Chapter 4 Rushing to a Date?

Valentin looked at the Giselle 's face turning pale in an instant and her tightly bitten lower lip. The irritation in his heart didn't ease at all - instead, it grew even stronger.

He admitted it - he did it on purpose.

Just thinking that she might be going to see that so-called "boyfriend" made him unable to control his urge to trap her here, within his sight.

Giselle returned to her desk holding the rejected translation, feeling lost and wronged. She couldn't understand why Valentin was targeting her like this. She had carefully chosen every word in that document and was confident there were no problems. Could it be that he just wanted an excuse to fire her?

Just as she was staring blankly at her computer screen, a cup of warm coffee was gently placed on her desk, accompanied by a gentle male voice. "What's wrong, Giselle? You look so down."

Giselle froze, looked up, and a flash of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes. "Ethan? What are you doing here?"

It was her college senior, Ethan Martinez, wearing a casual white shirt with a clean, warm smile.

He had always looked out for her - one of the few people who had shown her kindness in college.

"My company is nearby. I was here on business and thought I'd drop by to see you." Ethan pointed to the coffee in front of her. "Saw you working so hard at your internship, wanted to cheer you up."

The pressure and grievances she'd been holding in for days seemed to find an outlet in this moment.

Giselle's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and her face showed the first genuine smile in days. Her eyes curved like they held scattered starlight. "Thank you, Ethan. You're so kind."

This smile was bright and charming, sweeping away the gloom from her face and bringing her whole person to life.

And this scene fell perfectly into the eyes watching through the gaps in the blinds from the CEO's office not far away.

Valentin's fingers unconsciously tightened, almost snapping the pen in his hand.

That smile was blindingly bright.

In front of him, she was always so meek and cautious, like a frightened deer.

But in front of Ethan, she could smile so brilliantly, so unguarded.

Was Ethan the boyfriend she mentioned?

An indescribable restlessness rose from deep within. Valentin's expression darkened like a storm cloud.

He didn't even realize why he'd been standing by the window watching for so long. He just felt a fire burning in his chest, making his whole body uncomfortable.

With a cold face, he pressed the intercom button.

Giselle had just exchanged a few words with Ethan when the phone on her desk rang.

Seeing it was the internal line from the CEO's office, her heart immediately jumped. She hurriedly said goodbye to Ethan and picked up the phone.

"Come to my office." Valentin's ice-cold voice came through the receiver, devoid of any emotion.

Giselle didn't dare delay and quickly walked into the office.

"Mr. Dobbins."

Valentin leaned back in his chair, his gaze roaming over her face. The smile from moments ago hadn't completely faded, though it now looked somewhat stiff from nervousness. This made him even more annoyed.

"Looks like you were having a nice chat. All done with your work?" His tone was sarcastic.

Giselle was stunned and tried to explain. "No, that was my college senior. We just happened to..."

"I don't want to hear about your personal life." Valentin coldly cut her off, pushing the document on his desk toward her again. "I told you, by ten tonight, I want to see a completely new proposal. Now, start immediately."

His gaze fell on her with a scrutinizing and commanding pressure. He found himself actually enjoying this feeling of keeping her within his sight - as if only this way could the inexplicable irritation in his heart settle down a bit.

Giselle could only silently pick up the document, turn around and return to her desk, reopening the file under the strange looks from her colleagues.

Time passed minute by minute. People in the office gradually left, until only she remained working overtime.

Around nine in the evening, her phone suddenly vibrated.

It was Stella.

Giselle hesitated, but still answered the call.

"Giselle, are you still at the office?" On the other end, Stella's voice sounded particularly concerned.

"Yes, I'm working overtime."

"Still working this late?" There was a hint of barely noticeable tension in Stella's tone. "Giselle, can you come home right away? My stomach really hurts, and there's no one else home. I'm scared."

Giselle's heart immediately tightened.

Although Stella was usually spoiled, she was still her sister.

"Don't worry, did you eat something bad? I'll come right away!"

Giselle hung up the phone. Without caring about the unfinished work, she grabbed her bag and rushed toward the CEO's office.

Valentin was reviewing documents when he saw her burst in looking anxious, his brow immediately furrowed.

"Mr. Dobbins, there's an emergency at home. I need to ask for leave." Giselle's voice carried a tremor.

Another emergency?

Valentin looked at her flustered expression and immediately thought of Ethan, who had come to the office that afternoon.

Was she in such a hurry for a date that she couldn't even bother to change her excuse?

The nameless fire in Valentin's heart flared up again, though his face became even colder. "What emergency is more important than the Ascend Global Group project?"

"My sister, she's not feeling well."

"If she's not feeling well, she should go to the hospital, not have someone working on an important project come home." Valentin's tone was harsh and cold. He watched her face turn pale, yet the irritation in his heart didn't diminish at all.

He didn't want to let her go.

Just thinking about her rushing to meet another man made Valentin unbearable.

Seeing Giselle's eyes turning red, he finally relented irritably, taking out a brand new phone from his drawer and tossing it on the desk.

"You can go." He leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed but his words non-negotiable. "Take this work phone. The project is urgent - I need to be able to reach you at any time."

Giselle's mind was completely on Stella. Without thinking much, she picked up the phone and nodded. "Okay, thank you Mr. Dobbins!"

With that, she ran out without looking back.

Valentin watched her hurried departure, his eyes growing darker.

He picked up his own phone and opened an app. On the screen, a moving red dot was rapidly leaving the office building.

Good. He'd see exactly who she was going to meet.

Giselle rushed home anxiously the whole way. She used her spare key to open the door, but the living room was pitch dark and silent.

"Stella? Stella, where are you?"

She turned on the lights and searched the entire house, but didn't see any sign of Stella, nor any indication that anyone was sick or in trouble.

On the table, Stella's phone lay casually, the screen still lit, showing a just-finished game interface.

Giselle stood in the empty living room, a chill running from her feet to the top of her head.

I've been tricked.

Stella was fine. She just made up an excuse to get me to come home from the office.

But why?