James nodded in satisfaction and then announced to everyone in the Secretary Department, “This is Vera Cole. Starting today, she will be interning with your department.”

On the first day as the mysterious new president, he introduced a seemingly unreliable young girl to the Secretary Department. Howard nodded knowingly, “Alright, understood!”

Then he passed the responsibility off quickly. “Winter!”

Serena stepped forward.

“Mr. Forrest, Winter is our best employee in the Secretary Department, and she has a great personality. She’s the perfect person to mentor Miss Cole.”

As Howard spoke, he gave Serena an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Serena managed to muster a smile, “Hello, Mr. Forrest and Miss Cole.”

Mr. Forrest barely glanced at her, casting a rather skeptical look at the name tag on her chest. “Serena, mid-level position. Is she qualified?”

“Rest assured, she’s handled all the major projects for Stellar Delight in the past two years without any issues. Manager Swift used to praise her often, and when I got reassigned, I actually wanted to take her with me.”

“Oh?” Mr. Forrest seemed intrigued. “So why didn’t you?”

“Due to family reasons, Winter declined.”

Mr. Forrest sighed regretfully, “What specific family reasons?”

“Well...”

Howard pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, thinking to himself that the junior Mr. Forrest must have taken things too far.

Stellar Delight Ventures is a subsidiary of Golden Sincerity Group. Although it has developed well over the past couple of years, it wasn’t significant enough to warrant the group’s top executive parachuting in for guidance. Manager Swift’s sudden departure left everything in disarray, and Howard couldn’t figure out James’s intentions or his temperament, so he hesitated and looked toward Serena.

Serena exhaled, preparing to respond.

“Mr. Forrest～ You’re her boss, not some nosy auntie from the Sub-district Office, why ask such detailed questions? I think Miss Winter is just fine!” Vera Cole cut in before Serena could answer, skillfully diverting the conversation.

Vera was already holding onto James’s arm, and as she spoke, her body swayed slightly. The ribbons on her clothes brushed lightly against James’s wrist.

Serena instinctively glanced over but quickly looked away. She thought to herself, so this is what Elder Cole’s granddaughter is like—an energetic and charming girl.

“It’s all for your own good. This is your first job since returning to the country, and I want Elder Cole to feel at ease,” James replied, his indulgent tone unmistakable as he let the young girl act playfully.

“Oh, so it’s for Grandpa’s sake, not mine?” Vera pouted.

James shook his head helplessly, “I can’t argue with you.”

In Serena’s memory, James was always stubborn, and even William once said getting him to admit defeat was nearly impossible. She remembered a time long ago when she and James had a fight—over something not even serious—and they ended up in a week-long cold war, with neither willing to back down.

But now, he was happily giving in.

Serena lowered her eyes, not daring to look any longer.

“If you can’t argue, then just listen to me. Go on, Mr. Forrest, get to work! I need to get to work too!”

Vera laughed, playfully pushing James into the president’s office before turning around and extending her hand to Serena with a sweet smile, “Please take care of me, Serena!”

Serena, recognizing the situation, shook her hand with humility, “I wouldn’t dare say that. Let’s learn from each other.”

Having received no promotion orders and completely baffled by the new president’s behavior, Howard retreated anxiously into his office after handing Vera over to Serena.

“Miss Cole, your workstation will take a little more time to arrange. For now, you can sit in the break room and enjoy some snacks. I’ll bring you some materials shortly so you can start getting familiar with our work.”

Vera blinked her innocent big eyes. “Alright, Serena. But if I have questions, should I ask you or James?”

Andy, sitting behind Serena, couldn’t resist making faces at the mention of “James.” Serena, however, remained composed as if she hadn’t noticed. “Generally speaking, as secretaries, we try not to disturb the boss unless absolutely necessary. It’s better if you ask me.”

Vera tilted her head, “But what if the boss is willing to teach me?”

Serena’s smile didn’t falter. “Well, that would be your skill, then. Feel free to do as you please.”

Vera paused for a moment before responding with an “Oh.” Once she was settled in the break room, Andy and Elliot quickly gathered around Serena.

“Serena, do you think she’s Mr. Forrest’s girlfriend?” Andy asked.

Serena continued organizing the materials she needed to bring, not even lifting her head. “You don’t have any intel?”

“Someone like Mr. Forrest? No way I’d have that kind of news. But I think she is. Who would’ve thought a cool, rebellious guy like Mr. Forrest would go for someone so sweet and naive?” Andy sighed. “Guess I never had a chance.”

“You never did,” Elliot added, bluntly.

Andy shot him a dissatisfied look. “Serena, you’re in trouble. This is what they call ‘accompanying the prince in his studies.’ If she does well, it’s her credit; if she doesn’t, it’s your fault.”

Serena finished arranging the materials, holding them in her arms. “Then, please, my esteemed colleagues, help me out and let me deliver these study materials to the prince first.”

At that moment, the “prince” in the break room was far from quietly enjoying her snacks. Before long, she was holding up her phone, engaged in a video call. When Serena walked in, she overheard:

“James, she just left me here in the break room and didn’t care about me at all!”

Serena couldn’t hear James’s response. Vera was wearing headphones, and all Serena could see was her pouting in dissatisfaction as she said, “Alright, fine! I’ll listen, okay?”

The break room door was never closed during working hours, and it seemed Vera didn’t have the habit of closing it either. Serena found herself in a bit of a dilemma, so she simply knocked on the open door.

The knock was abrupt, and Vera frowned as she turned around. Seeing it was Serena, her expression immediately changed. She smiled brightly, “Serena, you’re here!”

Serena placed the documents on the table, catching a glimpse of Vera’s phone screen out of the corner of her eye.

On the screen, James was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, casually sitting at his desk, looking at the screen with a doting expression.

In the three years, this was the first time Serena had seen James at work. The sight made two words pop into her mind: “Boss’s indulgence.”

That indulgence vanished the moment James noticed her. Vera carefully removed her headphones and said, “James... Mr. Forrest wants to talk to you.”

She raised the phone, pointing the screen toward Serena.

Serena respectfully addressed the screen, “Mr. Forrest, what can I do for you?”

Mr. Forrest narrowed his deep eyes slightly and instructed, “Vera just returned to the country and isn’t familiar with things here. I hope Miss Winter will be patient and not give her a hard time.”

Serena’s eyelashes fluttered, and she responded even more respectfully, “Rest assured, Mr. Forrest.”

There was a brief silence on the other end before the call was abruptly disconnected.

“How could he hang up without saying anything to me? So rude!” Vera muttered. “Serena, don’t you think so?”

Serena calmly arranged the documents and said evenly, “Here are the materials you need to review. If possible, it’s best to go through them before the end of the day. If that’s too much, at least skim through the table of contents.”

Vera picked up a page with two fingers, her eyebrows arching. “Serena, we’re supposed to be the president’s secretaries. Why do we have to read through executive-level materials? Do the other new hires have to do this when they join?”

Her tone wasn’t exactly friendly, but Serena remained unbothered and answered seriously, “The last new member of our department was Andy, who joined last year. On her first day, Howard required her to memorize documents twice as extensive as these within three hours. For our department, this is basic training.” She paused, then added carefully, “Perhaps Mr. Forrest didn’t mention it to you, Miss Cole, but the Stellar Delight Secretary Department is a bit unique.”

“In what way?” Vera asked.

“We aren’t personal assistants to the president; rather, we serve different executives depending on the projects at hand. This means we need to have a broader and more varied knowledge base than a typical secretary. Does that make sense?”

Vera responded with a simple “Well...”

Serena smiled slightly, “Good. Also, if you don’t like the break room, you can work in the office area. However, there are many people outside, and until your workspace is arranged, I can’t guarantee you won’t be disturbed while reviewing the materials. So, what do you think?”

Though Serena’s words didn’t carry a single note of accusation, Vera felt an inexplicable pressure. She coughed awkwardly, “I was just saying casually. Serena, you don’t need to take it so seriously.”

“Of course not. But we usually solve simple problems on our own without bothering the boss.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My meaning is clear, Miss Cole. Since Mr. Forrest placed you in the Secretary Department for your internship, I will treat you as an intern here and hold you to the standards expected of an intern. If you can’t meet those standards, I suggest you speak to Mr. Forrest. I’m sure he won’t let you feel mistreated. But if you don’t say anything, I’ll continue to follow company protocols. I hope you understand.”

With that, Serena smiled briefly turned, and began to walk away.

But before she could step out the door, Vera’s angry voice rang out behind her.

“Serena, this is James’s company, and you’re just a lowly secretary under his command. Why are you acting all high and mighty as his sister-in-law?”