---- Karen felt irritated. What business is it of yours whether I have something else to say? I''m greeting MY boss-what''s it to you? You''re just eye candy. Once he gets bored, he''ll throw you away. Do you really think you''ll marry into wealth and be a socialite? Though these thoughts ran through her mind, Karen didn''t dare express them with Asher present. She put on a fake smile and said to Asher, "Mr. ckwood, I won''t disturb you any further.


    Bye!" Asher responded with an emotionless "Mm." Karen turned away, her smile vanishing in an instant. Internally, she bitterly criticized Thalia. Hmph, what are you so smug about? Sooner orter, he''ll ---- dump you. After Karen left, Asher keenly sensed Thalia''s mood shift. "What''s wrong, Lia?" "That woman seemed to have some strange hostility toward me. Asher frowned slightly.


    "What makes you say that?" Asher had barely looked at Karen, so he naturally hadn''t noticed the contempt and mockery that shed in her eyes. But Thalia had. "The way she looked at me was very unfriendly," Thalia said tly. She gave Asher a knowing half-smile. "Another admirer of yours?" Asher looked confused. "What?" "The way she looked at you-she''s clearly interested." Hearing this, Asher''s brow furrowed. He exined, "She just ---- transferred from our branch office.


    I''ve never spoken to her about anything other than work." Thalia made a nomittal sound. "Let''s eat." A few dayster, Sienna Carroll''s case went to the appeals court. As expected, the appete court upheld the original verdict. Still one year in prison. Sienna was formally taken into the women''s prison. That evening, Thalia and several colleagues went to a club to unwind, where they unexpectedly encountered Drake Ashcroft.


    As Thalia and her colleagues walked down a hallway, they passed a private room. The door happened to open as a server walked out. Thalia nced inside, and what she saw startled her. ---- She spotted Drake wearing the club''s uniform-white shirt, ck vest, and ck trousers-entertaining a woman in her forties. Since handling Trump Ashcroft and Magret''s divorce case, Thalia hadn''t seen Drake. It had been almost two months.


    During this time, Drake had finally stopped pursuing and bothering her. Thalia''s gaze briefly met Drake''s. Drake''s face paled. Thalia had no visible reaction. She discreetly looked away and continued chatting with her colleagues as they walked toward their reserved room, acting as if she hadn''t seen anything. Their reserved room was spacious-a suite with a karaoke room, card room, billiards room, and dining area.


    Lucy and Katie were singing their hearts out in the karaoke room, Thalia, not interested in singing, sat on a nearby sofa eating fruit and listening to them. ---- na sat beside her, ying a match-three game. Rupert, Justin, Christine, and another newwyer gathered in the card room ying mahjong. At the mahjong table.


    Justin Felton, Rupert''s good friend and one of the firm''s partners, gossipped: "Any luck with her?" Justin and Rupert were college ssmates and had been close friends for many years. He naturally knew about Rupert''s feelings for Thalia. Rupert''s expression remained neutral as he calmly yed his tile, feigning ignorance. "With what?" "Don''t y dumb with me," Justin raised an eyebrow.


    "Have you made any progress with Thalia?" Justin hadn''t attended Lucia''s cruise party and didn''t move in the same social circles as Lucia, Asher, and their wealthy friends. He was unaware that Thalia and Asher had reconciled. This wasn''t surprising-Thalia always kept her personal life separate from work at the firm. ---- Since their reconciliation, Asher had visited Thalia at the firm several times.


    With the office door closed, no one knew what they discussed, and Justin assumed it was work-rted. Christine tilted her head, ears perked up for gossip. She had long noticed that Rupert''s feelings for Thalia were unusual, but it was their private business, so she hadn''t pried. Now that someone else had brought it up, she listened intently. Rupert stared at his mahjong tiles, not even lifting his eyelids. "Why ask so many questions?"