?Chapter 322:


    Heat flushed Helga’s face, her nerves unraveling as she stammered, “I-I’m sorry, Mr. Evans. I’ll fix everything right away.”


    “Toote.” Cole’s voice turned cial. “Head to finance, pick up yourst check, and don’t show your face in Ublento again.”


    Her panic red instantly. “Please, Mr. Evans, I know I screwed up. Don’t fire me. I need this job.”


    Landing the secretarial lead at the Evans Group wasn’t just a promotion. It was the kind of role people fought for and almost never got. Losing it meant falling hard, and she knew she wouldn’t be climbing back to this height anytime soon.


    Cole wasn’t feeling generous. His words hit like a mmed door. “Myles, get her out of here.”


    Having anticipated the meltdown from the start, Myles walked in calmly and guided the trembling Helga out of the room.


    From her spot on the couch, Elliana watched it all y out like front-row drama. Once the door closed behind Helga, she leaned toward Cole with a crooked smile. “Yikes! All that effort just to get your attention. You really gave her the blizzard treatment.”


    Cole raised a brow. “Honey, don’t get cheeky.”


    Meanwhile, just outside the office, Helga clutched at thest shred of hope she had. “Myles,e on. Talk to Mr. Evans for me. Mr. Evans listens to you. I can’t lose this job.”


    But Myles didn’t offer so much as a nod. Without a word, he signaled security and then watched silently as they walked her down to collect her final paycheck and straight out the front doors of the Evans Group.


    Word of what happened flew through the building faster than a group chat rumor. Women who had been mimicking Elliana’s look in hopes of turning Cole’s head rushed to the restrooms in a silent stampede, scrubbing their faces like they were erasing evidence. When they reappeared, not one dared meet anyone’s gaze. Their once-bold strut had shriveled into a sheepish shuffle. None of them wanted to be the next cautionary tale.


    Unaware of the chaos she’d identally triggered, Elliana remained out of the loop about her unintended influence on office fashion. With Cole still buried under a mountain of paperwork, she took the moment to quietly sift through the Evans Group’s cybersecurity team lineup…


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    Elliana spent the entire morning sifting through the Evans Group’s internal database until she finallynded on the cybersecurity department director—a man named Wesley Vance. She tapped open his employee profile and studied the photo on file.


    Wesley appeared sharp and impably groomed, the type who probably aced every interview in his life. A quick scan of his credentials revealed a glittering academic record from a world-renowned university. Elliana’s instincts red—this guy had to be the elusive “Jody.”


    Armed with her new lead, she turned to Cole, the gears in her head already spinning. “Darling, other than Myles, Aron, and Hugh, do you have any other old friends working at the Evans Group?”


    Cole barely looked up, still hammering away at hisptop, his attention divided between a dozen urgent emails. “Plenty of my rtives are here. Why do you ask?”


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