Perhaps… Mr. Logan was doing it deliberately, deliberately teasing his wife, making her cheeks turn red. Then leisurely enjoying her shy, adorable demeanor… Sigh… who would have thought that while working a regular job, she’d get to witness the sweet romance between her bosses.
Nora returned from outside with Alayna after finishing some business. Seeing Clara, she smiled and greeted her, “Clara…”
Clara nodded.
Inwardly, she grumbled.
Was there any need for Nora to act like this?
They clearly disliked each other, yet she was deliberately putting on a show of being good friends.
It was truly unbearable.
She also hated herself, hated that she was too thin-skinned. When Nora greeted her, she could have just ignored her, why did she respond?
She felt she was simply too polite, unable to be rude to someone with a smile on their face.
She felt that sooner or later this would get her into trouble.
But… this was her personality, not something she could change quickly.
Fortunately, Nora had only greeted her briefly and didn’t seem interested in engaging in further conversation.
In the middle of the afternoon, Nora suddenly asked Clara, “Clara, this evening, is Ashlyn hosting a banquet? Did she invite you?”
Clara blinked, she had no idea who Ashlyn was. She hadn’t been married to Ethan for long and hadn’t really interacted with the socialites in their circle.
“No,” Clara said.
“… Oh.” Nora’s expression became a bit awkward as she said, “I’m sorry, I thought she had invited you.”
Clara looked at Nora in confusion and said, “I don’t even know her, why would she invite me?”
Nora awkwardly said, “She… knows Ethan and June quite well. They have a good relationship.”
So, would Ethan and June be invited?
But what did that have to do with her?
Clara looked at the fake Nora and suddenly understood… Could Nora think she was upset about not being invited?
She… really had nothing to be upset about.
Ethan’s connections were Ethan’s connections. She hadn’t integrated into Ethan’s circle of friends, so it was normal that his friends didn’t know her.
“… Oh,” Clara responded flatly. The key was that apart from saying “oh,” she didn’t know what else she should say.
“Ethan will probably attend the banquet tonight,” Nora said.
Clara nodded with an indifferent expression.
She looked at Clara, whose expression remained neutral, and couldn’t tell what Clara was thinking. But she thought… Clara must be unhappy inside.
Your husband’s friend invites your husband to a banquet, but your husband doesn’t bring you along, doesn’t introduce you to his friends… this indicates the husband doesn’t take you seriously.
Nora’s lips curled up slightly in a smile, feeling quite pleased.
At the end of the workday, the secretaries in the office were packing up their things. Clara was in the middle of packing when Ethan arrived. He didn’t say anything, just watched Clara packing.
A secretary who only served tea and water didn’t really have much to pack up.
“Ethan…” Nora was the first to see Ethan and smiled, saying, “I’m ready, shall we go together?”
All the secretaries in the office looked toward the door.
Sure enough, they saw Ethan casually leaning against the doorframe.
So, was Ethan going to attend the banquet with Nora?
“Where shall we go?” Ethan asked indifferently.
Nora smiled and said, “To Ashlyn’s banquet, of course. Didn’t she invite you?”
Ethan said flatly, “She did, I declined.”
Nora’s smile froze on her face as she looked at Ethan.
Ashlyn was on good terms with Ethan, why would he decline?
Nora asked, “Why?”
Ethan said indifferently, “I have something to do tonight.”
Looking at the slightly dazed Clara, he asked, “Not ready yet?”
Clara replied, “… Oh, I’m ready.”
She quickly packed up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked over to Ethan.
Ethan glanced at Clara, then turned and left.
The several secretaries in the office all gave Nora knowing looks before leaving as well.
Nora stood with a pale face, biting her lip, feeling quite humiliated… She had wanted to display her closeness with Ethan, to make Clara understand that she and Ethan had grown up together, shared a common circle of friends, were childhood sweethearts, and that they were the most compatible match.
But… Ethan didn’t give her any face at all.
Nora slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried after them.
The secretaries all took the regular elevator.
Ethan took the executive elevator reserved for company executives.
Ethan and Clara entered the executive elevator.
Nora watched as Ethan took Clara into the executive elevator, her heart filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment… She also wanted to ride the executive elevator. Of course, given her status, even if she did take the executive elevator, no one would say anything.
But if Ethan didn’t actively invite her to ride it, she wouldn’t presume to do so.
What if Ethan refused? Wouldn’t she be embarrassed in front of Clara again?
In the elevator, there were only Stephanie, Alayna, Hanna, and Nora.
“Ah…” Stephanie sighed at the mirror and said, “I might lose my job.”
Alayna asked, “Why? Did you annoy Mr. Logan?”
Stephanie shook her head wistfully, “No… you all know what my job is, but since Mr. Logan got married, he’s basically stopped going out for business entertainment. It’s been a long time since I’ve accompanied those bosses for dining and entertainment. Don’t you think I’m about to lose my job?”
It seemed to be the case.
Stephanie was Ethan’s secretary… secretaries often had to accompany their bosses for business entertainment. Alayna and Hanna were work secretaries, but Ethan had specifically hired Stephanie to be responsible for accompanying him to social events.
Before becoming Ethan’s secretary, Stephanie had worked in nightclubs.
Stephanie had originally thought she would work in nightclubs for a few years, earn enough money, and then… when she was older and less attractive, buy a house and find a man who didn’t mind her past to spend her life with.
She never imagined that she, a nightclub girl with no qualifications or abilities, would catch Ethan’s eye, become his secretary, and be seen as a white-collar worker in the eyes of others… although her job still involved drinking with clients.
But… she really liked her current job.
Ethan paid her a high salary, no less than what she earned working in nightclubs, and the work was relatively easy.
Before, when she worked in nightclubs, she had to accompany clients until the early hours every night, drink until she vomited every day, and when she encountered clients without manners, they would force her to drink. As for being taken advantage of, that was inevitable.
But now working by Ethan’s side, she had at most five social engagements a week, and these wealthy people generally didn’t force women too much, perhaps because she was Ethan’s secretary.
Although occasionally there would be some wandering hands, it was only a minority, much easier than working in nightclubs.
Stephanie really liked her current job-high salary, a respectable job in the eyes of others, no need to bear the strange looks from others, and the class of people she interacted with was much higher. In the past, at nightclubs, she encountered all sorts of people, but now the clients Ethan took her to meet were bosses worth billions or even hundreds of billions-these were all valuable resources and connections.
She really didn’t want to lose her job.
“Ah…” Stephanie sighed again and said, “I dress up so beautifully every day hoping that Mr. Logan will take me out to entertain clients, and then… bewitch those boss tycoons. But… it’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to charm those boss tycoons.”
Nora glanced at Stephanie, inwardly disdainful, she looked down on people like Stephanie.
After learning that Ethan’s secretarial office had someone like Stephanie, she had someone investigate her-a nightclub girl who had transformed herself into Ethan’s public relations person… She didn’t take Stephanie seriously.
Ethan, even if he went crazy, would never like a woman who had worked in nightclubs.
He hired Stephanie simply for mutual benefit.
He gave Stephanie money.
Stephanie was responsible for entertaining clients.
“Since Mr. Logan got married, he has indeed… focused more on family,” Alayna said. She felt this deeply-previously, Mr. Logan had been very dedicated to work, entertaining clients until late every night.
But since getting married, he left work on time every day to go home, trying to complete whatever work he could during the day at the office. He tried to decline evening engagements whenever possible, only attending those he absolutely couldn’t avoid…
Nora’s face darkened as she listened.
Saying Ethan focused on family?
Wasn’t that just another way of saying Ethan cared about Clara?
Hmph.