Chapter 26: What Is Going On Here
Michael’s actions stunned everyone in the cafeteria, including Wendy. She thought, is Michael really joining us at the same table?
Even though Wendy was shocked, she did not wish to continue staying in such an environment.
Otherwise, she just might go mad.
"We’re done with our meals, please enjoy yours," as Wendy spoke, she grabbed Zen, intending to leave.
This time, Christian did not stop Wendy. He knew that someone else would say something.
Just as he had expected, Michael made a comment while eating with his head bowed,
"You want to leave the moment I sit down. Am that scary to you?"
Wendy’s stopped in her tracks. She swallowed hard. The surrounding people watching them had been scared into silence. Everyone knew that Wendy used to be Michael’s assistant. Why was this situation so much tenser than they had expected?
Yvonne remained standing where she was, clearly at a loss. She never imagined that Michael would desert her and really sit down at their table. After hearing what Michael had said, she immediately went to get a portion of food for herself, too.
Upon returning, Yvonne walked over to the place where Wendy had previously been sitting.
Smiling, she said, "Since Miss Stewart has finished her meal and wishes to leave, she can do so. I’ll stay and accompany you all."
"Since someone else wants to Sit here, it is not appropriate for me and Zen to continue staying here." Wendy smiled lightly as she said in a deliberate manner, "After all, I’m not a fan of taking what belongs to someone else. Moreover, I don’t like leaving my friends behind."
On the surface, Wendy was talking about the seat. But on a deeper level, she was talking about Yvonne, who enjoyed taking away what belonged to her. Of course, Wendy no longer harbored any loving sentiments toward Michael.
Her words were purely out of spite.
Zen did not expect Wendy to speak in such a confident manner after just a few days of not seeing her. In the past, Wendy would never dare to assert herself so firmly before Michael, much less make such a mocking statement.
In the eyes of the spectators, Wendy had regained her confidence solely because she had the backing of the vice-president now.
Wendy was sure that Michael would become furious and ignore her. This time, however, Wendy’s guess was wrong.
Michael stared at Yvonne. In a calm and neutral tone, he said, "Go and sit over there."
This table was only meant for four people. They sat facing each other, with Michael and Christian on the same side. The reason why Wendy had announced that she did not like leaving her friends behind was so she could hinder Christian’s plans to provoke Michael.
Christian wanted to agitate Michael, and now that Michael was here, it was very likely that Christian would have forced Wendy to stay.
Wendy never expected that Michael would be the one to speak up instead of Christian.
Yvonne stared incredulously at Michael. Her tone grew increasingly aggrieved as she said, "Michael, are you talking to me?"
"Yeah," replied Michael in a harsh, nasal voice.
After getting Michael’s confirmation, Yvonne could not pretend to turn a deaf ear. But asking her to give up her seat to Wendy was simply a huge injustice to her.
"Michael, I..."
Yvonne had just opened her mouth when Michael waved his hand and repeated himself, "Go and sit over there first."
Yvonne did not dare to offend Michael, as she knew that he was already angry. Since he had requested the same thing repeatedly, Yvonne could only obey. Holding her plate, Yvonne sat down at the adjacent table reluctantly. She had lost her appetite. Unable to help herself, she gazed over at Michael.
Michael’s words had forced the company employees to re-examine what they thought they knew. They thought that the president hated Wendy. It was difficult to believe that he was asking Yvonne to sit elsewhere because of Wendy. They could not help but wonder what exactly was going on.
Nobody saw Christian’s smile grow even more profound.
"Stay and join us," said Michael without looking up.
Wendy and Zen exchanged a look. They both looked frightened. It was very out of character for Michael to behave like this.
Gathering her courage, Wendy replied, "I’ve been here for a long time, and my food has already gone cold. It’s no good to eat anymore."
Michael turned to an employee sitting nearby him and instructed, "Go and get a new portion for Miss Stewart."
Soon afterward, a new plate of warm food sat before Wendy. She swallowed hard and said helplessly, "I’m really full."
"In that case, just stay here and watch us eat," said Michael as he tilted his head toward Christian. Turning back to Wendy, he said, "Aren’t you the vice-president’s assistant? You should manage his personal needs on top of work responsibilities. If he needs anything while eating, shouldn’t you take care of it? You can leave after the vice-president is done with his meal too."
This sounded a bit extreme to Wendy. Michael’s assertion that she had to manage Christian’s personal needs was one thing. But on the other hand, during her time as Michael’s assistant, she had never once sat down with him for a meal, which made it ridiculous that he would say any of these things to her now. Of course, Michael had never wanted her company.
Wendy glanced at Christian, hoping that he would help her get out of this. However, Christian remained quiet, as if he were simply watching a show as the situation unfolded.
Wendy thought herself stupid for having expected him to help. She thought, isn’t this exactly what Christian wants? How can I expect him to help me? Since there was nothing she could do, Wendy sat back down.
Zen observed their movements and was too afraid to speak up. Both leaving and staying seemed out of the question, both options putting her in an awkward position. Seeing that Wendy had taken her seat once again, Zen could only follow suit. Subsequently, she kept her head bowed, picking at her food in silence.
The atmosphere could not be any more tense. The employees surrounding them had lost the courage to gossip openly a long time ago. They remained sitting far away and would glance over every now and then for new developments.
Anyone could tell that there was something off with this situation.
Wendy sat there blankly. She remained quiet and would take a few bites of her food from time to time.
Finally, Christian grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. Rising, he said with a smile, "I’m done eating. Please enjoy."
His declaration was a form of release for Wendy. She quickly set down her chopsticks and stood up, murmuring, "Since the vice president is done with his meal, I should get going too."
With that, she glanced at Yvonne and then back at Michael and continued, "Mr. Lucas, please take your time. If there is anything you need, please let Miss Taylor know."
Yvonne was holding her chopsticks, but she had not taken a single bite. She had been furious from the start, and when she heard Wendy’s mocking words, her face twisted with more rage.
This time, Michael had no retort. Just as he had previously declared, Wendy could not leave before the vice-president did. Now that the vice-president wanted to leave, it was only natural that Wendy could follow suit.
After leaving the cafeteria, Wendy heaved a big sigh of relief.
Zen followed beside Wendy. When they arrived at somewhere less crowded, she whispered, "Wendy, what the hell is going on here? How did you become the vice-president’s assistant? And most importantly, it seemed like the president was jealous just now?"
Jealous? Wendy could not help but chuckle when she heard that. She shook her head. She thought, Zen thinks that Michael is jealous over me? What a joke.
When they reached the elevator, Christian turned his head and asked, "Are you returning to the office with me or staying here to chat with your friend?"
Zen badly wanted to find out about the situation. Smiling, she quickly said, "It’s not time to resume work yet. Is it okay if I continue chatting with Wendy?"
Christian nodded, indicating his approval.
Christian returned to his office alone. Zen and Wendy found an empty lounge. After entering, Zen immediately shut the door and turned around. She asked Wendy, "My dear girl, please explain what is going on here."
Wendy could hear the concern in Zen’s curious tone. She knew that her friend was genuinely worried about her. Lowering her head, Wendy looked at her trembling fingers and sighed. She said, Zen, my situation is becoming more and more complicated. It’s best if you don’t ask about them.
"It’s precisely because it’s so complicated now that I want to know. Let me see if there is anything that I can do to help you," Zen replied. "Your marriage was a mistake. You’re all alone at MC Enterprise without anyone to back you up. If I don’t help you, no one else will."
"I know that you’re doing this for my own good," said Wendy as she raised her head and saw the sincerity in Zen’s expectant gaze. Stl, she did not relent. She continued, "Zen, it has always been your dream to work as a designer at MC Enterprise. Now that you’re here, I don’t want my affairs to end up implicating you."
After all, Wendy would definitely leave MC Enterprise, Michael, and Christian in the future. If Zen knew too much about what was going on right now, she might interfere. In that case, she would easily become implicated. If that happened, losing her job might not be a big deal compared to the other consequences she would suffer.
"Wendy, we have been best friends since university. We used to wear the same clothes and use the same make-up. Moreover, you were the one who helped me to finish drawing the design submissions for my examinations. I can confidently say that the reason why I made it into MC Enterprise is because of you. If you didn’t help me through the design course in school, I would never have gotten my current job. So, please don’t be afraid that I will end up losing this job."
Zen’s words were sincere. She was very grateful to Wendy for the help that she had offered throughout their time as students. Wendy had truly taught her a lot. The more Zen said, the more afraid Wendy was to get her friend caught up in her messy affairs.
"There’s nothing you can do to help me, even if you know what’s going on." Wendy smiled, took her hand, and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely ask you for help if I need it. You’ve been lending me money all these years. If not for you, I would have starved to death a long time ago."
Since Wendy was so insistent, Zen could not continue to pressure her.
"Fine," said Zen with a sigh. "Please come to me if you ever need any help"
"Don’t worry," said Wendy as she glanced at the time and stood up. "It’s getting late; I should go back to the office."
When Wendy returned to the vice-president’s office, she heard gaming sounds coming from Christian’s laptop. She frowned slightly, feeling surprised. Christian did not seem like someone who would play games in the office.
"Mr. Lucas, I’m back. Please let me know if you need me to do anything," said Wendy respectfully.
She had over a year of experience in being a personal assistant, and she knew exactly how she should behave toward her superior.
"Do you play games?" asked Christian without even looking up at her. His fingers flew across the keyboard at an astonishing speed.
"Ah?" His question left Wendy feeling stumped.
Christian halted his movements, but a look of disappointment and annoyance surfaced on his face.
Then, he pushed his keyboard aside and grumbled unhappily, "What a lousy game."
This was Wendy’s first time witnessing Christian play online games. He appeared to have a temper.
But Christian quickly recovered from his unhappiness. Gazing at Wendy, he said, "I am just a title, idling my time in this company, so your role is naturally an empty one as well. But don’t worry, I won’t mistreat you. I know that Michael only paid you five thousand dollars of salary when you worked for him, and that he would deduct money from it for various reasons. I’ll pay you a salary ten times higher than that, and I promise you not to deduct any money from it."
