Chapter 43
The elevator doors opened again, and a gust of wind rushed in, blowing my hair everywhere.
A huge roar came from overhead. I squinted instinctively and finally made out a helicopter parked on the rooftop, its propellers whipping up powerful gusts of air, ready to take off.
Benjamin took off his coat and draped it over me without a word, wrapping me up tight.
His coat still carried his warmth. He shielded me as we pushed through the wind and strode toward the helicopter.
It wasn't until we were sitting in the quiet, comfortable cabin, shut off from the howling wind and roar outside, that my heartbeat finally began to slow down.
"Your hand..." I steadied myself, still worried as I looked at his injured arm.
"I already had Luca get the first aid kit," he said casually, as if it was nothing worth mentioning.
Soon, the helicopter lifted smoothly into the air.
As I sat there a bit awkwardly, staring out the window, Benjamin somehow produced a dessert box from nowhere.
When he opened it, there were several desserts inside that looked like works of art, giving off a tempting sweet fragrance.
"Try some," he pushed a raspberry mousse toward me. "This place is really hard to get a reservation at. Hope you like it."
I looked at the dessert, then at him, feeling a complicated emotion rising in my chest.
I had just randomly picked a well-reviewed restaurant on an app, but he thought I'd put so much thought into it, and even prepared this incredibly elaborate gesture in return.
"Thank you." I picked up my fork, my voice a bit hoarse.
He watched me quietly without saying anything. Just when I thought the topic was over, he pulled out a bank card from inside his suit jacket.
He placed the card on the small table between us and gently pushed it toward me.
"What's this for?" I frowned, immediately on guard.
"A thank you gift." His answer was brief as always.
"I don't need it." I refused almost immediately.
Our arrangement didn't include this kind of unclear gift-giving.
"It's not for you," he looked into my eyes, speaking each word clearly and seriously. "It's for my fiancée, to thank her for the lunch she carefully prepared for me today."
He deliberately emphasized "fiancée" and "carefully prepared."
My heart felt like something had gently bumped against it.
Just then, Luca's cautious voice came from the cockpit, as if afraid of being scolded by Benjamin again: "Ms. White, this is something Mr. Wilson specifically arranged. He said he absolutely couldn't let your thoughtfulness go unappreciated."
Luca's clumsy assist became the final straw that broke down my defenses.
"Alright," I looked up, meeting his gaze, finally letting a smile play at the corners of my lips. "Then I'll accept it."
Benjamin looked at me, and the deep blue in his eyes seemed to have a pebble dropped into it, rippling outward in circles.
The cabin was quiet, with only the steady hum of the engine. Between him and me, separated by a small table, the atmosphere was silently becoming heated.
I suddenly felt that this arrangement between Benjamin and me had veered off its intended course from the very beginning.
The one-week deadline arrived in the blink of an eye.
That day, as soon as I walked into the department, Amelia blocked my desk, acting all high and mighty.
She crossed her arms, chin held high, her face showing undisguised glee at my misfortune.
"Today's the last day," she deliberately raised her voice to make sure everyone in the office could hear. "So, how about it? Did you land that one hundred million dollars new client? If you didn't, don't blame me for not showing mercy. You'll have to pack up your things and leave."
The office fell silent. Everyone was listening intently, casting either sympathetic or schadenfreude looks my way.
I didn't even bother to look up, just focused on setting up my computer. "Don't worry about it."
My calm attitude clearly angered her. She let out a cold laugh and swayed back to her director's office.
That afternoon, senior management from the White Group was coming to the department for the quarterly performance review, and the atmosphere was especially tense.
In the conference room, all the department heads sat upright and proper. Even my father, whom I hadn't seen in ages, was sitting prominently in the main seat, his face dark.
The presentations proceeded in an orderly fashion. When it was Amelia's turn, she presented a PPT with impressive numbers, talking it up to the skies and earning frequent nods from several leaders.
At the end of her report, she changed her tone, her gaze seemingly casually falling on me as her expression shifted to one of heartfelt concern.
"Chairman, and all the leaders, although our department's performance has been steadily improving, I must also self-criticize about my oversights in team management." She sighed, her tone heavy. "Take my sister, for example. After being parachuted into our department, she's relied on her status and barely participated in actual business. I asked her to develop new clients, but she just clocks in and out on time every day, her mind not on work at all."
She spoke with such sincerity, like a good sister worried sick about her wayward sibling.
Whispers immediately broke out in the conference room.
Several reviewing leaders exchanged glances, their looks toward me now carrying scrutiny and displeasure.
Preston's face looked even worse. He coughed heavily, his sharp gaze shooting straight at me.
I met everyone's eyes and slowly stood up from my seat.
"Are you done?" I looked at Amelia, my tone calm and even.
Without waiting for her answer, I turned to Preston and the executives, bowing slightly. "Leaders, talk is cheap. Performance isn't proven by words. I happen to have a cooperation agreement here that needs to be signed on the spot. Why don't you all witness it together?"
My words stunned everyone.
The smugness on Amelia's face froze, a flash of confusion and unease crossing her eyes.
Just then, the conference room door was pushed open from outside.
A tall, imposing figure, surrounded by black-suited bodyguards, strode in.
Benjamin wore a deep gray custom suit, his presence commanding. The moment he appeared, all eyes were drawn to him, and the air in the entire conference room seemed to freeze.
"Mr. Wilson?" Preston was the first to react, practically jumping to his feet, his face full of flattery.
Everyone in the conference room stood up, silent as cicadas in winter.