She hadn’t taken her room key with her when she left, so when she reached the door, she knocked.
“Carla, I’m back. Could you open the door for me?”
Carla’s loud voice came from inside, “Okay, give me a few minutes, I’m at the bathroom.”
Alana sighed.
Just then, there was a click, and the door to the next room opened.
She turned her head and happened to lock eyes with Cole.
Cole didn’t look well; he had thick, dark circles under his eyes that even his glasses couldn’t fully hide.
After getting kicked twice by Stephan last night and witnessing Alana being taken by the man and knowing she spent the night at Stephan’s room, Cole had barely slept a wink all night.
Thinking back on what had happened last night, Alana felt incredibly awkward facing Cole now; she wished she could vanish right then and there.
She wished Carla would just open the door already!
Cole paused for a moment, then greeted Alana first, “Good morning.”
Alana replied awkwardly, “Good morning.”
“Mm.” Cole let out.
The atmosphere remained tense.
Alana hesitated, then began, “Um, about what happened last night...”
After what had happened, she hoped Cole would come to his senses, it was no longer possible for them to be together.
But before she could finish, another door opened.
Grace and Danielle both walked out.
Seeing Alana standing there with Cole, they both froze for a moment.
Danielle asked sarcastically, “Lana, what are you doing standing outside Manager Cole’s room this early in the morning?”
Could it be that she was secretly trying to seduce Manager Cole behind her back?
Alana spoke up, quickly, “I was just taking a stroll, alone.”
Danielle didn’t believe her for a second. “Taking a casual stroll in a nightgown? Who are you trying to fool?!”
Alana glanced down at her nightgown, a very modest one, not at all revealing or scandalous.
She retorted, “Is there a rule against taking a walk in a nightgown?”
Danielle snorted coldly, “No, but who knows where you’re going for your walk?You aren’t just strolling right into Manager Cole’s room, are you?”
Alana frowned, about to retort.
Cole suddenly spoke up, scolding her, “Danielle, will you just shut the fuck up?! Alana and I have nothing going on, we just happened to run into each other at the door!”
Upon hearing this, Danielle’s expression shifted, and she instantly fell silent.
Alana glanced at Cole in surprise, seemingly not expecting him to explain it himself.
Cole turned to her as well. “Lana, go back to your room and freshen up. We’ll meet in the lobby downstairs in a moment.”
Alana nodded. “Okay.”
No sooner had she nodded than the door behind her swung open.
Carla burst out, completely unfazed.
“Oh my, Lana, sorry to keep you waiting!”
“I ate way too much last night. My poop was so hard and long, I almost couldn’t get it out!”
No sooner had she finished speaking than she noticed the three people standing outside the door suddenly all turning to look at her.
Carla’s eyes dilated.
“Haha, you guys... you’re all here...”
Help! Could she please immigrate to Mars right now? She couldn’t face anyone anymore.
**********
After changing her clothes, Alana quickly joined Cole and the others.
After breakfast, the group got into the car and headed to the branch office.
Meanwhile, Stephan was still lying in bed, trying to regain his strength, waiting for another round of action tonight.
A call from Vance interrupted his rest.
Stephan answered the call. “What is it?”
“President, I’ve finished investigating Cole’s sister, as you requested.”
“Her name is Camila. She’s been spoiled her whole life; her family indulged her every whim, which has given her an arrogant and domineering personality.”
“Back in school, she nearly ended up in trouble with the police for bullying her classmates, but her family managed to smooth things over, and she got off scot-free.”
Upon hearing this, Stephan’s expression instantly turned cold. “How exactly did she bully them?”
“Apparently, she hired a few thugs from outside the school to bully the classmates she didn’t like. As for the specifics of the bullying, I’m not entirely sure.”
“Her family used some influence to cover it up. I only managed to dig up a few scattered details by tapping into my dark web contacts.”
Stephan’s fist clenched unconsciously.
Hiring a few thugs from outside the school to bully classmates she didn’t like.
Was Alana one of those classmates?
At the thought of that possibility, he felt a surge of anger mixed with a heart-wrenching pain that left him breathless.
If it was Alana, he dared not imagine just how terrified and helpless she must have been at that moment.
How had those thugs bullied her back then?
How could a small, helpless girl like her possibly fight back?
She must have been utterly desperate.
No wonder she refused to tell him about it.
After all, who could calmly face the pain they’ve endured and expose those wounds to others again?
And this was just one incident that had come to light, how many more times had she suffered in private?
Stephan didn’t even dare to think about it.
He even wished he could travel back to Alana’s school days to protect her and keep her from suffering even the slightest harm.
His eyes darkened as he clenched his jaw and said, “Vance, make the arrangements. Don’t let this Camila get away with it.”
Vance looked surprised. “President, why...?”
“There’s no ‘why.’ I just can’t stand the sight of her.”
“Understood.”
Vance, too, couldn’t stand people who engaged in school bullying.
Why should a person who bullied others be able to live her life just fine, day in and day out, as if nothing ever happened?
Meanwhile, those who were bullied were likely to be left with indelible scars for the rest of their lives because of those experiences.
It was just not fair!
Even if the CEO hadn’t said anything, he would have taken matters into his own hands!
Far away, Camila had no idea that disaster was about to strike. She was out shopping and enjoying a spa treatment with her girlfriends.
Little did she know that danger was closing in on her...
**********
After hanging up the phone, Stephan thought back to Alana’s seemingly nonchalant demeanor when she mentioned being bullied.
His heart ached for her all the more, and he longed to appear before her immediately to give her a warm embrace.
To tell her that no matter what she had gone through, he would always stand by her and make life easier for her from now on.
But knowing she was still at work, he forced himself to hold back.
Still, Stephan took the initiative to send her a message, openly expressing his feelings.
[Sweetheart, I love you...every part of you.]
Alana was on her way to the branch office when she saw Stephan’s message. His sudden confession made her cheeks flush involuntarily.
Seriously, why did he suddenly say that?
It was so cheesy and it made her feel so shy.
[Why are you saying this all of a sudden?]
Stephan: [I wanted to. Don’t you like it?]
Alana blushed. Of course she liked it, who wouldn’t like a boyfriend who frequently expresses his love for her like this?
Just as she was about to reply, Carla had somehow slipped up close and, upon seeing the message Stephan had sent, instinctively read it aloud.
“Sweetheart, I love you...everything about you.”
“Wow, did your boyfriend really say that? He’s so good at this!”
Upon hearing this, Cole couldn’t help but glance at Alana.
He never would have expected those words to come from Stephan, that man who always seemed so cold and ruthless.
He’d assumed Stephan was the aloof type, someone who looked down on everything and everyone.
But he never imagined that, in private, Stephan would be so...
If he were to be honest with himself, he knew he wouldn’t have been able to say something so bluntly.
But if he had given Alana attention back then and had been this expressive, would the outcome have been different?
Grace and Danielle couldn’t help but turn their gaze toward Alana.
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