. Understood?"
Everyone answered in unison, including Audrey, though faintly.
Elliot leaned back in his chair with a movement that seemed relaxed, but an aura of dominance strongly emanated from him. "So, if anyone feels unable to focus, I suggest they immediately settle their personal matters first before returning here. I don't want this meeting to be in vain just because of one person's lack of seriousness."
Elliot did not raise his voice, but that only made every word feel more stinging.
Everyone in the room lowered their heads or avoided the man's gaze, even though they knew the jab was not for them.
Meanwhile, Audrey, who felt like the center of attention, lowered her head. She tried to hide her shame.
"Audrey." The name rolled off Elliot's lips so sharply, making everyone in the room turn toward the woman.
Audrey flinched. She immediately lifted her face until, inevitably, their gazes met. Elliot's eyes felt like they were piercing directly into her, as if trying to read all of her thoughts.
Suddenly, Audrey's feelings were mixed. Embarrassed for being reprimanded in front of many people. Annoyed at herself for daydreaming.
And what was confusing—and utterly maddening—was that beneath the ice in Elliot's gaze, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of the same heat that had kept her awake all night..
"Get out." The short command from Elliot surprised everyone present.
Especially Audrey. In all the time she had worked with Elliot, the man had never done anything like this, even when she made a mistake.
"Liam will take over your duties for today," Elliot continued.
Audrey's eyes widened slightly. "But I—"
"Do I have to repeat myself?" Elliot cut in sharply. His jaw tightened slightly. "I don't want others to be disturbed just because you are unfocused!"
All eyes were still fixed on Audrey, making her instantly want to hide. However, she realized that she had indeed made a mistake.
"Yes, Sir." Taking a long breath, Audrey stood up from her seat while tidying the items she had brought.
She pushed the tablet she had been using toward Liam, smiled awkwardly, and briefly bowed toward Elliot. "Excuse me."
Trying to remain calm and upright, Audrey walked toward the door.
Throughout that time, even without turning around, she could feel Elliot's gaze fixed on her.
After sitting at her own desk, Audrey covered her face with both hands, followed by a long sigh. "What’s wrong with you?"
As she tried to calm herself down again, Elliot's face suddenly appeared in her mind.
The man looked calm, even appearing to not have any problems at all. Yet, Audrey remembered very well how angry and distraught Elliot was yesterday. Just like herself until last night, the woman hadn't been able to sleep soundly.
"Did he already forget about it?" Audrey mumbled, guessing, though she wasn't sure.
Audrey shook her head, trying to chase away the image of Elliot that kept bothering her thoughts.
"If he can act like that, I have to be able to too," she murmured softly, trying to encourage herself.
She took a deep breath, straightened her body, and began to open the documents stacked on her desk. "Come on, Audrey. Focus. Don't let him win!"
With determination, Audrey began to complete her tasks one by one. Her hands moved quickly over the keyboard, her eyes glued to the computer screen.
It didn't take long for the woman to become immersed in her report; she didn't even notice when the sound of footsteps began to fill the personal assistants' room.
All the personal assistants seemed to have returned from the meeting. Small conversations began to be heard around their desks, but Audrey remained focused on the document she was finalizing.
"Audrey." The call made Audrey look up in surprise.
She found Liam standing beside her desk, carrying the tablet she had handed over earlier. Liam's expression looked confused and slightly worried.
"Ah, thank you," Audrey said, smiling. "You took notes on everything here, right?"
Liam nodded vaguely while placing the tablet on Audrey's desk. "This is the minutes from the meeting just now. You need to review it and send it to the executive team before five o'clock."
Audrey nodded quickly. "Alright, I'll work on it immediately."
Liam looked at her for a moment before finally saying, "Are you okay?"
The question made Audrey pause briefly. She knew Liam was quite sensitive to the state of those around him. However, she didn't want to discuss her problem, especially at work.
"I'm fine," Audrey replied, smiling again, trying to look convincing.
Liam was still looking at Audrey. His expression showed that the man didn't entirely believe her. Slowly, he sat on the edge of the woman's desk. "How long have we known each other?"
Audrey sighed slowly, already able to guess the direction of Liam's conversation. "A long time..."
"Long enough to tell each other our problems, right?"
"Liam..." Audrey pleaded slightly, looking at her coworker with a pleading look for the man not to continue their conversation.
Unfortunately, Liam still insisted on sitting quietly and demanding an explanation even more.
Audrey was silent for a while. Thinking again about whether she should discuss this too-complicated problem with the man. Although she did seem to need an opinion to clear her mind, especially her feelings, she was dealing with Elliot!