Chapter 125: Confused Keaton
Bryan also noticed Liam. He looked at him with an expression, ’Until where do you plan to follow us?’.
But Liam had this expression that seemed to say, ’I’m here just in case there was a need to file testimonies for legal purposes’.
Seeing that the other had no plan on backing out, Bryan just shrugged and let him be.
Meanwhile, Keaton kept on ’secretly’ glancing at Neville, then at Bryan, clearly trying to piece together a certain puzzle.
Who was this employee who stood close to Chief Secretary Stewart? Why were they using Grayson’s private lift? Was it publicly accessible now?
But he kept his questions to himself. After all, reading the room was one of the most important skills in the corporate world.
The ride up was silent and awkward. Five people weren’t enough to fill up Grayson’s private lift, but it certainly felt unusual to have this many people in it. Neville kept his eyes on the digital display that was counting the floor, hyper-aware that Grayson was standing behind him, looking at him.
He must’ve done something wrong for Grayson to act like this.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal the secretarial department floor. The usually lively but still harmonious atmosphere was replaced by a barely contained chaos. Small clusters of employees stood and gathered in whispered conversations.
"Hope!"
A shout came from afar; it was Sarah who was rushing through the crowd. Her eyes went wide after getting a clear look at Neville.
When she reached their group, Sarah immediately stretched out her hands and checked on his face. She hovered near but not quite touching the visible injuries.
"What the heck happened? I heard there was a commotion and—" Her words cut off abruptly as Bryan gently but firmly tugged the back of her collar, creating distance between her and Neville.
With a pleasant smile, he asked, "Where’s Dr. Zhao?"
Making it clear that she should focus on the important part. Sarah finally noticed the crowd of people that was with Neville. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Grayson, Keaton, and Liam. She immediately straightened up her shoulders and put on her professional mask, albeit tilting her head slightly at the sight of Liam.
"She’s been waiting," Sarah seriously answered Bryan.
Doctor? Neville confusedly thought. Was all this really necessary? They were scratches and bruises, but surely nothing that required a doctor’s attention. Based on previous incidents, he seemed to have excellent regenerative abilities. These scratches were nothing.
But looking at their expressions, he suspected that arguing would be pointless.
Bryan moved forward, naturally assuming the role of leader as he guided their group toward Grayson’s office. The crowd parted before them like water, employees stepping aside with varying expressions of concern, curiosity, and speculation.
"I thought it was just a commotion and a few scratches," Sarah said as she walked alongside them. "Why did he end up looking like that?"
Liam, who had been silent until now, spoke without hesitation.
"It’s an assault."
The word hung heavy in the air. Neville just continued walking as if he didn’t hear them.
"I heard the second young master was there," Sarah continued, her tone suggesting she already knew the answer but wanted confirmation.
"He was, and his assistant too," Liam confirmed.
Sarah made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "I thought it would be over after last time."
Liam’s eyes widened. "Last time?"
"Yes. Haven’t you heard about it? It was pretty bad." Sarah said ready to unleash whatever she had been holding back all this time.
Neville fought the urge to tell Sarah to shut up. But Sarah was on a roll now. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut, especially when Liam was there to accommodate her.
Keaton, walking slightly behind the main group, felt sweat gathering at his collar.
He was aware that he bore at least partial responsibility for the situations that kept arising around this particular employee.
Mick’s behavior had been getting progressively worse, and Keaton had... not ignored it. Not exactly, but he certainly did not intervene as strongly as he should have. Even after getting a warning from Grayson, he thought confining Mick would suffice, but... here he was.
But what puzzled him the most was why this specific employee kept getting targeted.
What made him special? He was just a new employee, right?
Yet, looking at everyone around him—Bryan Stewart, Sarah Gringer, even this... Liam? He seemed to have some high position in this company, too—acted as if this employee was close to them. Then his gaze turned to Grayson, who walked at the front of their group, pretty much sure that he was one of those people, too.
These people are obviously very protective of him, Keaton thought. So who is this guy really?
They reached Grayson’s office, and the door opened.
Dr. Zhao was already there, her medical kit open on Grayson’s desk. She looked up as they entered, her sharp eyes immediately focusing on Neville. Although she was already informed beforehand, she still couldn’t help but press her lips into a thin line. She made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat.
"Sit," she commanded, pointing at the sofa. "And someone explain to me why I’m treating assault injuries in a company that had nothing but files, chips, and quantum computers?"
Neville sat, too tired to argue. The moment his body was nestled into a comfortable sitting position, his body began to catch up with the adrenaline crash.
Grayson moved to sit behind his desk, but his eyes never left Neville. Bryan positioned himself near the door, effectively blocking any escape routes. Sarah hovered anxiously nearby, with Liam having taken up a spot against the nearby wall where he could observe everything.
Keaton stood uncertainly near the entrance, clearly realizing that he should’ve come by tomorrow. Now the situation was progressing to something beyond his understanding.
How could a mere employee be treated in the CEO’s office? And why is nobody saying anything against it?
