The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Before the lunch break, Leila walked in with her laptop and set it down in front of Nathaniel. She said, "President Cole, it’s done."

Nathaniel looked up, mildly surprised. "That fast?"

"Yes. Photo recognition, data visualization," Leila replied quietly. That was simpler than processing data at the lab.

Nathaniel glanced at the screen. It wasn’t just data visualization—she had also included an analysis and suggested countermeasures.

"Not very good at data processing, you said?" he asked, lifting his gaze.

Leila nodded. "That’s right. I’m not very skilled at it."

Nathaniel truly had nothing to say. He was certain that Leila was more than skilled at it.

"You’re one of Professor Warren’s students. Why would you take an administrative role at the Cole Group?" He stood, slowly circling her before leaning in slightly, his gaze sharp. "Who are you working for?" His voice dropped close to her ear, cold and heavy, though his breath was faintly warm.

"My Aunt Helen, maybe? Or President Sinclair of Stellaxis Technologies?" After a pause, he straightened, and his expression smoothed out again.

"Ever since the Cole Group moved into the tech sector, Stellaxis has been our biggest competitor. Your husband, Sean Sinclair, has already snatched several projects straight from my managers. I hear he has a sharp eye for the industry—everything he touches turns to gold. As soon as you married Sean, you were placed inside the Cole Group. What’s interesting is that no one even seems to know the President of Stellaxis Technologies is married."

If he hadn’t pulled Leila’s file and had Zachary dig into it personally, he wouldn’t have known that Sean Sinclair, the so-called rising star of the industry, had already been married for four years.

"Keeping it this quiet only makes it sound more suspicious." Nathaniel studied her closely, but only caught the faintest flicker of surprise and irony in her eyes. "Am I wrong?"

Leila looked into his eyes and said, "You’re wrong."

Sean never loved her enough to want her in the first place. He would never make the marriage public.

"You’ve overthought it, President Cole. Sean doesn’t think I’m worth using as a corporate spy." The truth was simpler—Sean had always looked down on her.

"As for Ms. Cole, I’m just grateful she gave me a job so I could support myself, especially in a company like this."

Her expression seemed open and honest. There was not a trace of calculation to be seen.

"Besides, President Cole, I’ve already submitted my resignation. It’s just being processed. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go to lunch," Leila said.

Nathaniel watched until Leila left the office and felt that for the first time in his life, he had somehow been defeated by a woman.

...

At lunchtime, Leila suddenly felt like buying herself a new phone. She clicked open a shopping webpage, but paused at the price. For someone used to being careful with money, even three hundred dollars felt excessive. She hesitated.

She did have a bonus, but she had already been planning to spend it on Sean. She had never once considered using it on herself.

Then a message popped up on her phone. It was Sean: [I have a work dinner tonight. Go home right after work. Don’t leave Sarah alone at the house. She’ll be uncomfortable being there by herself. There’s a lot she doesn’t know about the apartment.]

Sean had once been considerate to her like that.

When she first visited the Sinclair family before they got married, she had heard him say to Cecilia, "Stop asking me to do things for you. I can’t leave Leila alone. She’ll feel uncomfortable."

Back then, she really thought she had found the person the director had told her about—someone who would look out for her. But the person who once looked out for her was now looking out for someone else.

A bitter taste rose in her throat, and she suddenly lost her appetite. Right before she turned off her phone, she placed an order for a new phone—not the one that cost three hundred dollars, but seven hundred.

Leila went back to her desk and was searching for some water to drink when she realized she had left her mug at home. She had two—one at home, the other at the lab.

Luckily, she found disposable paper cups in the break room.

As she picked up a paper cup, she noticed three devices: a coffee machine, a water dispenser, and a juicer. There were also fruits stocked neatly in the fridge.

At that moment, a hand reached past her and opened the fridge. She stepped aside slightly and turned her head—Nathaniel was right next to her.

He rinsed a handful of grapes, put them into the juicer, and pressed a button. In moments, fresh grape juice was ready. He filled two glasses, picked one up, and slid the other toward her, then took a sip from his own.

"Did you figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" Leila looked at the glass in front of her as the sweetness hit her nose.

"If you figured it out, you’ll know how to make it yourself next time. My offer is valid only once."

Leila almost replied that she already knew how to use it—it was just a juicer. She could even plate fruit properly.

"If it’s not sweet enough, sugar is over there," he added, pointing with his eyes in that direction.

"Thank you, President Cole," she said, lifting the glass. "I don’t like sweet drinks."

"Then what do you like?" he asked lightly, though his eyes stayed on her profile, and he noticed she was always absent-minded.

"I like spicy food," she said, looking up, suddenly firm.

Nathaniel raised a brow slightly, then turned and left.

Leila watched his tall figure walk away and felt that men were all two-faced. This morning, he was busy interrogating her like a suspect. Now he was casually asking about her taste in food as if nothing had happened.

She returned to her desk and finished the rest of her lunch break quietly, then resumed work at 2:30 p.m.

Secretarial tasks were very simple for her and almost lacked challenges. She finished everything quickly and accurately, even ahead of schedule.

After that, she spent the remaining time searching for an excuse to keep herself busy so she didn’t have to go home.

"Ow... my stomach hurts," a colleague said suddenly, clutching her abdomen. "I think my period started. Oh no—President Cole has a business dinner at 7:30 tonight. What am I going to do?"

Leila’s eyes lit up. "I’ll go for you."

"You?" the colleague asked, worried. "Can you drink? Even if President Cole doesn’t force it, you still have to keep up appearances at the table. You can’t avoid a few drinks."

"I can learn," Leila said.

As long as she didn’t have to go home and see the disgusting faces of Sarah and Sean, a few drinks didn’t matter.

The colleague hesitated. "But what if you can’t hold your liquor? President Cole might not be able to look out for you. Those men will definitely try something."

Leila frowned. "Then that means you shouldn’t be attending."

"But I can hold my liquor."

"You’re on your period," Leila said.

"Ughh—" the colleague groaned dramatically.

Leila stood up and walked straight into Nathaniel’s office. "President Cole, may I accompany you to the business dinner tonight?"

Nathaniel looked at her for a moment with an unreadable expression. "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure." Leila nodded.

The dinner was at Sunhaven. When they walked into the private room, every man at the table stood immediately. Among them was someone familiar. Only then did Leila realize why Nathaniel had asked if she was sure—it was Sean Sinclair.

Enemies always run into each other.

When Sean saw Leila, he froze too. He didn’t even remember to greet Nathaniel.

"Mr. Sinclair?" Nathaniel asked with a mocking smile. "Why are you staring at my secretary?"