Scarlett''s movements paused slightly before she smiled and said, "I just went to the restroom."


    I took the manual from her hands and nodded. "Alright. I''ll be going, then."


    With the manual in hand, I wasted no time heading straight to Alex''s office while dialing his number. "Where are you?"


    There was silence on the other end. Knowing he wouldn''t appreciate my interrogation, I quickly added, "I have something important to tell you."


    Only then did he say, "Office."


    I frowned. Just moments ago, he wasn''t there, so how did he suddenly appear? But I had no time to dwell on it and rushed straight to the top floor.


    Sure enough, when I arrived, Oliver was already standing outside his office. "Oliver," I greeted him with an overly friendly smile. "Where did you two just go?"


    "Mr. Hastings and I were in a meeting." Oliver narrowed his eyes. "That smile of yours... If I''m not mistaken, you need a favor again, don''t you?"


    I grinned. "Nothing escapes your sharp eyes."


    After exchanging a few lighthearted jokes, I finally told him about my suspicions regarding Lucas and pleaded with him, "You absolutely can''t tell Mr. Hastings about this."


    He made an "OK" gesture, which reassured me enough to step into Alex''s office.


    Inside, Alex sat at his desk, studying a document on hisputer. Without looking up, he asked, "What''s the rush?"


    I closed the door and walked up to him, recounting everything I had overheard in the stairwell. But to my surprise, he remainedpletely unfazed.


    "Got it. Just pretend you don''t know anything and carry on as usual," he said calmly.


    "That''s it?" Nooked at him in disbelief. This new product had taken an enormous amount of effort from thepany. I hadn''t expected


    hi


    to react so indifferently.


    "What else do you expect?" He had already shifted his focus back to the screen. "This is a massive corporation. Situations like this happen every day. It''s normal."


    A surge of frustration rose in me, but I knew he wasn''t wrong. He was the head of thepany, so these so-called "minor issues" weren''t worth his time.


    Yet I couldn''t shake the feeling that since we were aware of the situation, we should at least try to prevent it. This new product wasn''t just any project for Hastings Group-it was significant.


    As I wrestled with my thoughts, his voice pulled me back. "Anything else?"


    I shook my head. "No."


    "Then you should go." He didn''t even look up from his screen.


    I didn''t understand his cold attitude, but his decision was final. There was nothing


    I could do. With my head lowered, I turned and left.


    ....


    Three dayster, we had a meeting to finalize the details of our project with


    Schneider Group. It was me, Patricia, and Scarlett attending.


    The meeting today would confirm if Schneider Group was behind everything.


    When Schneider Group''s project lead finally entered, his arrogant demeanor was immediately apparent. The moment he walked in,


    he scanned us from head to toe with an air of disdain.