Manager Carter’s dinner was arranged at a private cuisine restaurant named Silk Garden. The name was elegant, and so was its reputation. After all, a meal here cost as much as several months of her salary, so the clientele likely had no time to leave bad reviews.

This wasn’t Serena’s first time here. Silk Garden was one of the many businesses under Golden Sincerity Group, and many of Capital City’s elites liked to come here for business meetings—it’s secure and upscale.

The client was the CEO of a tech company, Mr. Clark. He was young but highly educated, and compared to other clients, he had a sharper business acumen.

The dinner started with tea, and once the conversation picked up, the wine came out. It was all expensive red wine, with discussions of culture interspersed with drinking challenges. As the secretary, it was Serena’s duty to help Manager Carter drink, so she inevitably drank too much.

“Miss Winter, you’re impressive! I’m in awe!” Mr. Clark gave her a thumbs up. “Manager Carter, your colleague is both beautiful and capable.”

Manager Carter raised his glass. “She’s our top secretary at Stellar Delight. You’ve got a good eye, Mr. Clark.”

“Mr. Clark, we genuinely look forward to working with you,” Serena said with a slight smile.

Mr. Clark took a moment to observe the woman in front of him. She had delicate features, soft eyes, and a pale complexion with minimal makeup, giving her an air of classical beauty. The only touch of color was the red on her lips. Her slender body was modestly wrapped in a gray suit, which only piqued his curiosity, making her inexplicably alluring.

Feeling a stir in his heart, Mr. Clark couldn’t resist grabbing Serena’s hand on the table, and with a smile, he said, “I can feel your sincerity, Miss Winter.”

Serena immediately tried to pull her hand away, but Manager Carter chose that moment to pat her on the shoulder. “Mr. Clark, you’ve seen our sincerity. We’d like to see yours as well.”

The pat interrupted Serena’s attempt to withdraw her hand, causing Mr. Clark to grip it even tighter.

Mr. Clark nodded, “Of course! Miss Winter, would you like to see my sincerity?”

As he leaned in closer, the stench of alcohol and sweat hit Serena’s face, making her feel nauseous.

Suppressing her disgust, Serena firmly blocked Mr. Clark’s advance and forcefully pulled her hand away, still maintaining a smile on her lips. “Mr. Clark, you should demonstrate your sincerity to Manager Carter.”

She stood up and filled a glass with red wine, then walked around to stand behind Manager Carter, smiling as she said, “I heard that Mr. Clark’s youngest son is about to celebrate his first month. If our cooperation goes well, Mrs. Clark will surely be even more delighted at the celebration.”

Mrs. Clark was Mr. Clark’s childhood sweetheart and the primary financial backer during his early entrepreneurial days. After his success, she stayed in the background as a supportive wife, never seeking the spotlight in his business story.

Hearing Serena mention his wife, Mr. Clark immediately frowned, displeased. “Let’s stick to business and not bring up other matters.”

“Mr. Clark, you’re absolutely right. That was out of line,” Serena replied smoothly. Then, turning to Manager Carter, she handed him the glass of wine. “Manager Carter, this drink is for Mr. Clark, and for Mrs. Clark as well. It’s a toast you can’t refuse.”

Her voice had a playful lilt, but Mr. Clark caught the underlying message. Mentioning his wife was a polite refusal but also a direct warning. He hadn’t expected this seemingly delicate secretary to hit his weak spot so cleanly and effectively.

Manager Carter was equally surprised. Serena had only just taken over the project, yet she had already researched the client’s personal background thoroughly. There was a company policy against using secretaries to overly ingratiate themselves with clients, and he hadn’t intended for Serena to go that far. He had only wanted to treat the client a little better. But Serena had deftly turned the tables, leaving him with no choice but to grudgingly raise his glass and drink.

Serena was the first to clap. “Mr. Clark, surely you don’t hold anything against us now?”

Mr. Clark waved his hand dismissively. “Miss Winter, you’re too kind. There’s nothing to hold against you.”

“Mr. Clark, you’re generous! Manager Carter, you two continue your discussion. I’m just going to step out to the restroom.”

With that, she smiled and exited the private room. As soon as the door closed behind her, her smile vanished.

After so many years as a secretary, Serena was used to situations like this. She could handle them with ease, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t exhausting. Leaning against the wall for a moment to catch her breath, she then hurried to the restroom. The sudden influx of alcohol had her stomach churning, and she needed to get it out.

The restrooms at Silk Garden were spotless and filled with a pleasant fragrance. Serena stood by the toilet and vomited everything out.

Making money is always tough—Serena learned that hard truth when her father leapt from the thirty-third floor to his death.

After her father died, the enormous debt fell on her mother’s shoulders. Since Serena was ten, her life had been a continuous cycle of earning, saving, and repaying money. The struggle had become so familiar it was almost numbing.

So, when she told Howard she could handle it, she meant every word. She could endure it.

The dinner wasn’t over yet, so Serena didn’t dare stay in the restroom for too long. She pulled out some hangover tea she had prepared in advance from her bag and stood in the hallway, sipping it.

Then, by chance, she overheard something she wasn’t supposed to.

“James, aren’t you being a bit too protective? Why can’t Miss Cole have a drink?” a man complained. “It’s a friend’s gathering, can’t she have just one small glass?”

James was firm. “No.”

The other man didn’t expect such a straightforward refusal. His face fell, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Noticing this, Vera tugged on James’s sleeve, saying timidly, “James, I’m fine. I can handle it.”

She reached out for the glass, but before she could touch it, James had already taken it. With a stern expression, he downed the entire glass in one gulp, leaving nothing behind.

“If I drink, it’s as if she drank.”

The room fell silent for a moment, and in the next instant, it erupted into cheers.

The man who had been pressuring Vera to drink was the most excited, clicking his tongue in admiration. “Is my brother for real? Impressive! Vera, you’d better reward him when you get home.”

Vera shyly lowered her head, her face undoubtedly turning red.

The room filled with laughter and playful teasing once again.

Because the juice was sent into this room just now, the door had been left ajar, just wide enough for Serena to witness the entire scene.

She thought James was truly angry.

With his personality, he had every reason to be.

Most of the people at that table were idle young men from wealthy Capital City families, lacking any real talent. The fact that James even brought Vera along was purely out of respect for their elders. But these people were so clueless, daring to flirt with James’s woman. It was a sign of James’s maturity that he didn’t punch anyone.

As the waiter exited the room, Serena quietly turned and left.

He took her out in public openly, protected her openly by shielding her from drinking, and openly... displayed his favoritism towards her.

This was a scene Serena could never even dream of before. But now, witnessing it with her own eyes, she didn’t feel heartbroken at all. No, not heartbroken.

When she returned to the private room, Manager Carter and Mr. Clark were already calling each other brothers after having too much to drink. Serena calmly sat by and started arranging the next round for them.

After a whole evening of this, Mr. Clark was completely out of it, and Manager Carter was half asleep. The deal was more or less settled. Serena saw each person off one by one and then rushed to catch the last bus.

The last bus was crowded, and she stood the entire way without a seat. By the time she got off, her feet felt like they were about to give out.

There was a two or three hundred meter alley between the bus stop and the apartment she had rented. A month ago, the streetlight in the alley broke, and no one had come to fix it. Every time Serena passed through, she usually ran.

But today, she simply couldn’t run; her body was exhausted, and so was her spirit.

On the other side of the wall, Vera only needed to hold onto her orange juice and smile. Meanwhile, Serena had to drink until her stomach hurt. This was probably what Andy always meant by saying that different people live different lives.

Serena clutched her chest. She didn’t feel heartache; she just wanted to take a deep breath.

The dark alley reeked with a damp, foul smell, and as Serena walked along in a daze, she began to sense something was wrong.

It felt like... someone was following her!