Chapter 561: Chapter 561 Rival Encounter_1
In the afternoon, at the Rose Iron Prison reception desk.
"Why have you come again? The chief is still working. Please come back after work," Veronica said to Deborah Awen standing before her.
"I just wanted to leave a message, to let him know that I’m waiting for him," Deborah smiled, "And also, that I really miss him."
Veronica shuddered internally at the other’s overly sweet words.
What’s going on? How can she say such things so naturally—could it be that she has made some progress with the chief... or even established a relationship, or perhaps taken it even further...
But soon she controlled her emotions and maintained her composure, thinking calmly: if this woman had made progress in her relationship with the chief, their meetings would be more private.
If the chief had already established some kind of... more intimate relationship with her, there was no need for Deborah to come here during working hours to arrange a meeting. Veronica knew that her boss was generally good at keeping work and private life separate.
After two seconds of thought, Veronica concluded: there had been no substantive progress between the other party and the chief, and there was no need to be flustered.
"If you want to see him, go through the proper procedures and submit an application, provided the chief approves," Veronica pointed to the reception window, speaking in an official tone, then raised her hand and pointed to the door, "If you have a message to relay, please drop it in the warden’s mailbox. Personal matters, except in emergencies, will not be passed on directly—I’m not your messenger. Thank you. Furthermore, what you just said could easily create misunderstandings about the chief’s personal conduct. Please be mindful of the impact."
"Miss Officer, your attitude seems a bit cold," said Deborah, staring into Veronica’s eyes.
"That’s because I’m working. Also, the reception area is reserved for visitors—please don’t monopolize public resources," Veronica gestured towards the outside with a spread of her hands.
Deborah tapped her chin with her finger, thinking, then suddenly launched a barb, "Miss Officer, you like Mr. Aiden, don’t you?"
Her secret being exposed, Veronica felt her heartbeat stop for a moment.
In her panic, she opened her mouth to deny it instinctively, but a voice from the depths of her own heart stopped her: No!
At that moment, Veronica vaguely realized that backing down here would mean completely losing her feelings to the person before her.
So she responded as calmly as she could, "Is it so obvious?"
"No, it’s just that for an excellent man like Mr. Aiden, being so close to him as you are, it’s unreasonable not to develop some feelings," Deborah replied as if it were a matter of course.
"That’s a bit of strange logic, but not far from the truth," Veronica calmly replied.
"Can you be more specific?" Deborah narrowed her eyes.
Veronica realized that the other party was hoping she’d evade the subject, and she shouldn’t back down here, either.
"Actually, he saved my life in the past. At first, I was just grateful; because of that, I transferred to this unit and worked hard to become his reliable right hand to relieve his worries. It’s easy to develop feelings when you get closer on such a basis," Veronica calmly continued, "I’ve reached the point where I can’t do without him, so honestly, I do not wish to see you here."
Having completely laid bare her thoughts, Veronica suddenly felt an exhilarating sense of clarity.
That’s right, simply liking someone was never something to be ashamed of.
Deborah was taken aback by the unexpected candor, but then she laughed.
"What if I told you that I’ve already established a relationship with Mr. Aiden?" Deborah clapped her hands suddenly, a mischievous look on her face.
"You might as well have told me directly that you two had relations. Then why would you arrange to meet him at work? You could have spent time with him during his personal time. From what I know about the boss, he wouldn’t like his other half to disturb him at work by not keeping their personal and professional lives separate," Veronica was not easily swayed this time.
Deborah was stunned for a moment, then she smiled after a while, "It seems I have met a difficult love rival indeed..."
Veronica thought the other party was ready to mock her for being presumptuous and began to consider internally how to respond.
However, Deborah continued, "I’m really quite jealous."
This time it was Veronica who was taken aback. Jealous? You’re blessed by fate with stunning looks and seem to have endless amounts of money, why on earth would you be jealous of me?
"After talking to him, I realized that Mr. Aiden is a very cautious person. As a stranger, it’s always hard to get close to him, and even with my conditions, he’s not swayed," Deborah said with a smile, but the look she gave Veronica was not very smiling, "But you, you’ve already become someone he’s close to and trusts, so I really am jealous of you."
"It’s just a matter of who came first," Veronica said emotionlessly, but internally she felt quite delighted.
When you think about it, if looks and money could shorten the distance with the boss, that succubus in the prison would have succeeded long ago.
"I’m so jealous that it makes me want to find a way to get rid of you," Deborah suddenly said.
"Hey!" Veronica was startled; the other party’s gaze seemed serious.
"Of course, I wouldn’t actually do that. Unjust actions go against my principles, and besides, I wouldn’t want him to dislike me," Deborah raised her hands.
Veronica breathed a sigh of relief.
"I’ll wait for him honestly after work, I won’t come to disturb your work anymore, rest assured," Deborah gestured with her hand.
"That would be for the best," Veronica nodded.
"So honest, and here I thought you’d say that you were going to beat me to asking Mr. Aiden out for dinner and send me packing right now," Deborah said.
"You’ve given me an idea," Veronica said, a smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
"That’s a bit underhanded," Deborah raised an eyebrow.
"Just kidding. The boss can judge for himself; I respect his choices," Veronica replied lightly, her mentality had changed after this "heart-to-heart" talk.
Meanwhile, Isabella sitting behind the reception desk window watched the two figures in the distance but couldn’t hear the content of their conversation.
When Veronica passed by her on her way back, Isabella leaned out and asked in a low voice, "Hey, how’s the battle going? Is it okay? You haven’t had your main camp stolen by someone else, have you?"
"Less gossiping, get back to work!" Veronica delivered a karate chop on Isabella’s head.
Isabella went back to her seat, rubbing the top of her head, "Seems like not yet. You have to seize the opportunity. There isn’t one now, but who can say about the future..."
Veronica silently raised her karate chop again.
"Okay, okay, back to work!" Isabella waved her hands repeatedly.
