It had been half an hour, and that woman still hadn’t come out of the office.
Eleanor Hollis felt like she was about to lose it, as if she were a fish being fried in a pan, her whole body aching.
In the end, she picked up a cup of coffee and brought it in for Hugo Quinn.
As soon as she opened the door, her gaze darted around, seemingly searching for evidence of any indiscretion.
But Hugo and the woman were sitting properly on the sofa, and when they saw her come in, they nodded naturally. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩
If they were having an affair, they wouldn’t be so natural, would they?
Thinking this, Eleanor placed the coffee in front of Hugo.
"President Quinn, your coffee."
Hugo was startled, as he hadn’t asked her to bring coffee because he was watching a movie and didn’t want to be disturbed, so he left the task to someone else.
"Bring a cup for Miss Rhodes too."
He said to Eleanor, sounding very relaxed.
Eleanor gritted her teeth. This man had no shame, actually asking her to serve coffee to his mistress. Was he doing this to embarrass her?
Rose Rhodes, sitting opposite, nodded gracefully, realizing she was indeed thirsty after so much talking.
"Thank you, Miss Hollis."
Eleanor feigned a smile.
Once out of the office, her mind was a tangle of anger that she couldn’t disperse.
She went to fetch another cup of coffee, tightening her grip, afraid she might throw it at the woman’s head.
But when she entered the office, she put on a smile again and placed the coffee in front of Rose.
Rose nodded and took a sip, "Thank you."
After serving the coffee, Eleanor seemingly had no reason to stay but didn’t want to leave, so she stood by Hugo’s side.
Hugo turned to look at her, blinking his eyes.
"Why haven’t you gone out yet?"
Eleanor felt stifled inside, thinking he was deliberately sending her away so she wouldn’t hear their conversation.
She bit her lip, but eventually, she left, looking back three times as she slowly closed the door. Just before it shut completely, she left a crack and stood at the door, straining her ears to hear what they were discussing.
Inside the office, Rose soon noticed the shadow at the door, knowing Eleanor was standing there quietly, finding it amusing.
Didn’t she know that light would cast a great shadow on the ground?
They could see it clearly inside, and even Hugo’s face was helpless.
"Spoiled her too much,"
he said, rubbing his temple, seeing the shadow pressing its ear harder against the door, his mouth twitching.
"I find Miss Hollis quite adorable, it seems like you’re keeping it quite a secret from her."
Hugo shook his head, taking a sip of coffee.
"I want to surprise her; if I told her, the surprise would be ruined."
"You really are thoughtful,"
Rose said softly, smiling.
Knowing Eleanor was eavesdropping, they intentionally lowered their voices.
At first, Eleanor could hear a little bit, but eventually, she couldn’t hear anything at all.
Disappointed, she closed the door and sat gloomily at her desk.
So Hugo was indeed cheating; it was heartbreaking.
Another half-hour passed, and finally, Rose came out, stopping to glance at her as she passed by.
But immersed in the pain of Hugo’s infidelity, Eleanor naturally interpreted the glance as a provocation.
Rose smiled and then left.
Eleanor felt even more uncomfortable. She was smiling? Was she being dismissive of Eleanor?
Thinking of this, the fire she’d desperately tried to suppress flared up again.
Even at lunch, she was still in a huff.
When Gloria Galloway came up with her tray, she saw Eleanor’s furious expression and quickly sat down next to her.
"What’s wrong with you? Do you know your face is practically screaming ’unhappy wife’ right now?"
Eleanor reined in her angry look and listlessly poked at the rice in her bowl, having no appetite at all.
Meanwhile, Gloria was devouring her food with great joy.
"Is it relationship problems? Tell me, maybe I can come up with a solution."
Eleanor opened her mouth to say Hugo might have a mistress, but speaking ill of his reputation wasn’t good, so she closed it again, continuing to gloomily poke at her rice.
Suddenly, Gloria grabbed her hand, speaking dramatically, "Is Hugo cheating?"
Eleanor stiffened, looking at her in shock.
"He really cheated, huh? Can’t be. I didn’t think Hugo was like that."
Gloria took another bite of rice, placing a drumstick in Eleanor’s bowl.
"Think about it. Even when Hugo was with Grace Lynch and didn’t like her at all, he didn’t cheat. It shows he’s not that kind of guy. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding, not to mention he genuinely likes you. I’m never wrong about these things."
Though inexperienced in love, Gloria’s confidence was unfazed.
Eleanor glanced at her skeptically, finding her words unreliable.
"Just eat, look at the state you’re in. Even if he cheated, what then? You got through Nathaniel Quinn’s affair, another betrayal’s not new."
Black lines formed on Eleanor’s forehead—what kind of friend was this?
"He’s different from Nathaniel,"
she said, frowning, as Hugo and Nathaniel were not the same.
With Nathaniel, she knew he didn’t love her, without any expectations, and never felt like they were truly dating.
Hugo had become a significant part of her life quite unconsciously, even while entwined at night, he tenderly called her name over and over, making him perhaps a vital person without realizing it. Breaking up would hurt more than losing a limb.
To women, habits are frightening. Once accustomed to a man’s presence, parting becomes especially terrifying.
"All men are the same. Eleanor, if you really feel insecure, just be straightforward with him—security is something you give yourself."
Gloria was always , blunt with everyone, rarely overthinking, always getting straight to the point, though perhaps due to her lack of romantic experience.