I hadn''t expected to be called out so suddenly and moved forward, feeling a bit flustered. "Mr. Hastings Senior... How have you been?"


    "Serena." Mr. Hastings Senior''s tone had lost its earlier formality and sternness. "Are you getting used to working at Hastings Group? I heard you''ve been helping Alex investigate things within thepany. You don''t have to worry about that. It''s just a minor issue. Let him handle it himself."


    After the call ended, my mind was still buzzing.


    "How does Mr. Hastings Senior know I''m looking into the mole?" It took me a while to process before I finally asked the question.


    "He asks about you every time he calls me." Alex scoffed. "He''s afraid I''m exploiting you as your boss."


    Hearing that, I felt a little warm inside but also couldn''t help but marvel at how well Mr. Hastings Senior understood his son. Like father, like son-Mr. Hastings Senior was spot on. As a businessman, Alex would absolutely squeeze everyst drop of value out of me if he had the chance.


    ...


    The next day at work, I finally noticed Scarlett, who was quietly sitting in a corner. I also realized that quite a few employees came to her with questions despite her remote position. She seemed incredibly patient, and every single person who approached her left with a smile.


    However, there was one exception. Whenever Mia was around, everyone avoided Scarlett like the gue.


    I got the picture immediately. This was workce bullying. Mia, who clearly had no real sense of her own abilities, was ying office politics-forming cliques and isting others.


    I wasn''t about to let her get away with that. I was just here for the free meals in the R&D department and had nothing to lose. Hence, the second time Mia walked into the office, I boldly picked up a file and headed straight for Scarlett.


    "Scarlett, I''m Serena Ashford, and I just joined thepany not long ago. I have a question I don''t quite understand. Could you help me out?"


    I didn''t even nce at Mia, though I could feel her murderous re boring into me. Scarlett looked at her, then back at me with surprise.


    "What''s wrong?" I frowned and pretended to be confused. "Did I say something inappropriate?"


    "No, no." Scarlett waved her hands. "I was just thinking about how to exin it in a way that makes sense to you."


    Mia looked like she was about to explode, but there was nothing she could do. She must have gotten bored after a while because she eventually got up and left.


    Judging by her expression, she had to be furious. If we weren''t in the office, I would''veughed out loud.


    Once I had finished discussing my actual work-rted question-just to make it seem legitimate—I moved on to my real purpose. "Scarlett, we used to work with Schneider Group before, right? Can you tell me a bit about them?"


    "Schneider Group?" She frowned slightly. "How do you know about that?"


    "Oh,e on." I casually made something up. "Hastings Group is working with


    them again. I got curious, so I figured I''d ask around."


    "The Hastings family and Schneider families have been coborating for years." Scarlett absentmindedly fiddled with the simple cup in her hand. "But Schneider Group doesn''t have a great reputation in the industry, especially in recent years. Ever since we entered the high-tech sector, they''ve faced a lot of online bacsh."


    "Then tell me about our high-tech products." I got straight to the point.


    She gave me a look. "Aren''t you already in charge of negotiating the partnership


    with Schneider Group? Why are you only asking about this now?"


    Her sharp and guarded gaze instantly won me over. She was cautious-the type of person who wouldn''t take unnecessary risks. And in business, this kind of person was invaluable.


    "Ah, well... I''m just making casual conversation."


    "Alright." She adjusted her sses. "Then let''s chat casually. You can listen


    casually too."