Hannah glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was already four in the afternoon. She was about to ask Susan for a cup of coffee. At the same time, Susan entered the room with Bernard.
“Are you two going out for coffee?” Bernard asked.
Hannah chuckled. “Yes, but I don’t want to invite you, Mr. Gulfman. This is a ladies’ thing.”
“Oh, dear… that hurts my heart,” Bernard joked, laughing.
He approached Hannah’s desk and rested his hand on it. Bernard’s eyes stared intently at Alden’s wife; to any man, Hannah was very attractive.
Hannah used to look innocent and sweet. After becoming the owner of Texco, Hannah seemed even more elegant and charming. Who wouldn’t be attracted to her?
Hannah stood up. “Shall we go, Susan?”
“Whenever you’re ready, ma’am,” Susan nodded.
“See you tomorrow, Mr. Gulfman,” Hannah said goodbye.
“Okay, have fun, you two,” Bernard replied.
Because she was so excited about going out for coffee with Susan, Hannah accidentally left her computer on. The two women quickly left the room, leaving Bernard alone. As Bernard was about to follow them out, he heard the sound of an email coming in on Hannah’s computer.
Bernard casually walked behind the desk and saw that the computer screen was on, but that wasn’t what surprised Bernard. It was that Hannah had opened articles about Sarah Young.
Bernard was silent for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do. Finally, Bernard picked up the phone and called someone.
“Hello? Mr. Harrison?” Bernard greeted.
“What is it, Mr. Gulfman? Is Hannah still in the office?”
“No, sir. She’s out having coffee with Susan.”
There was a moment of silence, then Bernard heard a sigh from the other end of the line.
“Well, let her go with Susan. I think Hannah needs some girl talk or something.”
“Maybe, although I’m a little worried about what they’ll talk about, sir.”
“Why is that?”
Bernard hesitated slightly, but he was so loyal to Alden. There was no way Bernard was going to lie.
“Mrs. Harrison is investigating Miss Sarah Young. I have seen her open several articles. I don’t know what her intentions are, but I don’t think she means any harm, sir.”
“Still, curiosity can be very dangerous. But thank you for the information. Good evening, Mr. Gulfman.”
“Good evening, sir.”
Suddenly Bernard felt guilty about Hannah. He felt it was not wise of him to accidentally see what Hannah was looking for. But Bernard also didn’t want Hannah to find out from someone who didn’t understand.
Why didn’t Hannah just ask Alden directly, as her husband?
That was all Bernard could think of.
…
Meanwhile, as they walked to a cafe near the office, Hannah chatted with Susan. The evening was warm and pleasant for a walk. Hannah liked the weather; she felt more relaxed after a day filled with work and thoughts of Sarah Young.
“Are you satisfied with your curiosity about Mr. Harrison’s ex-girlfriend?” Susan asked suddenly.
“After three or four articles, I think so,” Hannah replied.
“Your conclusion?”
“She’s out of my league.”
Susan chuckled softly. She shook her head as she patted Hannah lightly on the shoulder.
“You have your own strengths. You can’t compare yourself to a woman who was born rich,” Susan sounded wise.
Hannah nodded. “I know. In fact, I never thought about competing with that woman.”
“Then why did you want to find out about her?”
“If Sarah is so great, why did she leave Alden?”
Hearing Hannah’s explanation, Susan started to think about it for some reason. Since Alden’s accident, Sarah had disappeared.
However, Sarah had also been in the car during the incident. Sarah was only slightly injured, while Alden was seriously injured.
If they were a real couple, Sarah wouldn’t have left Alden. But when Alden was diagnosed as unable to walk, Sarah seemed unable to accept reality.
“You never asked your husband, Hannah? What really happened?” Susan asked.
“Our relationship isn’t that close.”
Susan looked at Hannah in surprise. “You and Mr. Harrison?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Hannah nodded awkwardly.
“But you’re married. Didn’t you ever talk before you got married?”
“No, our marriage was so sudden,” Hannah replied, adding quickly. “Alden wanted us to get to know each other after the wedding.”
Susan’s eyes seemed to widen immediately. “That’s unique. But, well… there are some marriages that work like that. The key is communication.”
“I want a cold caramel latte with extra caramel,” Hannah quickly changed the subject.
Although Hannah doubted in her heart that she would be able to communicate well with Alden in the future.
*
When she opened the front door, Hannah was surprised to see Alden waiting in the hallway. Alden’s face looked flushed, as if he was holding back anger.
“Good evening, Alden. Sorry I’m late,” Hannah greeted him.
“Where have you been?”
“I had coffee with Susan.”
“Gossiping?”
Hannah just stared at Alden in surprise. Why did he have to say that? During the coffee, Hannah and Susan mostly talked about work. They didn’t talk about Alden and Sarah at all.
Hannah even asked Susan to be her right-hand woman while a new secretary was hired for Bernard. Hannah’s reasoning was that she felt more comfortable talking to Susan. Fortunately, Susan agreed.
So what was Alden’s accusation? Did he think that every woman who went out with him always gossiped?
“So is it true? Were you talking about me? Or maybe Sarah?” Alden continued.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re investigating Sarah behind my back. What do you want, Hannah?”
Hannah may have been wrong to secretly investigate Sarah, but she never intended anything malicious. It was because Hannah was concerned about Alden. But apparently what Hannah did was still wrong in Alden’s eyes.
“I just want to know what Sarah is really like. There is no ulterior motive,” Hannah said.
“For what? You two have nothing to do with each other!”
“Because I care about you! I don’t want to see you sad or suffering because of Sarah. Is that wrong?”
Alden grabbed Hannah roughly. “Wrong! Because I don’t need your pity!”