Chapter 199
Matthew sighed deeply as he looked into her eyes. He didn't rush to say anything; he just allowed himself to feed his gaze with her beauty.
“Laura...” he called her so gently that it surprised her. “Stop calling me that when it's just the two of us, especially outside of work.”
Her knees buckled when she heard him say her name in that adorable way.
“Y-yes...” she replied, struggling to hide the feelings growing inside her. She liked him, but she would never dare say so, afraid that it would cost her her job.
“Perfect!” Matthew smiled when he noticed that she was no longer tense, but calm as usual. “Laura, if you don't want to answer, you don't have to. But... why did your parents ask you to come back so suddenly?”
His curiosity made her clench her fists. She was too embarrassed to tell him, but Matthew's insistent gaze pressured her.
“My father called... he said my mother was in the hospital. But when I asked my little brother, he said no. That she was fine.” Laura paused, lowering her head, unable to look at him. “But...”
“But what?” Matthew asked immediately, attentive to her hesitation.
“My father called me home to introduce me to my future husband. I mean... he arranged a marriage for me.” Her voice almost disappeared, overcome with shame at sharing this.
Matthew was surprised, but quickly hid it with a calm expression.
“I understand. It's okay. You can go now. And if you need my help, don't hesitate to come to me. I'll do my best to help.”
“Thank you so much, Matthew.” Laura thanked him, her voice breaking. She couldn't stay there any longer; she felt hurt that he hadn't reacted to the news of her forced marriage. She apologized and left hurriedly.
Seconds passed after the door closed, but Matthew remained motionless in his seat, his eyes fixed on the wood in front of him. Something inside him bothered him, something he couldn't explain.
“Wait a minute... why did I get angry?” he muttered to himself. “Is it because of what Laura said? Did I get angry just knowing she was engaged!?”
The corners of his lips curled into a bitter smile at his own thoughts.
“Damn it! How can she mess with my heart like that? Impossible!”
He laughed dryly, got up, and returned to his desk, forcing himself to dive into his work. He began preparing documents for the intense meeting he would have with the legal department and the new CEO of Globs Entertainment.
Meanwhile, the headlines on the internet had already changed. The news about Globs Entertainment was no longer trending and had been replaced by Joana, who now appeared in the top 10 on almost all news channels.
A famous gossip site reported on Joana's terrible and immature behavior at an exclusive nightclub. In addition, a series of photos and videos showing her clearly irritated and extremely condescending to a waiter at a luxury restaurant turned Joana into the internet's new target.
The most surprising thing was how quickly the police dealt with the case. Within a few days, several articles reported that several informants who had defamed and published lies about Globs Entertainment were being arrested.
The news of the arrests left many internet users concerned. Now, they were more cautious about sharing fake news and defamatory comments about the company.
...
Lilian and Matthew's meeting with the legal team and the new CEO did not take long.
The focus was on discussing the legal proceedings against those who defamed Globs Entertainment and the stance they would take towards these individuals.
Lilian made it clear that she wanted sufficiently convincing evidence gathered by the team and the police authorities before any legal action was taken. She did not want the public to see Globs as an arrogant company.
Still, she would not allow people to treat her as an easy target for slander. At the meeting, she emphasized that the company did not need apologies from Joana or her team. The goal was to teach these wicked people to think before using their fingers.
They also discussed Globs Entertainment's big plans for the future: the focus would shift to producing dramas and movies. Managing actresses and actors would no longer be a priority.
When the meeting ended, Lilian went straight to her office. She needed to call Ethan, who had sent her several messages during the meeting.
\[Lilian\]: I'm done. Can I call you now?
She sent the message as she walked to her office. However, a video call popped up on the screen before she even reached her desk.
She placed her phone on the stand and answered.
Ethan's charming face appeared, sitting in his office. That was enough to make Lilian's heart race.
“Hi, Ethan... sorry for the delay in responding. I just got out of the meeting.”
“It seems that my beautiful wife forgot about her husband while she was at the office, huh...?” he said, feigning a sad expression, which made Lilian gulp as she remembered the important detail she had forgotten: to call him by his name.
“Really? Oh... sorry... husband, I... uh... I'm not used to this situation,” Lilian immediately corrected herself, silently scolding herself. “You seem so relaxed at the office. No meetings?” she asked, trying to distract him.
Ethan smiled contentedly before replying:
“I just finished one. After lunch, I have another. How about you?”
“Just one online with Antony and another internal one with Matthew,” she explained. She needed to discuss Benjamin's agreement with Matthew and then report the progress directly to Antony.
"Okay. But it's already thirty minutes past your lunch break.
You need to eat something. I also need to get ready to leave...“
Lilian nodded automatically, but returned the question:
”What about your lunch?“
”I finished before I called you.“ He kept his eyes fixed on her and added, his voice full of tenderness, ”My wife, I wish you were here with me. Eating alone in the office is a shame."
Lilian laughed softly:
"If I go to your office, it's the same as telling your parents... and the whole public... about us.
Ethan's face closed immediately.
“You're right.” The firmness returned to his voice. “I'll sort this out with my parents as soon as possible. Just... be patient, darling.”
“There's no rush, Mr. Legrand.” Lilian smiled to lighten the weight of those words. “I also need to sort out my family matters before we tell everyone about us and Théo.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Legrand...” he replied, calmer. “It's okay. I'll talk to you later. I love you.”
She smiled at him before ending the video call.