The next day.

Joanne promised to accompany Brian to the company today, yet she was nowhere to be found by the time Brian arrived for breakfast. "Young Master, should I go wake the Young Madam?" asked Martha.

Brian laid down the morning papers. "I'll go."

Entering the room, he saw the sheets and blanket in a tangled heap. Like always, Joanne messed them up during while tossing and turning in her sleep. A bolster fell off the bed onto the floor. Only half her body remained under the blanket; the other half pressed on top of it as she slept peacefully.

Brian picked up the bolster and placed it beside the headboard. "Joanne?"

"..."

Not even a single muscle twitch came from Joanne, who snored like a clueless baby.

Brian did not bother waking her after that. He stood up and prepared to leave. But just then, Joanne's lips, both plump and moist, twitched. She pursed her lips together, and Brian wondered what she dreamed about.

Brian stared utterly bewitched by her subconscious gesture. He bent down and gently touched his lips to hers in a light kiss. His touch was light, like a dragonfly touching the surface of the water. Afterwards, he left the room.

Joanne knew nothing about what occurred, of course. When she woke, she glanced at the clock instinctively.

9 : 30

"Nah, this is fine," she thought. She sometimes slept until noon on her days off. There was still time for her to laze around for a while.

When she closed her eyes, Brian's voice suddenly invaded her mind.

"Come to the company with me the day after tomorrow. Come to the company... the company..."

She sprang up from bed, gasping for air. Her body glistened in sweat like she awoke from a terrible nightmare. She glanced at the clock again to confirm the time. 9:33!

"Oh crap! Crap!" she thought.

She scrambled out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and ran downstairs. Once there, only Simon, Martha, and a few other servants bustled about. Brian was nowhere to be found.

"Young Madam, Young Master has already left for work," said Simon.

Frustrated, Joanne twirled a lock of her hair. "So he left without me..." The disappointment in her voice was hard to miss, even for herself.

Simon smiled. "Ah, that's only because you were still asleep. Young Master did go upstairs to wake you just now. But he saw that you were still sleeping soundly, so he instructed us not to disturb you and to have the driver send you to the company after you wake up. Speaking of which, I should have the kitchen ready your breakfast."

"Oh, so he did have plans after all," Joanne thought, instantly forgetting about the disappointment she felt just moments ago. She ran back to her room to wash up and get changed.

Considering it was her first time making an appearance at Lambert Group, Joanne decided on a more formal and low-key look.

After making a few rounds in the walk-in closet, she finally decided on her outfit. A skirt suit set consisting of a cream color blazer and a knee-length pencil skirt. Under the blazer, she wore a chiffon blouse of the same brand as the set. The outfit made her look pretty and cute, but at the same time, it gave her the appearance of a business executive, which Joanne precisely tried to avoid.

Simon sent her off after breakfast. "Young Madam, should I call the company to let the Young Master know you're on your way?"

"Nah, he's probably busy, so let's not disturb him," Joanne said. "I'll look for him once I get there."

In all honesty, she just wanted to surprise Brian. Or perhaps scare him.

Simon nodded knowingly and told Winston to drive safely.

The black Mercedez-Benz roared to life and glided along the wide, privately-owned streets.

Through foliage and tree branches, shafts of sunlight gleamed into the car, carrying with them a summer aura. Sometimes, the light swept across Joanne's legs. Other times, it swept across her cheeks...

To Joanne, the world proved more unpredictable than the sunlight in that moment.

Before marrying Brian, she considered it a luxury to even spend alone time with him, let alone visit the man at his company.

But then Chris suddenly told her Brian agreed to marry her.

For the few days that followed the revelation, it was as if she descended into some kinds of dream. She had been so happy back then that she was unable to recover from the surprise. But shortly after the bliss wore off, Brian told her that they would be getting a divorce after two years once Steven's threat was dealt with. Two years later, their married life would end.

At that time, she warned herself to practice self-restraint and keep her feelings in check. Two years of married life with Brian seemed a blessing enough, she could not ask for anything more than that. One should never be too greedy.

All this while, she restrained herself, holding back with contempt. She dared not bear any high expectations. She dared not read too much into anything, regardless of all the sweet things Brian did for her.

But now, she rode in Brian's car. Brian's frigging driver chauffeured her to his company.

This moment felt like a dream.

It was likely that Joanne's excitement showed on her face, since Winston suddenly smiled. "Young Madam, you look so happy. Am I safe to assume this is your first time going to the company?"

"Yeah," Joanne said. She glanced at her own reflection through the side window and saw herself grinning like a fool. She quickly added, "Ahem. I've always been very curious about what a Fortune 100 company looks like. Today, I finally have the chance to find out, so naturally I'm excited."

"Oh, the interior of the company is flashy, that's for certain. Especially Young Master's office!" Winston said, mirroring her excitement. "I've been there a few times, and I must say, the working environment there? Superb! No wonder so many people sharpen their minds just to get in. Well, I'm sure Young Master will give you a full tour later."

Joanne did not think Brian possessed that kind of spare time, so she smiled and said nothing. Half an hour later, the car pulled up in front of Lambert Group.

This monolith was the epitome of all CBD buildings. It appeared in the city's ostentatious promo videos, and also found its way into the photos of many tourists. Everyone knew the gatherings held within the walls of this building. An entire business empire with Brian at the helm as the emperor.

As Joanne strode towards the building's entrance, she felt a thrill and excitement that far surpassed anything she had ever felt. Not even the feeling she had when she entered the police station for her first case measured up to this.

That excitement, however, grinded to a halt by the security guard on duty, who stopped her in her tracks and blocked her path. It was probably because she looked unfamiliar and that she did not have a work ID on her. "Miss, who are you looking for?"

Joanne pointed at the top of the building. "Brian."

The security guard stared at Joanne with discerning eyes for a long while. Then he flinched as if in shock. "My God! Mrs. President! Please, go on ahead!"

The guard pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it, alerting some unknown person on the other end. Joanne entered the lobby just as a receptionist came out. "Mrs. President, Special Assistant Gavin said he would be coming down to receive you. Allow me to escort you to the elevator."

Joanne felt somewhat unsettled at such displays of deference, but managed a smile. "It's okay. I can find my way on my own."

The receptionist nodded. With flawless professionalism and politeness, the receptionist escorted Joanne into an elevator. "Then I'll tell Special Assistant Gavin not to come down. This is President Lambert's private elevator. It'll take you straight to him."

Just as the receptionist released the elevator button, Joanne asked her to wait. "Can you tell Gavin not to let Brian know that I'm here?"

The receptionist nodded with a smile. "Will do."

Joanne thanked the receptionist. The elevator doors slowly closed. Soon, the high-speed elevator rose, climbing the floors swiftly.

A ding sounded when the elevator reached the top floor. The doors slid open, and the view of a small lobby entered Joanne's line of sight. The design of the lobby was similar to that of a living room. A couch and a coffee table sat in one corner. There were a few greenery and potted plants as well, all of which immaculately cared for. But once she walked past the lobby, it was as if she entered another realm.

She stood amidst a spacious cubicle divided by transparent glass walls into three sections. Men and women in formal attire bustled about. In every corner, sounds of fingers clicking on keyboards and voices conversing into phones in various foreign languages could be heard. It was as if the entire space revolved in haste with everyone in it chasing after time.

Noticing Joanne's arrival, Gavin came out of his office. "Oh, you're here."

Following Gavin's greeting, it was as if someone pressed a pause button. The hustle and bustle in the office halted instantly. Everyone stopped what they did and glanced in the direction of Joanne. After they overcame their surprise, the polite greetings poured in. The title "Madam" was thrown out here and there. Still unaccustomed with such a title, Joanne returned everyone's greetings with humble nods. She gestured at Gavin and they both headed to one side. "Does Brian know I'm here?" she asked Gavin in a low voice.

"Nope. I got the call from the receptionist. So I didn't ask the secretary to alert him." Gavin exammined Joanne from head to toe. "Madam, you... what are you planning?"

"To scare him!"

"Ah. Perfect timing. I guess I should leave you guys to it, then. Otherwise, I'd be sent off to some godforsaken place again." After that, Gavin reentered his office before walking back out with a stack of documents, all of which he passed to Joanne. "Just pass this to him when you see him. Boss' office is right there."

Joanne headed in the direction that Gavin had pointed out just now. At the end of a hallway, there was an oak door, in front of which stood Daisy, Brian's secretary. Daisy was not surprised at all despite seeing the stack of documents Joanne carried. "Mrs. President," Daisy greeted before she knocked on the door. "President, some documents are about to be sent in for you."

Brian's voice rang out through the oak door. "Enter."

Daisy pushed the door open for Joanne, who thanked her politely. Joanne ambled into Brian's office.

She traversed the wide entryway of Brian's office and took in its entirety. The style was exactly the same as his bedroom, which used dark colors as its main theme. Stacks of documents lay piled on his desk, but instead of a messy heap, they were neatly organized.

The office looked spacious and orderly. Beyond the French windows lay the dozens of skyscrapers and office buildings forming the hallmarks of the CBD. Further away was the river which nourished the entire A City. Looking down from here, the size of the river diminished considerably. Even The Quayline, lying on the opposite side of the river, seemed rather distant.

Brian sat behind his desk, pouring over documents. He held a fountain pen in his hand between his fingers. The sleeve of his white shirt peeked out from underneath his blazer, covering his wrists. He looked so elegant and refined. Joanne liked the fact that even the tiniest details about him sped up a person's pulse.

She placed the documents on his desk and spoke in a fake voice. "President, I'll set the documents here."

Brian hummed without raising his head. "Ask Daisy to make me a cup of coffee."

"Will do."

Joanne walked out of the office, her high heels clicking all the way. She asked Daisy where the break room was.

Daisy pointed at a direction and told Joanne the exact cabinet containing Brian's coffee cup. Finally, Daisy added thoughtfully, "Mrs. President, the President only puts sugar in his coffee. He doesn't like it too sweet. He also dislikes coffee that has too much milk in it."

"Thank you."

Joanne headed to the break room and was surprised to find that even the break room in this place was spacious. Other than the bar table at the center, there was a full set of rattan recreational furniture near the window. The cabinets were fully stocked with coffee and tea. A far cry from that sorry excuse of a break room back at the police station.

She made Brian's coffee while entertaining envious thoughts. She brought the coffee back to the office and walked around behind his desk where he sat. From behind him, she set down the coffee cup on his desk, right beside his hand. "President Lambert, your coffee is ready."

When the words left her mouth, she realized something: she had forgotten to mimic Daisy's voice!

While making her escape, she sneaked a glance at Brian and found, much to her surprise, that he had not realized her mistake at all!

"Didn't he recognize my voice?" she thought.

Joanne abandoned all thoughts of escaping. Instead, she walked closer and scrutinized Brian's profile. He really was handsome, so much so that he made anyone blush. Heck, she figured she could forgive him just for that alone. Before she took her leave, Brian grasped her hand. A second later, she fell butt-first onto Brian's lap. His arms snaked around her waist intimately, holding her tight.

She blushed rose red and her pulse raced.

"But we're at the office! Is this really appropriate?" she thought.

Joanne was just about to free herself from Brian's grasp when all of a sudden, his hand grabbed a handful of her hair. He said in a deep voice, "Daisy, have you changed your hairstyle?"

Ka-boom!

It was as if a roaring thunder struck her head, causing an explosion. Joanne's mind went blank. Her entire body grew stiff...

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