Miles’s grip was incredibly gentle, causing her no discomfort. Zoe Lancaster looked down at her bleeding palm in slight astonishment. She hadn’t noticed it earlier, but the throbbing pain was becoming increasingly obvious.
Perhaps the heartbreak Simon Hawthorne had caused her at the time had numbed her to the physical sting. After all, she had been injured too, yet all he could see was Peyton Joyce on the ground.
Miles Yates frowned. He cast a sideways glance at Felix Jennings, whose face was written with surprise, and instructed, "Go find some antiseptic to treat this."
Felix was absolutely stunned but didn’t dare utter a single question. He simply nodded repeatedly. "Right away, President Yates."
Naturally mindful of workplace boundaries, Zoe quickly spoke up. "President Yates, I’m fine. I’ll just put a Band-Aid on it later."
Miles’s brows knitted as he stared at the rather deep scratch on her hand. His typically gentle tone took on a serious edge. "If an injury like this isn’t treated properly, it will scar, or worse, get infected. Don’t brush it off."
At that moment, Felix returned. The company kept fully stocked first-aid kits on hand for exactly this kind of situation.
Zoe wanted to decline, but Miles had already gestured for her to sit on the sofa. It felt inappropriate to keep refusing.
Miles lowered his gaze, skillfully taking out the antiseptic and cotton swabs. Sensing Zoe’s discomfort, he murmured softly, "Jules has mentioned you to me before. I know the two of you are very good friends, so there’s no need to feel awkward."
Zoe instinctively opened her mouth to ask, "Does that mean..."
Miles offered a faint smile. "No, I didn’t pull any strings for you. You earned your place in this company based on your own talent. You have your own value and strengths. Even if Jules had asked me to give you a free pass, I would never have agreed to it."
That brought Zoe a great deal of relief. She had always known Jules Yates had an older brother, but they had never actually met. Now, the man had unexpectedly turned out to be her direct superior.
Miles gently supported Zoe’s hand. Her fingers were soft, fair, and radiating a subtle warmth. As his skin lightly brushed against hers, he pursed his lips briefly. Masking his reaction, he spoke in a steady, unhurried tone. "Jules was quite the troublemaker when we were kids. He was constantly getting hurt. Our parents were too busy to look after him, so it always fell to me to patch him up. That’s why I’m pretty good at this."
Zoe was a little surprised. No wonder he was so incredibly skilled. She hadn’t felt the slightest sting. But... she couldn’t help turning her head to glance outside.
Her colleagues were trickling back into the office from their lunch breaks. The situation inside the room was clearly visible through the glass doors. Many of them wore expressions of shock, clearly taken aback by the scene. Zoe shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Yet, if she spoke up and demanded they keep their distance, it would come off as overly defensive and completely narcissistic.
Fortunately, Miles worked quickly. He applied a Band-Aid and immediately let go of her hand. With a calm demeanor, he turned his attention back to the project contracts on the desk. His behavior was perfectly professional, devoid of anything that might make her uncomfortable. "Make sure to keep it dry, and change the dressing twice."
Zoe felt a wave of gratitude. "Thank you for the trouble, President Yates."
Miles cast an imperceptible glance toward the glass door. "Jules asked me to look out for you. That said, I’ll still be holding you to strict standards when it comes to work. This is just a minor favor, so don’t give it another thought."
Zoe sighed inwardly. Jules really treated her like a child.
Following that minor interlude, Miles focused entirely on reviewing the contract details with Felix, paying no further mind to what had just happened.
Zoe stole a glance at Miles’s profile. She had heard tales of the Yates family’s Crown Prince years ago. Back when she was visiting her mother in Portellis, rumors were already swirling about the brilliantly talented eldest son of the Yates family. People always said, "If you’re going to marry, marry Miles Yates."
At the time, Miles had only been in his early twenties. Earning such high praise at that age was a testament to his absolute perfection in every regard.
However... Miles was now in his thirties, yet she had never heard a single rumor about him having a woman by his side. Let alone a fiancée, there wasn’t even the faintest whisper of a girlfriend. Whether he was just intensely private or something else entirely remained a mystery.
Zoe shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind.
A short while later.
Mason Sullivan hurried into the office. He shot Zoe a very strange look before reporting to Miles. "President Yates, an employee was uploading their work report and accidentally... uploaded a photo. It’s spreading around the office right now."
Miles looked up. "What photo?"
Mason stepped forward and opened the company’s internal platform. Zoe unintentionally caught a glimpse of the screen and instantly froze. The subjects of the photo were none other than her and Miles.
In the picture, she was sitting on the sofa, angled toward Miles. The man, clad in a crisp white shirt that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, was holding her wrist. He was looking up at her face, his expression soft and undeniably heart-fluttering. It was an aesthetically pleasing scene, but one that left far too much room for intriguing misinterpretation.
Anyone who didn’t know the context would take one look at that photo and immediately assume their relationship was far from ordinary. The man, despite his high status, was completely devoid of arrogance as he held the woman’s hand. Even without any further physical contact, the image radiated an undeniable intimacy. In their social circles, relationships between men and women were always prime fodder for gossip. The workplace was even worse.
The color drained slightly from Zoe’s face.
Miles’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. "Has the photo been deleted?"
"Yes," Mason replied. "The employee deleted it the second they realized their mistake. But quite a few people had already seen it and saved a copy. There’s bound to be some misunderstandings."
Miles turned to Zoe. "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this. I won’t let it tarnish your reputation."
Zoe couldn’t really complain; after all, Miles had only been trying to help her treat her wound. "It’s fine. It’s just baseless gossip. Without any follow-up, it won’t last long."
Miles’s gaze lingered on her for a fraction of a second before he nodded. "Thank you for your hard work today. You can get back to what you were doing."
Zoe gave a polite nod and left his office.
As she returned to her desk, she could feel the probing gazes of her colleagues. However, out of fear of crossing Miles, no one dared to gossip openly.
Zoe didn’t bother offering any explanations. Trying to justify herself would only make her look guiltier. She couldn’t control what other people thought. As long as she delivered flawless work, no one would have any grounds to question her integrity.
However, her composure finally slipped later that afternoon. While scrolling through X, Zoe stumbled across a post featuring the photo of her and Miles, captioned with the words: A match made in heaven.
***
Hawthorne Group. Inside the executive conference room.
Simon Hawthorne stared blankly at the PowerPoint presentation on the screen. His elongated, striking eyes were frigid, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Shane Shaw slipped in through the side door and approached him. "Everything is quiet with Madam’s aunt," he reported in a low voice. "Leo Linden hasn’t managed to track them down yet. They’re safe for now."
Recently, Shane had been reassigned to secretly watch over Claire Sutton and ensure her safety. Zoe’s uncle-by-marriage was an absolute piece of trash. Having lost track of his wife and daughter, he was currently tearing the city apart in a mad frenzy. Worried that the situation might escalate, Mr. Hawthorne had ordered Shane to keep a covert eye on them.
It was a completely black-ops assignment. Neither Madam, Claire, nor Autumn Linden knew a thing about it. Shane often wondered why Mr. Hawthorne went to such great lengths for his wife, yet absolutely refused to breathe a word of it to her.
Simon swiveled his chair slightly, his long lashes lifting. "Good. Keep a close eye on them."
Shane nodded.
Standing nearby, Linden had been scrolling through his phone. Whatever he had just stumbled across made him draw in a sharp, audible breath. The sound drew a remarkably flat, indifferent glance from Simon.
Linden let out an awkward chuckle, his expression immediately turning guilty. "Mr. Hawthorne..."
Simon’s icy, oppressive eyes narrowed. "What did you see?"
Linden stiffened. Losing what little patience he had, Simon gestured for Shane to confiscate the phone.
Linden shot Shane a vicious glare, but the other man ignored him completely, snatching the device out of his hand and passing it to Simon. Simon looked down at the glowing screen. In an instant, the air in the room seemed to plummet below freezing, forming metaphorical ice crystals.
Linden squeezed his eyes shut.
They were finished!