Chapter 128: People Coming and Going
Grayson saw Sarah and Liam leave the room, watching Neville’s reaction. His expression became unreadable, though none of it showed on his face.
Instead, he spoke in a light, almost casual murmur.
"Relationships aren’t ideal right now," he said, eyes drifting lazily to the holographic display. "With the number of ongoing projects, everyone’s swamped. No one really has the time to date seriously."
The tone was mild, offhand, but the meaning slipped through and couldn’t be clearer to the people who heard it.
Neville froze for half a second.
He definitely heard that.
His gaze instantly darted to Grayson, eyebrows drawn in confusion. "Huh?"
But Grayson wasn’t looking at him anymore. His expression was cool, unreadable, as if the comment had really been directed at no one in particular—like it was just a floating thought spoken out loud.
Neville felt something odd in that comment. He wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Relationships? Seriously date? Why did he even think of that? And to whom? Is he planning to date someone?
His mind, annoyingly, thought of Liam leaning a bit too close earlier, the way Liam talked to him with familiarity. But they weren’t that close to begin with.
What relationship? Between who? Neville wondered, bewildered. If it’s Liam, we’re not that close. I only met Liam three times. Three! That barely counts as knowing someone.
Neville really felt wronged at this thought. He was about to say something when the door opened again, showing two people rapidly entering in succession.
Julius entered first—fast, focused, and without sparing a glance at anyone else in the room. He moved directly across the office until he stood in front of Grayson. Without hesitation, he lowered his voice so low that Neville could barely hear it, even with enhanced hearing.
A few thin memory chips slid from Julius’s fingers into Grayson’s hand, a silent exchange.
Neville blinked. Where did this man disappear to?
It seemed that each time Neville blinked, this Julius guy would appear and disappear in a second. Given the short time Neville had been in the Maxwell Corporation, he didn’t seem to have seen this man even once.
What exactly does this Julius even do here? Assistant? Analyst? Spy? Enforcer?
The thought made Neville glance between the two men again.
The closeness between Julius and Grayson was... noticeable. The way Julius leaned in, the way Grayson subtly tilted his head toward him. Their interaction was seamless, and they were visibly...close with some level of tacit understanding.
Neville frowned without realizing it.
A strange, tight, sharp, and almost stinging emotion pricked at his chest. It twisted inside him until his expression tightened.
He didn’t realize the change—but someone else in the room did.
Keaton.
Standing off to the side as someone who was absolutely not welcome in this place. He was trying hard to make his presence known, but to no avail. So, Keaton was stuck quietly observing.
His sharp eyes caught every flicker of Neville’s expression—from the brief frown to the small, nearly imperceptible change in his posture. Keaton didn’t comment, but the slight narrowing of his eyes showed he had noticed something Neville was trying to hide.
Before Neville had time to dwell on his thoughts, the second person who had entered the office after Julius finally approached him.
Iris.
Unlike Sarah, who rushed to Neville’s side, grabbed him immediately, Iris paused at the threshold of the unusually crowded office. Her eyes swept over the room deliberately, assessing the situation and everyone in the room.
Her gaze lingered a moment longer when she reached near Keaton, who stared right back at her, equally observing. A silent exchange passed between them before Iris continued toward Neville.
She didn’t look overly worried or frantic. But the way her eyes looked at him from head to toe was enough to tell Neville that she noticed everything and took a mental note of it.
She then said, voice dry with sarcasm.
"Sarah’s not going to like this."
Neville was caught off guard, bursting into a grin far too big for someone with an injured mouth.
"Ow—! Damn it—"
Pain shot up from the corner of his lip, sharp and immediate, making him wince and grab the edge of the sofa.
His face crumpled. "Okay. I’m not smiling anymore."
Iris raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I thought that’s common sense, but sure."
Still, a hint of amusement curved the corner of her lips. It was as if she already expected that reaction.
"I already saw it," Neville muttered, rubbing lightly on his lips.
The memory of Sarah’s earlier fussing was still fresh on his mind. He honestly expected Iris, who already showed her mother hen nature early on, to react like that, not Sarah.
Iris’s lips quirked slightly, nodding and humming in understanding. Then she turned and slipped to Bryan’s side. After joining him, they immediately got into a low-toned discussion. Whatever they were talking about sounded serious.
His head then began to float.
Literally.
The anti-inflammatory medication had begun to kick in. His limbs felt heavy, warm, and uncooperative. The room grew a little softer around the edges, like someone had dimmed the lights behind his eyes. His eyelids drooped, his back slid down, and he sank into the sofa cushions.
Maybe resting for a bit won’t hurt...
Amid all this movement, Keaton remained exactly where he was.
Awkward.
Still standing near the empty sofas.
He had positioned himself as if expecting someone to invite him to sit, but no one had. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, falling into their natural working rhythm.
Keaton, the now acting CEO of HW Corporation, looked strangely... out of place.
Like he wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to assert authority or politely wait his turn.
Neville, through the fog clouding his thoughts, noticed him.
Keaton was trying so hard to look calm and composed. But his stiff shoulders were a dead giveaway. As he cast glances at the empty seats, Neville couldn’t help notice how starkly different this Keaton was to Mick.
When Mick first came to Maxwell Corporation, he just pranced around, throwing his weight here and there without consideration. Recalling this and comparing these two made Neville feel a pang of sympathy for Keaton.
Even though Keaton technically outranked everyone here except Grayson, this was still the Maxwell Corporation’s territory. And here, the power hierarchy worked differently, placing Keaton’s importance into uncertainty.
He was an outsider.
Neville struggled to sit a little straighter. His hand lifted sluggishly but politely as he gestured to the sofa across from him.
"Please, sit."
Keaton’s eyes widened, surprise written on his face. He blinked once, twice, as if to confirm Neville was actually speaking to him. Feeling that his thoughts were a little silly, his expression immediately softened.
"...Thank you," he said with a gentle voice.
He moved to take the offered seat, adjusting his expensive jacket before sitting. Still, he couldn’t help but glance between Neville and the others, continuing his previous thoughts.
How familiar is this ’employee’ in this office that he can casually invite a ’guest’ to sit? He didn’t even ask Grayson! Can anyone do this without asking permission from the person who owns this office?
Keaton’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
But Neville didn’t notice. Or maybe he did, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
The medication was making him too tired. He let his head drop back against the cushions as he listened with half an ear to the low hum of conversations around him.
Then, Grayson, out of the corner of his eye, saw Neville and Keaton’s interaction. His eyes narrowed, unintentionally cold.
Julius saw that and asked, "Sir?"
Grayson looked back at Julius.
"Nothing." He said and turned his attention to Keaton, "Let’s continue this conversation later."
Julius understood and said, "I’ll be going now."
Grayson nodded and didn’t see Julius out.
"Mr. Hewitt," he called out with a calm tone.
Keaton then looked at Grayson and at Neville, who was clearly already groggy and barely able to open his eyes.
"Are we really going to talk with...these people here?" Keaton asked carefully, albeit awkwardly.
"Is there a problem?" Grayson asked, tilting his head slightly as if confused.
Then he saw Iris approaching Neville to cover him with a blanket to rest. Grayson pursed his lips for a second but didn’t say anything.
Keaton looked around and saw that nobody was really bothered about this situation aside from him. He took a moment to adjust and compose himself.
He smiled and said lightly, "I didn’t think that you would let an ’employee’ sit in and listen to our conversation."
Bryan, who had just seen Iris out, raised an eyebrow. He said, deliberately or not, "He is not just an ’employee’, Mr. Hewitt."
Now it was Keaton’s turn to raise an eyebrow and wait for him to continue.
Bryan smiled maliciously, "This ’employee’ is one of the best ’employees’ we have. He won the proposal competition."
Keaton couldn’t hide the surprise on his face. "That orphan?"
"I’d like for you to refrain from any derogatory comments if you have any." Bryan kindly warned, keeping Grayson’s reaction in check.
