Their eyes met, the air silent.
Charlotte Thompson’s face stiffened, then she pretended as if nothing had happened, standing in front of the desk, giving a slight nod, her voice calm as a still lake: "Mr. Battleson."
Hearing this, Justin Battleson nodded, his eyes lowered to hide the complex emotions that flickered in their depths.
He set down the document he was holding, and in a soft voice asked the woman before him: "How is the progress of the project?"
At his words, Charlotte appeared doubtful, and answered in confusion: "Mr. Battleson, I’ve only been back at the company for less than two hours."
After a moments silence, Justin chuckled bitterly.
He only wanted to have more contact with her. Can’t she see that?
Sighing slightly in his heart, Justin’s lips tightened into a straight line, difficulty apparent as he broached the subject: "I heard from Michael Richard... that there are some rumours in the design department?"
Charlotte crossed her arms but neither confirmed nor denied his claim.
Justin Battleson silently stared at her, continuing to probe, "Why didn’t you explain Chad and Jack’s backgrounds?"
He had deliberately avoided the design department, wanting to gauge her attitude towards these two children.
At his words, Charlotte paused and grinned lightly, leaning her head to the side, "Explain what?"
Not waiting for him to respond, she chuckled, "In my eyes, Chad and Jack are my own flesh and blood. Besides, I won’t be in the company much longer."
She hesitated for a moment, her tone nonchalant: "Also, once I’ve progressed the necklace design, I am going to resign soon. I don’t see the need to deal with these people."
Upon hearing this, the man before her stiffened, his lips pursed without uttering a word.
An inexplicable feeling slowly spread in his heart, his eyes lowered, his mind replaying Charlotte’s words.
Is she really going to resign soon...
Does it mean...I can’t keep her?
Once again, the atmosphere became silent. Charlotte stood straight in front of the desk, her breathing even slower.
After a long while, Justin Battleson started tapping the table with his fingernails. He stood up, slowly walked to Charlotte, considered his words, and then suggested: "It’s almost noon. Why don’t we go out for lunch together?" Chapters first released on n0velfire.net
At his words, Charlotte unconsciously took a step back, her waist hitting the hard office desk, leaving no room to retreat.
She awkwardly turned her head away, "I have many things to do, so I can’t go."
As soon as her words fell, the man in front of her suddenly moved closer, shrinking the distance between them in an instant.
Charlotte’s mind went blank. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
The two are only several centimetres apart, close enough to see each other’s facial hair, and feel each other’s breath on their faces.
For some reason, Charlotte’s heart began to race, her cheeks reddening.
She pursed her lips, "What are you doing?"
The man’s eyes were slightly squinted, and he rested his arms on the desk behind her, effectively trapping her in a small confined space.
A wave of heat surged to her cheeks, leaving them flushed red.
Justin Battleson looked at her seriously, as though she was the only person in his eyes.
The gap between them shortened centimetre by centimetre. Justin’s lips were close enough to touch hers. Charlotte, snapping back to reality, quickly turned her head.
But Justin didn’t miss this opportunity, he reached out his hand to hold her by the back of the head, and kissed her deeply...