Chapter 5 #4
Hailey thought for a few seconds before giving a hesitant nod.
"I... I think so." She shifted her notebook to her other arm. "Now that you mention it, those mornings do seem a little scarier."
"A little?" Benjamin muttered under his breath before giving a humorless smile.
Hailey looked at him, puzzled.
Benjamin uncrossed his arms and gestured toward Xavier's office with an open palm.
"Whenever Miss Foster doesn't arrive here in the same car as Mr. Chen, his mood becomes unbelievably foul."
Hailey frowned harder.
"But..." She tilted her head. "Doesn't Miss Foster usually come to work with Mr. Chen?"
"She does."
"Then today..." She looked genuinely confused. "Mr. Chen was the one who left without waiting for her, wasn't he?"
Benjamin let out another long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Exactly."
Hailey waited.
Benjamin lowered his hand and spread both palms helplessly.
"That's the part none of us can understand."
He began counting on his fingers as if reciting something he'd witnessed far too many times.
"Mr. Chen decides to leave first."
"He tells the driver not to wait."
"He gets into the car."
"He comes to the office."
Benjamin dropped his hand and looked straight at Hailey.
"...Then he gets angry because Miss Foster didn't come with him."
Hailey stared at him in stunned silence.
"...But..."
She looked toward the office, then back at Benjamin as though hoping she'd misunderstood.
"...Leaving her behind was his choice."
"I know."
Benjamin answered so quickly it was obvious he'd had this exact conversation with himself countless times.
"I've replayed it in my head more times than I can count."
He shook his head with a tired laugh.
"It doesn't matter whether Miss Foster is genuinely delayed or whether Mr. Chen is the one who leaves without her. If they don't arrive together..." He pointed toward the president's office again before letting his hand fall limply to his side. "...this is what happens."
Hailey slowly turned her head to look at the closed office doors.
The tense atmosphere on the executive floor suddenly made perfect sense.
Managers hurried through the hallway without making unnecessary noise. Assistants spoke in hushed voices. Even the sound of keyboards seemed quieter than before.
Everyone was trying not to draw Xavier's attention.
She looked back at Benjamin, her expression filled with disbelief.
"So Mr. Chen..."
She hesitated, trying to phrase the thought that still refused to make sense.
"...gets angry because Miss Foster didn't ride to work with him...even though he's the one who chose to leave without her?"
Benjamin simply looked at her.
Then, with the expression of a man who had long since given up trying to understand his boss, he nodded once.
"Exactly."
Hailey stood there for several seconds, completely speechless.
Finally, she let out a slow breath and hugged her notebook a little tighter against her chest.
"...I don't understand Mr. Chen at all."
Benjamin looked toward the office one more time before sighing under his breath.
"Neither do I. And I've worked beside him for seven years."
Hailey lingered beside Benjamin, her eyes drifting uneasily toward the closed doors of the president's office.
"Secretary Carter... can I ask you something?"
Benjamin, who had been staring at the office as though willing Xavier's temper to settle, turned to her and gave a tired nod. "Go ahead."
Hailey lowered her voice instinctively. "When Miss Foster goes in there... does Mr. Chen shout at her?"
Benjamin's expression faltered. He slipped both hands into his trouser pockets and looked back at the office door, remaining silent for a few moments before answering with an honest shake of his head. "I don't know. I've never stayed inside long enough to find out."
He sighed, his shoulders drooping with exhaustion.
"All I know is that whenever Mr. Chen is in one of these moods, Miss Foster goes into his office. When she comes back out..." He paused, glancing at the tightly shut doors once more. "...his temper is gone. That's all any of us know."
Hailey's grip on her notebook tightened until the edges bent beneath her fingers. She stared at the office door, her imagination filling in everything Benjamin couldn't answer.
"So... she goes in there alone while he's furious?" she murmured, almost to herself.
Benjamin didn't respond.
Taking his silence as confirmation, Hailey's face slowly fell.
"Poor Miss Foster..." she whispered. "She's an executive director. She's also Mr. Chen's fiancée. She shouldn't have to face him every time he's angry."
Benjamin rubbed the back of his neck, already sensing where this conversation was heading. "I really don't think you should assume—"
"But what if he takes all his anger out on her?" Hailey interrupted, her voice filled with genuine worry. She looked back at Benjamin with wide, anxious eyes. "She always looks so gentle. She probably doesn't even argue back."
Her gaze drifted to the office again, and she hugged the notebook even tighter.
"If he's this terrifying at work, then... what must he be like when they get home?"