Joseph didn't react in time and slightly turned his head, causing Olivia's kiss to land on his chin.
This kiss, however, never fully materialized.
But from the third floor, none of this was visible.
Harper, looking down from above, could only see the two figures overlapping, face to face, lips almost touching.
In that moment, time seemed to stretch.
Harper's hand, hanging by her side, unconsciously clenched into a fist, leaving red marks on her palm, but she was unaware.
She wanted to leave, but it felt as though she couldn't move, so she could only watch as the couple reluctantly separated.
Were they really that impatient?
Did Joseph have to do this, knowing she was upstairs?
Harper placed her hand on her chest, feeling a chill that seemed to freeze her whole being.
She wiped away the moisture from the corner of her eye and tightly closed the curtains.
When Joseph returned home, the living room was as quiet as ever.
Only Rocky, lying at the entrance of the master bedroom, perked up slightly at his return, then turned back to the door. Joseph found it amusing and walked over to ruffle its fur.
The sofa looked exactly as it did before, not a wrinkle out of place.
Harper hadn't come out.
Joseph tried the handle of the master bedroom, but it didn't budge.
She had locked it from the inside.
Joseph stood there for a moment, unsure whether to be angry or amused, then turned and went back to his room.
The next morning, when he woke up, he found the curtains in the living room wide open, with sunlight streaming in. Rocky was basking in the sun.
The door to the master bedroom was open, indicating that Harper had already left.
Joseph went to the dining room and frowned when he saw the empty table.
Normally, Harper would have prepared breakfast for him.
But today...
Could it be that she was still angry about last night?
Joseph chuckled softly, realizing how well she held a grudge.
But Harper had no time to hold a grudge?
She had overslept and was on the verge of being late, with no time to make breakfast.
She finally managed to hail a cab but got stuck in traffic. When she arrived at the company, it was almost time to clock in.
A luxurious Maybach parked flamboyantly at the company entrance, attracting the attention of passersby.
Only Harper was too rushed to notice, and she hurriedly ran into the building.
Behind her, the Maybach's door was opened by the driver.
A shiny leather shoe stepped onto the ground, followed by a man's long legs, a well-tailored suit, and a face as handsome and meticulous as a sculpture.
His assistant Ethan Carter quickly caught up and walked by his side.
The man looked up, his gaze fixed on the revolving door of the building, but all he saw was a fleeting figure.
At that moment, something flashed through his mind, and he involuntarily stopped in his tracks.
Sensing his boss's gaze fixed on the door, Ethan asked, "Mr. Lewis, is everything okay?"
Brian Lewis shook his head without saying a word and walked into the building.
The lobby was empty, and the familiar girl was nowhere to be seen.
As Brian walked toward the private elevator, Ethan briefed him on the day's schedule.
"We have a meeting at 10:30, and we need to follow up on the cooperation with Zeal Corporation. The contract has not been signed yet..."
In the elevator, unable to contain her curiosity, Ethan hesitated and asked, "Actually..."
He glanced at the man's distinct profile and continued, "We have already achieved a lot in various aspects abroad. Why does Mr. Lewis want to come back and take over the domestic branch, which is not very mature?"
They had worked together for years to achieve their current success, and it seemed unnecessary to start over from scratch.
Brian raised his gaze, his eyes filled with deep and distant emotion, and after a moment, he said, "Because of someone."
Regardless, it was his fault for leaving without a word all those years ago.
Now that he had the ability, he had to do something for her, even if it meant coming back from thousands of miles away.
Harper had just started her job and was not yet involved in specific design work, so she was assigned a market research task.
She pondered all day but couldn't figure out where to start.
Her colleagues were all busy with their tasks, and Harper didn't want to disturb them.
Patrick made her a cup of coffee and noticed her deep in thought while holding the documents. "Thinking about the research?"
"Yes," Harper replied, feeling troubled. "I haven't made any progress all day, and the team leader asked me to submit the report as soon as possible."
If the research report turned out to be unsatisfactory, it would be very embarrassing.
This was her first job assignment.
Patrick took a sip of his coffee and suggested, "After work, I'll take you to the mall. Our company's clothing brands have stores there, and you'll find something useful."
Harper was extremely grateful. "That would be great. You're helping me a lot!"
After work, the two of them drove directly to the bustling shopping mall in the city center.
One of the clothing brands she used to patronize was owned by T-shine.
Harper pondered, 'In the past, she was a consumer who came to shop, but now, she is here for work.'
She couldn't help but feel emotional. "I've been here so many times before. Who would have thought that I would end up working at T-shine?"
Patrick agreed wholeheartedly and pointed to amen's clothing store. "Yeah. I used to buy clothes from this store, and now I'm the one designing them."
The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked, and Patrick introduced to her which stores were under the company's name, what style each store specialized in, and the inspiration behind the new season's designs.
Across from the clothing store was a trendy dessert shop that girls liked to visit.
Joseph walked out of the dessert shop with a takeout bag.
He thought to himself that Harper was really upset this time, as she hadn't even made breakfast, which was a first.
Since he didn't have surgery today, he decided to buy something that girls liked and surprise her.
She should be happy, right?
With that thought, Joseph couldn't help but chuckle. Harper was quite easy to please.
He snapped out of his thoughts and was about to take the elevator down when two figures in front of him caught his eye.
Could the woman, who was as beautiful as a flower, be anyone other than Harper?
They didn't even notice him, behaving like a couple in love, chatting and laughing as they walked into a clothing store together.
Joseph suddenly felt very unhappy.
"Research, of course, involves a lot of observation, trying on, and comparison. The more you see, the more you understand the gap between customer needs and actual designs."
Harper nodded appreciatively.
Patrick looked at the clothes on the rack and picked out two pieces to hand to her. "These two pieces are completely different in terms of design, fabric, and value. You should try them on."
Harper hesitated for a moment, and Patrick added, "How can you understand the customer's mindset without trying them on?"
"Alright."
Harper understood what Patrick meant. She took the clothes and picked out two more pieces before entering the fitting room.
The first one was a fitted off-shoulder A-line dress with a cinched waist, which accentuated her slim waist and had a well-proportioned design.
Harper looked at herself in the fitting room and thought that customers usually liked to hear their companions' opinions when buying clothes.
She planned to go out and let Patrick see how it looked.
"Patrick, what do you..."
Harper's words were cut off as soon as she opened the door.
She stared in astonishment at the face in the doorway and was so surprised that she forgot to speak.
How could it be Joseph?