Chapter 6 #3
Elise walked back to her office, gathered her laptop, notebook, tablet, and several folders before carefully balancing everything in her arms. Adjusting the pile against her chest, she nudged her office door shut with her elbow and made her way back down the hallway toward the president's office.
Just then, Benjamin stepped out of the conference room carrying a tablet, with Hailey following closely behind while reading through a document.
The two of them looked up at the same time.
Benjamin's footsteps slowed almost immediately.
His eyes landed on Elise's face, and the faint flush still lingering across her cheeks caught his attention at once.
Hailey noticed it too.
She exchanged a quick glance with Benjamin before looking back at Elise, concern filling her expression.
"Miss Foster..." Benjamin called gently.
Elise stopped walking and shifted the folders in her arms before smiling politely.
"Benjamin."
Benjamin glanced toward the president's office before looking back at the files she was carrying.
"Mr. Chen called you back?"
She nodded lightly.
"He asked me to bring my work into his office."
Benjamin's eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly.
"...To work inside his office?"
"Yes."
Hailey's expression immediately turned sympathetic.
She stepped a little closer and lowered her voice as though afraid Xavier might somehow hear them through the walls.
"Mr. Chen has been in an especially bad mood since this morning."
Benjamin gave a helpless sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I've worked for Mr. Chen for years, and even I'm trying not to get on his bad side today."
His eyes drifted back to Elise's flushed face before softening with pity.
"If he says anything harsh, please don't take it personally."
Hailey nodded vigorously in agreement.
"He's strict with everyone."
Then, looking at the files in Elise's arms, she sighed dramatically.
"And now he's even making you work right in front of him..."
She shivered exaggeratedly.
"I think I'd be too nervous to type."
Elise couldn't help smiling at the two of them.
"I'll be alright."
She adjusted the heavy stack of folders in her arms before thanking them softly.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
With that, she turned and continued toward the president's office, leaving Benjamin and Hailey watching her retreating figure with matching expressions of sympathy.
Benjamin remained standing in the middle of the hallway with his tablet tucked beneath one arm while Hailey absentmindedly hugged the folder against her chest. Neither of them said a word as they watched Elise walk toward the president's office, her slender figure growing smaller with every step.
She shifted the heavy stack of files in her arms, carefully balancing them before stopping outside the familiar door.
Taking a small breath, she lifted her hand and knocked twice.
A moment later, the door opened from the inside.
Elise quietly stepped into the office, and the heavy wooden door closed behind her with a soft click.
The executive floor suddenly felt much quieter.
Benjamin stared at the closed door for a few seconds before slowly pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. Beside him, Hailey continued looking in the same direction, worry written plainly across her face. Finally, she let out a quiet sigh.
"...Secretary Carter."
"Hm?"
"Don't you think Miss Foster looked... a little pitiful?"
Benjamin's gaze remained fixed on the president's office.
"I was thinking the same thing."
He folded his arms across his chest, unconsciously tapping his index finger against his sleeve as he replayed the scene in his mind.
"Did you notice how red her face was?"
Hailey nodded immediately.
"I did." Her brows knitted together with concern. "It was so red that I thought she'd been crying."
She paused before lowering her voice even further.
"And her eyes looked a little watery too."
Benjamin frowned thoughtfully.
"...Do you think Mr. Chen scolded her?"
Hailey looked back toward the office door as though she could somehow see through it.
"They were in there for nearly two hours."
Her shoulders drooped.
"Two whole hours..."
She couldn't even imagine being alone with Mr. Chen for that long while he was in such a frightening mood.
Benjamin let out a slow breath. He gave a helpless shake of his head.
The two of them fell silent again, their eyes drifting back to the closed office.
Hailey couldn't help imagining poor Elise standing in front of Xavier's desk while he coldly pointed out mistake after mistake. The image alone made her heart ache.
"Miss Foster is far too gentle," she murmured. "She apologizes even when something isn't her fault."
Benjamin smiled faintly.
"I've worked with her for months now. I've never once heard her lose her temper. She's polite to everyone. Even this morning, after Mr. Chen left without waiting for her, she didn't complain once."
Hailey sighed.
"And now she's been called back into his office to work right in front of him."
She hugged the folder tighter against herself.
They both glanced toward the office door one last time before returning to their work, each silently feeling sorry for Elise, blissfully unaware that what had unfolded behind those closed doors had been anything but the scolding they had imagined.
***
Elise remained in Xavier's office for the rest of the morning, completely immersed in her work.
The stack of documents beside her grew noticeably smaller as she worked through them one by one. She flipped each page with practiced ease, occasionally underlining a figure or jotting a concise note in the margin before sliding the completed file aside and reaching for the next.
The office settled into a comfortable silence.
The only sounds were the soft rustle of paper, the quiet scratch of her pen, and the rhythmic tapping of keys from Xavier's keyboard.
Even without looking at him, she felt his gaze on her.
It lingered on her like an invisible caress, resting on her for several long moments before retreating, only to return not long afterward.
The awareness of it never left her, but she didn’t look at him.
Instead, she simply adjusted the page beneath her hand and continued reading, her eyes moving steadily over every line.
She knew exactly what he wanted.
Her attention.
She had gotten used to his needy behavior by now.
Across the room, Xavier sat behind his desk with another file open before him. He skimmed through a few paragraphs before his concentration inevitably broke. His fingers stilled against the paper as his eyes drifted across the desk, settling on the woman seated only a few feet away.
His gaze lingered.
When she calmly reached for another file without sparing him so much as a glance, the faintest crease appeared between his brows. He leaned back in his chair, his thumb idly tapping the edge of the document as his expression tightened into a slight frown.
Still nothing.
Elise remained completely focused on her work, her pen gliding across the paper as though she were entirely unaware of the man watching her.
From the corner of her eye, she caught the subtle change in his expression.
The crease between his brows deepened. His lips pressed into a thin line, and there was a hint of annoyance settling over his otherwise composed features.
She simply blinked before lowering her gaze back to the contract.
When she continued to work without sparing him even a glance, the displeasure on Xavier's face became even more apparent.
She lifted her head ever so slightly, stealing only the briefest glance in his direction.
Their eyes met.
He looked... almost sulky.
The sight tugged at the corners of her lips.
She lowered her gaze again, hiding the smile threatening to appear as she calmly continued reviewing the contract as though nothing had happened.