Chapter 14 After Her Looks
“Julius, what are you looking at?
Noticing his distraction, Nadine tugged at his sleeve
#Finished
His view was obstructed by the roadside trees, making it difficult to see what was happening on the other side. Julius withdrew his gaze. “It’s nothing
He looked at the road ahead, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Jemima was following Scott.
Scott stood by a tree, taking a call, with a shadow trailing closely behind him. He glanced back at her.
Seeing that he was on the phone, Jemima immediately stopped in her tracks and retreated to a mushroom–shaped pavilion further back.
She rubbed her forehead, feeling utterly foolish,
Only when Scott finished his call did she walk over, her embarrassment masked with forced humor. “Mr. Sterling, you have a sharp eye. I can’t even read a situation properly. I’m clearly unfit to be your secretary. Sorry to have bothered you”
“You followed me just to prove you’re unsuitable and to say this to me?” Scott raised an eyebrow.
Jemima had no defense against his words.
Letting out an awkward laugh, she gave up pretending. Since she had no chance of getting the job anyway, she might as well be straightforward. “Of course, I followed you to try and fight for the opportunity. But the impression I left on you before was terrible, and today I’ve only made a fool of myself again. Either way, I know I won’t make the cut, so I just wanted to wrap this up quickly without offending you.”
Scott’s expression remained indifferent. “You think I’m rejecting you because of those reasons?”
Jemima asked, “If not, then what?”
“You showed up dressed like this to apply for the position of my secretary. If I hired you, wouldn’t people assume I was only after looks?” He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. “Even if I were, I wouldn’t make it so obvious.”
Jemima’s face turned beet red.
From her cheeks to her ears, she was so red it looked like she might burst.
He was mocking her for thinking she could use her looks to get the job, but he wasn’t interested.
Jemima didn’t bother explaining herself. Her dignity was shattered. Feeling humiliated, she hastily said goodbye. “I appreciate the lesson. Il be going now. Goodbye.”
Without waiting for his response, she quickly walked out of the woods.
When Wynter and Taylor returned, they noticed that only Scott was still there, which they found rather odd.
“Where is Jemima?”
“She left.” Scott replied.
“Huh?” Wynter was surprised. She immediately realized that Jemima must have failed to get the job. She couldn’t help but wonder why as they had seemed to be getting along just fine earlier. Unable to resist, she said, “Mr. Sterling, Jemima is very capable-
Scott cut her off. “Doesn’t seem like it.”
Wynter was sharp. Those four words told her everything.
With her experience, she thought Scott was a womanizer like most men, but she was wrong.
Scott Sterling was as indifferent
hapter 14 After Her Looks
Finished
“Oh no, what a misunderstanding.” She quickly tried to salvage the situation. “It’s all my fault. Jemima wasn’t dressed like this when she arrived. I thought her long sleeves and trousers were too dull, so I made her change into something I brought.”
Scott was at a loss for words.
When Jemima got home, she immediately changed out of her outfit.
She sat at her vanity, feeling dejected.
Am I nothing after leaving Kingsford Group and Julies?
After wallowing in her emotions for a while, she finally picked up her phone to apologize to Wynter. She had set it to silent mode so she wouldn’t be disturbed during the job search.
Now that it was on again, she saw numerous missed calls.
Some were from Julius.
Some were from Wynter.
She ignored the former and called Wynter back. “Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t feeling well, and a little low on blood sugar, so I left early, I completely forgot to tell you.”
Wynter was silent for a few seconds. I should be the one apologizing”
There was no need for too many words between smart people.
“Oh, it’s fine. I just wanted to give it a try. You’ve already helped me a lot. I won’t forget your kindness.”
“What are you talking about? Listen, I explained the outfit situation to Mr. Sterling, but he didn’t react. I also got his number from Mr. Cheisman. Do you want to give it another shot?”
Jemima considered it for a few seconds before ultimately giving up. “Forget it. I guess I’m just not meant for Zenith Group.”
Hearing this, Wynter didn’t press further.
After hanging up, Jemima curled up in bed. When she was feeling down, her body also felt exhausted.
Half–asleep, she heard the door open..
“Mm…” She turned over and squinted to see Julius standing by her bed, his expression icy.
Jemima didn’t want to talk to him. She turned away and pulled the blanket over her head.
“You’ve been home all day, sleeping? You didn’t go out?” Julius sat on the edge of the bed, his tone probing.
Jemima remained silent.
“I saw someone at the golf course today who looked a lot like you.”
Jemima’s eyes snapped open.
He was at the golf course too? How ridiculous. Both he and Nadine had practically broadcasted their “live updates” to me, yet he still had the nerve to question whether I had gone out.
She wanted to say, “So what if I did?” But thinking he might go and cause trouble for Wynter, she chose to stay quiet.
Julius leaned down and lifted the corner of her blanket. His gaze landed on her fair neck, scanning for any suspicious marks. Finding none, his expression relaxed slightly.
But he was still uneasy. He needed to hear it from her. “Did you go out or not?”
“I didn’t. I spent the whole afternoon cleaning the yard. I’m going to sleep now–stop bothering me.” Disgusted by his proximity, Jemima pulled the blanket back over her head.
As the didn’t annear to he lvino tulins decided to let it un
Chapter 14 After Her Looks
Night fell
In his penthouse condominium. Scott was having dinner.
Finished
Louis stood beside him, pouring wine into a glass. He was Scott’s butler, chauffeur, and chef, basically handling his daily affairs. At times, he also worked with Scott’s assistant, Zander Sadinton to handle business matters.
“Still no news from the headhunting firm?” Scott took a sip of wine.
Louis replied. “Zander just sent over a list of candidates. He said you could review it when you have time.”
As if remembering something amusing, he added. “I skimmed through it just now. Ms. Willis, the woman I rear–ended last time, is on the list.”
“Oh
Scott set his wine glass down. “Bring me the tablet.
His tone was relaxed, but having served him for over twenty years, Louis knew this was already a sign of significant interest.
Louis fetched the tablet from the study and handed it over
Scott opened the candidate list.
He had already rejected several rounds of applicants.
What he needed was a chief secretary with management skills, authority, a good image, and strong communication skills. He needed someone who could navigate through the different departments of the company and liaise with collaborators. In short, the candidate needed to have the ability to handle all company affairs on his behalf.
“Mr. Sterling. Ms. Willis is rather impressive for her tender age. She has managed to rise from a project department employee to the project manager within four years at Kingsford Group. Half of the company’s remarkable growth in recent years can be attributed to her. Many in the industry are envious and have tried to poach her but to no avail. That’s because the CEO of Kingsford Group, Julius Stahl, is her boyfriend. However, rumors suggest that he’s planning to marry the fourth daughter of the Goodwin family. Out of anger, Ms. Willis resigned from Kingsford Group. Ah, what a naive girl.
