I let the frustration in my heart spread but did my best to suppress my emotions and the overwhelming feelings threatening to surface.


    "Says who?" Lucas grabbed my hand. "Serena, so what if you''re the maid''s daughter? You didn''t steal or cheat, so you have nothing to be ashamed of. If Xena dares to talk about you like that, I''ll make sure she pays for it."


    Seeing how serious he was, I couldn''t hold it in and burst intoughter. "It''s not that serious. I''m not upset because of that."


    "Why are you upset, then?" Lucas pressed on.


    Just as I was about to make up an excuse, the door swung open, and Alex walked


    in.


    His gaze instantlynded on our hands, and I followed his line of sight. Lucas, caught up in the moment earlier, was still holding my hand.


    I immediately pulled my hand back, and he quickly did the same. We looked like two teenagers caught red-handed in a forbidden romance. The air between us immediately grew awkward.


    "Uh... Um... Mr. Hastings, you''re back," Lucas finally said a few words to break the tension.


    "Seems like I came at a bad time?" Alex''s eyes glinted with scrutiny.


    "No. You came at the right time," I said, grabbing my things and standing up. "We should get going."


    "You''re leaving already?" Disappointment shed in Lucas'' eyes. "Serena, message me when you get home."


    I was speechless.


    Alex said nothing in the car. Although it was 73 degrees outside, it felt like it was freezing inside.


    I cleared my throat, pretending everything was normal. "So, um... Mr. Hastings, we''re heading back to Grandview tomorrow, right?"


    "Why? Are you reluctant to leave Lucas behind?" Alex raised an eyebrow.


    "No." I was too drained to argue. "It''s not what you think. We were just talking


    when you walked in. It got a little intense. That''s all."


    "What exactly were you talking about that made things so ''intense''?"


    "Obviously, we were talking about..."


    I suddenly remembered our conversation and shut my mouth mid-sentence.


    "So, talking gets you so worked up that you start holding hands? If the conversation got even more ''intense, then what? What were you nning to do next?" Alex nced at me sideways, his expression a mix of disbelief and disappointment.


    I was speechless. This man! His words were loaded with insinuations, yet he refused to believe what I was saying.


    "Does it even matter what we were talking about?" I raised my voice slightly, frowning at him.


    "Oh? Quite the temper you''ve got there." He nced at me from the corner of his eye.


    I couldn''t be bothered to argue anymore and crossed my arms, leaning back into the passenger seat.


    "We''re returning to Grandview


    tomorrow," he continued. "Aside from you and Oliver, no one else knows the details of what happened here. Once we''re back, I''ll transfer both of you to the R&D department. You''ll assist in identifying the mole."


    "Me?" I looked at him in disbelief. "I''m not exactly a trained spy."


    "A special assistant is supposed to be a jack of all trades, didn''t you know?" Atex chuckled. "Don''t worry. already have a well-thought-out n. Once you''re in the R&D department, just act normal. Show up to work as usual, and don''t do anything out of the ordinary."


    I thought for a moment before looking at him. "So basically, you''re stirring the pot,


    and I''m the stick you''re using, huh?"


    Alex merely smiled without answering.


    I had no choice but to resign myself to fate.