Chapter 3 Questioning Level

He hung up the phone, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the desk.

Giselle.

That name surfaced in his mind again, along with those defiant, reddened eyes, and her thin figure soaked by rain as she turned to leave.

Elmer's words still echoed in his ears, saying her proposal was well-written, that she majored in languages at Astoria, making her very suitable for coordinating the Ascend Global Group project.

But Valentin clearly remembered her resume was completely unremarkable.

Valentin pulled open the drawer and took out the resume he had tossed aside, along with the letter bearing Stella's name.

Two different handwritings - one delicate with a touch of deliberate neatness, the other clean and strong, with strokes that showed an unyielding determination.

He stared at the name "Giselle" on the resume, and the more he looked, the more he felt this handwriting matched the letter better.

More importantly, there was her scent.

That subtle, intoxicating fragrance that made him lose control - it was identical to last night's.

Was it a coincidence, or...

Valentin's eyes darkened as he dialed the internal line, his voice emotionless. "Have Giselle come back. The Ascend Global Group project needs an interpretation assistant. Have her follow up on it."

After a pause, he added, "She's a candidate for now. Whether she stays depends on her own abilities."

Brian was taken aback, not understanding why Valentin had changed his mind, but still respectfully replied, "Yes, Mr. Dobbins."

Valentin hung up and leaned back in his chair, his fingertips rubbing together as if he could still feel the warmth of the girl's skin from that night.

He wanted to see just what secrets this woman named Giselle was hiding.

Meanwhile, Giselle had just returned to her small rented apartment and hadn't even had time to grieve over losing her job when she received a call from HR.

"Ms. Montague, after further discussion among senior management, we've decided to give you another chance. The planning department has an important project and specifically requested your assistance. Please come to the office as usual tomorrow."

Giselle almost thought she'd heard wrong, her fingers trembling as she held the phone. "Really?"

Only after receiving confirmation did she hang up in a daze, filled with both relief and confusion.

She couldn't figure out why Valentin had suddenly changed his mind.

But either way, keeping her job was incredibly fortunate.

The next day, Giselle returned to the Dobbins Group with an anxious heart.

Her colleagues looked at her with curiosity and speculation, but she had no time to worry about that. As soon as she reached her desk, the planning department supervisor Elmer  called her over.

"This is the Ascend Global Group coordination project. It's very important, and Mr. Dobbins is personally overseeing it. You're responsible for document translation and meeting minutes. Do it well and don't mess up again."

"Yes, Mr. Roach." Giselle took the thick stack of materials, her heart heavy.

She hadn't expected to be working directly with Valentin.

Was this an opportunity, or another abyss?

That afternoon, a small commotion suddenly arose in the company lobby.

Giselle went to the break room to get water and happened to hear several female colleagues whispering.

"Did you see? That was the Boss's girlfriend just now, right? She's so beautiful."

"I heard she came to bring Mr. Dobbins a homemade lunch. So jealous. To be chosen by Mr. Dobbins - she must have done something really good in her past life, right?"

Giselle's hand holding the water cup froze. Valentin had a girlfriend?

Then last night...

Didn't that make her the other woman interfering in someone else's relationship?

At this thought, Giselle's face went pale.

Seeing her turn white, a colleague asked, "Are you okay?"

Giselle's hand shook as she awkwardly shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

She didn't dare think further and could only throw herself into work, trying to numb herself with busyness.

The colleague shrugged. "Weird."

Stella stood in the corner, watching Giselle at her desk, her expression dark.

Why did Giselle react so strongly to hearing that Valentin had a girlfriend?

Stella suddenly thought of something. Giselle didn't come home last night, could it be...

Stella clenched her fists hard. So Valentin had mistaken her for Giselle?

At this thought, the anger in Stella's heart burned fiercer. That little bitch Giselle had never beaten her at anything since childhood - why should Giselle be so lucky in this matter?

No, she couldn't allow it. She had to make Giselle completely disappear from Valentin's sight!

Meanwhile, Giselle was completely unaware of this. As the only newcomer in the project team, and an intern who should have been suspended, she faced plenty of exclusion.

That afternoon, as she came out of the copy room carrying a stack of files, an old employee named Mike suddenly approached, his greasy hand landing on her shoulder.

"Giselle, working so hard - how about I take you out to relax tonight?"

The heavy smell of cigarettes and alcohol on him made Giselle's stomach turn. She subtly stepped aside. "No thanks, Mike. I have plans tonight."

"What plans could be more important than keeping me company?" Mike persisted, trying to put his arm around her waist. "Don't be ungrateful. In this company, with me looking out for you, you can..."

"Sorry, my boyfriend is picking me up." Giselle couldn't take it anymore and cut him off coldly. "He doesn't like me getting too close to other men."

Mike's expression stiffened as he awkwardly withdrew his hand. "Oh, you have a boyfriend. Should've said so earlier."

Giselle breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked away with her files.

She didn't notice that in the CEO's office not far away, behind that half-open door, a pair of unfathomable eyes were coldly watching everything.

Valentin had clearly heard her say "my boyfriend is picking me up," and his fingers gripping the pen suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white.

Boyfriend?

An inexplicable anger surged from his heart, burning uncomfortably in his chest. He couldn't explain where this irritation came from, only that Giselle's figure and voice had become annoying.

He pressed the internal line, his voice cold as ice.

"Giselle, come to my office."

Giselle, confused, knocked and entered. "Mr. Dobbins, you wanted to see me?"

Valentin threw the translation she'd just submitted onto the desk, his gaze behind the glasses sharp and critical.

"This is what you translated? The logic doesn't flow, the word choice is crude. Ascend Global Group is an important client of the Dobbins Group, and you're going to deal with them using this level of work?"

Giselle was stunned. She had checked that document three times and confirmed it was error-free before submitting it.

She stepped forward to pick up the document, asking quietly, "Mr. Dobbins, could you tell me what the problems are? I can revise it immediately."

"Everything is a problem!" Valentin leaned back in his chair, his tone full of impatience. "Take it back. By ten o'clock tonight, I want to see a completely new version. If it's still at this level, you don't need to come back."