Chapter 5
Monday morning.
Kimberly had just arrived in the lobby of Carter Group when she felt the strange looks gathering around her.
As she wondered about it, Diane Collins patted her arm.
“Morning, Kim.”
“Morning.” Kimberly smiled and lowered her voice. “Diane, why is everyone looking at me like that?”
Diane understood at once. She glanced at the group waiting for the elevator and leaned close.
“You didn’t check our little group chat this morning? The secretary’s office has a new hire. She took your office. That’s her. Don’t turn your head.”
Kimberly followed Diane’s gaze anyway, carefully.
Janet was dressed in designer tweed, her makeup light. She looked more polished than last night, though still faintly sickly.
Her arm was looped around William’s as they walked toward the executive elevator.
In the crowd, the soft, innocent beauty leaned against the cold, aloof CEO.
The gossip practically crackled in the air.
Once they entered the elevator together, whispers rose one after another.
“That’s Mr. Carter’s girlfriend? So he likes pure types. If I’d known, I wouldn’t dress this sexy every day.”
“Sexy is good. We male colleagues appreciate it.”
“Shut up. Who’s dressing for you?”
“With that temper, careful or you’ll never find a boyfriend.”
“I’m more afraid of not making money than not finding a boyfriend.”
“Why don’t you two just date? You both talk enough.”
That wave passed, and another wave began.
“Lemme have a look. Bringing her out this openly and riding the executive elevator together? Looks like good news is coming.”
“The main thing is Ms. Martinez is unlucky. The new woman arrived and took her office right away.”
“Took? More like Mr. Carter gave it to her. After all, what secretary is sweeter than a future wife?”
The speaker suddenly shut up, awkward.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw Kimberly standing at the back of the crowd.
Kimberly smiled. “Good morning, everyone.”
“Morning, Ms. Martinez...”
“The elevator’s here. Let’s go, let’s go.”
Diane caught Kimberly’s arm and whispered, “We’ll wait for the next one. I can’t be bothered to ride with these gossiping dogs.”
Kimberly patted her hand.
“Diane, I’m fine. An office is an office. As long as my pay doesn’t go down.”
Diane sighed. “William Carter, that bastard... no, wait, slipped. If he hadn’t helped you so much before, I’d be cursing him properly right now.”
Then she added, “Putting everything else aside, isn’t this too much? Your position is what it is. Isn’t he openly playing favorites?”
Seeing Diane’s mood sink, Kimberly comforted her.
“Don’t be sad for me. There was never any possibility between him and me from the beginning.”
Diane stared. “What? So you knew yesterday?”
Kimberly nodded slowly.
At that moment, Ruth’s voice sounded beside them.
“Well, good morning, Ms. Martinez.”
Kimberly kept her eyes on the elevator floor indicator and did not respond.
Ruth folded her arms and leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“Today, you should be able to see the news of their engagement trending. If you know what’s good for you, you shouldn’t come back to work at Carter Group.”
Kimberly finally turned her eyes toward her and said softly, “Really? Then why don’t you introduce me to a new job, Ms. Stewart? My requirements aren’t high. Same pay as Carter Group will do.”
Ruth lifted her chin and sneered.
“With how good you are at getting your claws into men, surely you won’t starve anywhere.”
She turned to step into the arriving elevator.
A sharp pain suddenly tore through her scalp.
Kimberly had caught her by the hair.
With a small smile that did not reach her eyes, Kimberly said, “Since when do random strays get to run their mouths at me? How much did Janet Campbell pay you?”
Ruth clutched her head in pain. Another wave of colleagues had arrived, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.
“Let go! Kimberly Martinez, don’t get too full of yourself.”
Kimberly slowly released her. Her gaze was cold as she raised her voice just enough for others to hear.
“Ruth Stewart, be careful. One day, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble.”
Ruth scanned the surrounding hungry-for-gossip faces, glared at Kimberly in a fury, and hurried into the elevator.
The others followed her in.
Diane dragged Kimberly into the neighboring elevator and quickly hit the close-door button.
Diane folded her arms. “They probably thought you were gentle and easy to bully because you’re always so soft-spoken.”
Kimberly smiled lightly. “Am I not gentle?”
Diane burst out laughing.
“Yes, yes. Our little heiress has been holding back for way too long. What you did just now definitely counts as gentle.”
“Smart mouth.”
Diane grinned for a moment, then her expression turned serious again.
“He... looks like he’s getting engaged. Are you really not sad?”
Kimberly lowered her eyes. “I’m fine...”
Her voice grew softer.
“No pain can compare to what happened when my family fell apart.”
Diane immediately hugged her, patting her back as her own voice choked.
“All right, all right. My fault for talking too much. We won’t think about that. Things will get better from here.”
“Mm.”
When they reached the floor, the logistics manager called Diane away.
Kimberly hesitated for a moment before crossing the open office area toward her office.
Through the frosted glass door, Janet was slowly arranging folders.
Their eyes met.
Janet came out with a welcoming smile, harmless from head to toe. Her voice was bright and polite.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Martinez. Your office has a whole wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s crisp autumn weather now, and the sunlight comes all the way in. My health isn’t very good. I’m afraid of noise, and I get cold easily, so Mr. Carter gave me this office.”
The open office was noisy, sure.
But cold?
When had Carter Group ever been stingy with heating or air conditioning?
This building was comfortable every single day of the year.
And Janet’s voice was so high, Kimberly would be shocked if half the office did not hear it.
Kimberly smiled. “If Ms. Campbell likes it, that’s fine. Where are my things?”
Janet pointed to the corner by the entrance.
“They’re all piled there. Sorry, Eric said he would handle them, so I didn’t touch anything.”
“All right. I’ll move them later.”
Kimberly walked straight to William’s office.
She knocked. A low voice answered from inside.
“Come in.”
As usual, Kimberly walked to his desk.
As usual, her eyes swept over him working with focused precision.
His broad shoulders. His strong arms. Those long hands with faint veins showing under the skin.
Kimberly stopped and inclined her head slightly. Her voice was gentle.
“Mr. Carter, the office has been given to Ms. Campbell. Should the chief secretary position be given to her as well?”
William looked up from the documents.
Kimberly met his tired, cold gaze and quickly looked away.
His voice was flat. “You like handing things over that much? You can give away anything?”
Kimberly’s fingers tightened around her bag strap.
Since the morning after that night of tangled bodies and sweet words, he had not given her a decent expression once.
Why?
She had not clung to him, had she?
Her voice remained soft.
“Mr. Carter, only department managers have private offices. I didn’t see a badge for Ms. Campbell, so I came to ask.”
William’s pen stopped. He leaned back in his chair and toyed with the pen between his fingers.
The longer he looked at her, the colder his eyes became.
“If you want to give it to her, then give it to her.”
Kimberly nodded. “All right.”
But she had only taken a few steps when something slammed against the desk behind her, then rolled to the floor.
A broken pen rolled to a stop by her feet.
