Chapter 25
William frowned slightly, "You really like comparing yourself to her?"
"My husband wants a divorce to run off with my sister, who wouldn't want to compare in that situation?"
William's expression shifted. He stepped forward with his long legs, trapping Ava in the elevator corner.
"What did you just say?"
Ava's eyelid twitched. She looked up at him, "Did I say something wrong? Aren't you running off with my sister?"
William's throat moved as he asked again, "That thing you called me just now - say it again."
Ava's face flushed for a moment. She thought to herself, 'This jerk still wants to take advantage of me.' Just then, the elevator opened.
"Can you move? This is my floor."
William glanced at the floor number displayed, his thin lips parting slightly, "Sorry, I'm not there yet."
Ava got anxious, "I said, THIS IS MY FLOOR. Let me out."
William replied casually, "Then go ahead and get out."
His expression seemed to say: What does your getting out have to do with me?
"You're blocking me!"
Ava watched as the elevator doors opened and automatically closed again. William showed no intention of moving aside - he was clearly making things difficult on purpose.
The elevator continued upward. The nineteenth floor lit up.
William, his nerves apparently misfiring, suddenly asked,
"What if we don't get divorced?"
Ava froze, looking like she'd seen a ghost.
"Is there something wrong with your brain? Who brought up divorce?"
William's brow twitched. He didn't know where he got the patience to discuss this with her today.
"Can't we just make it work? Divorce is pretty troublesome, too."
Ava laughed coldly,
"I don't mind the trouble. You're not good in bed anyway."
William felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Her temper had been growing lately - Grandpa had spoiled her. Thinking of that ridiculous night at Sarah's place, he couldn't argue back.
Was saying he wasn't good in bed a bit much?
"I never meant to touch her. Between Sarah and me, there was only that one time. I have no memory of that night - maybe I drank too much. Think it over again, whether you still want to divorce me. Give me your answer tomorrow."
The elevator stopped at the nineteenth floor. William dropped that line and walked out casually.
Ava stared at his retreating figure, stunned. Was he... explaining himself?
She pressed the button for the eleventh floor again, arriving at HR just in time. Fortunately, she wasn't late.
James had already spoken to HR. The HR manager was a total people-pleaser.
Anyone James planted here was obviously no ordinary connection. She respectfully welcomed Ava in, had her sign the contract, and personally escorted her to the eighth floor.
"Everyone, quiet down please. Let's welcome our new colleague to the design department."
The colleagues who had been discussing work instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to the door. The HR manager turned to Ava,
"Why don't you introduce yourself briefly and get to know everyone?"
Ava nodded with a smile,
"Hello everyone, I'm Ava Davis, the new design assistant. Please take care of me."
Mentioning "design assistant" made her angry inside. William had indeed given her the lowest position in the entire design department. She was worthless in his eyes.
After she finished, the office responded with a round of half-hearted applause that lasted a few seconds before everyone went back to their own business. Such a low-level position wasn't worth wasting time on a proper welcome.
Only Sarah, sitting at the best desk by the window, looked displeased.
Running into Ava in the elevator this morning had already upset her. Now seeing her join the design department made her even angrier.
A housewife who spent all her time in the kitchen - what right did she have to work in the Morgan Group's design department?
Every employee at the Morgan Group went through five rounds of interviews, strict selection by every level of leadership before finally getting a job offer. Not to mention a core department like design - you really needed skills to get in.
Ava must have gotten in using the title of Mrs. Morgan - something she had stolen from Sarah herself.
Sarah swallowed her discomfort and stood up with a smile,
"I'll mentor the new person myself. Ava, right? You'll follow me from now on."
After she spoke, the office buzzed with whispers. Everyone said the new person was so lucky to get Ms. Brown's attention - her ancestors' graves must be smoking with good fortune.
The HR manager looked delighted,
"Ava, learn well from Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown is a core talent our CEO personally recruited from abroad. She's now the Morgan Group's chief designer. The flagship piece for our new season was designed by her.
She rarely takes on students. You'll learn a lot from her."
Ava felt her morning sickness coming back. She suppressed her nausea and said,
"Thank you for your kindness, Ms. Brown."
Sarah smiled smugly, "Of course. Find yourself a seat first."
After the HR manager finished and left, Ava randomly found an empty spot to sit. The desk was dusty - it had clearly been empty for a while.
A young woman next to her, friendly, handed over a pack of tissues. "Hello, I'm Evelyn Thomas. I just started recently as an intern, same as you - also a design assistant."
Ava politely thanked her. She'd only wiped half the desk when Sarah called out to her,
"Ava, come here for a moment."
Ava put down the tissue and walked over. Sarah leaned back in her high-end office chair, legs crossed in a boss-like manner,
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'm treating everyone to coffee. Could you go buy some? Forty-three cups total. I'll transfer you the money."
Someone immediately flattered her,
"Wow, I've been waiting so long for Ms. Brown's coffee. Today's really a lucky day."
"The last time Ms. Brown treated us to coffee was when she got an apartment from her boyfriend. A luxury unit at JadeDragon Bay Residences! I couldn't afford the down payment there if I worked my whole life. So tell us, what's the good news this time? Are you finally getting married?"
Another nosy colleague chimed in,
"Don't talk nonsense. Ms. Brown's rich boyfriend must have already proposed successfully. I saw Ms. Brown's diamond ring the other day. Do you know what brand? It's a limited edition SWAN, a piece by the legendary designer Lolly. She only creates two pieces a year, and they're produced in limited quantities. We all work in design, so I don't need to tell you how precious that is, right?"
Sarah glanced at Ava, her face glowing with happiness,
"Good news is indeed coming soon. I've accepted his proposal. After we finish the company's new season launch, we'll handle the paperwork first. I'll definitely invite you all to the wedding banquet."
Everyone sighed enviously, saying,
"Ms. Brown is beautiful and gentle, young with such high professional skills, and her boyfriend is excellent and rich too. When will God favor us like that?"
Ava stood frozen for a moment. Sarah spoke again,
"Go buy it. Everyone's waiting."
Then she seemed to remember something,
"Oh, I just remembered - you just started, so you probably don't have an access card yet, right? Use mine. It's our company's all-access card. You can also have lunch with me at noon. Don't be shy."
A colleague nearby, chin in hand, looked full of admiration,
"Ms. Brown is so good to new people. I wish I could have met a teacher like you when I first graduated."
Ava took the card she had handed over and smiled subtly,
"Got it, Ms. Brown."
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. No matter how disgusting it was, it was less than a month until the Morgan Group's new season press conference. She'd just wait until then to divorce gracefully and let this pair of cheaters live happily ever after.
Thinking this, she opened her phone's memo app and marked the calendar on the day of the press conference.
"Ava, wait for me."
Ava turned around - it was the girl who had given her tissues earlier. She recalled, "Evelyn?"
Evelyn ran over, slightly out of breath. Hearing her name, she smiled, showing two small canine teeth,
"I'll go with you. You just got here, so you definitely won't find that coffee shop. The location is really weird."
"Thank you."
Ava followed Evelyn out.
The coffee shop's location was indeed weird. Ava felt like she was walking through a maze, going in circles. Finally, in a corner, she saw a black sign that read "Saturday."
Evelyn chatted away beside her,
"Don't let the remote location fool you - this coffee shop isn't cheap. A latte costs over a hundred. We don't usually come here, but I heard our CEO likes the taste of this place. Look, everyone drinking coffee here is all dolled up. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll run into Mr. Morgan."
Ava was pulled by the arm into the coffee shop by Evelyn. At a glance, the coffee drinkers were indeed beauties in elaborate makeup of all types, and these women kept glancing back toward a certain spot.
Ava was curious - what new attraction had them all so knowingly interested?
A shriek came from beside her, "Ahhh... Mr. Morgan! We're so lucky, we actually get to see Mr. Morgan here."
Ava's mind was full of what William had said in the elevator. He seemed to have changed his mind...