The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Caine stared at the two slightly blurry figures on his phone, a pained expression on his face.

Zachary walked over and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"It’s proof that President Sinclair is cheating. Look, the video isn’t very clear, but the audio is." Caine was conflicted. "How am I supposed to tell Secretary Jennings tactfully?"

Zachary said, "You could let President Cole be the bad guy."

Caine was horrified. "How would I dare?"

"Maybe President Cole would be happy to do it?" Zachary said with a knowing smile, his eyes narrowing.

Caine mulled this over. "Zachary, we’ve been colleagues for so many years. Why don’t you give me the inside scoop? Our President Cole and Secretary Jennings..."

Zachary just smiled.

Caine picked up his phone. "I’ll have Gwen ask you, then."

The one thing Zachary couldn’t stand was Gwen’s nagging persistence.

"Just take it to President Cole. You’ll find out then whether he rewards you or punishes you."

"Okay!" Caine took his phone and went to find President Cole. On the way, he ran into the chairman’s wife and Miss Cole, and immediately stopped to greet them.

After some simple pleasantries, Ms. Neville suddenly asked, "Nathaniel’s new secretary, Leila Jennings. How are you all getting along?"

’So, Ms. Neville has met Secretary Jennings. Either Miss Cole or President Cole must have introduced them.’

’Either way, Ms. Neville’s question was really about what kind of person Secretary Jennings is. Or, more to the point, what’s going on between her and President Cole.’

"Secretary Jennings is a woman of few words, but she’s extremely capable. She was the one who found the flaw in that one project proposal."

Ms. Neville was surprised, but then she remembered Leila was a student of Professor Warren and Mr. Thorne, and it no longer seemed so strange.

"A woman of few words? Doesn’t that make her just like Nathaniel?"

’It’s really not the same,’ Caine thought with a smile.

Cherry Cole said, "Not at all! My brother talks a lot when he’s with Leila."

"Exactly. Secretary Jennings talks less, so President Cole is forced to talk more," Caine summarized aptly.

Ms. Neville paused for a moment, then smiled. "Well, that’s rather interesting."

Caine keenly sensed there was more to her reaction.

Ms. Neville then asked her daughter, "Has Leila ever made your brother angry?"

Cherry Cole thought for a moment. "I don’t really know."

Caine shook his head as well.

He didn’t really know either.

Ms. Neville smiled. "If Leila ever does manage to get a rise out of your President Cole, be sure to come and tell me."

Caine held his breath. He wouldn’t dare do that, afraid the chairman’s wife would cause trouble for his colleague.

"It would make me happy," Ms. Neville added.

Caine: "???"

"Okay." That, he could do.

Cherry Cole also said excitedly, "Remember to tell me, too!"

Caine agreed, then went to find President Cole.

President Cole was speaking with Professor Cheney. Caine went up and gave a simple greeting.

"What is it?"

"There’s a file President Cole needs to see," Caine said. "It’s related to Secretary Jennings."

Hearing the name "Secretary Jennings," Professor Cheney’s gaze shifted over. He smiled and asked, "Has President Cole hired another new secretary?"

"Yes, her surname is Jennings." After learning that Leila Jennings was actually Mr. Thorne’s student, Nathaniel Cole had investigated her again. Since Professor Cheney and Mr. Thorne were in the same field of research, he deliberately mentioned Leila’s surname to gauge the professor’s reaction.

Professor Cheney himself didn’t react much, but the reserved young woman beside him looked up with suspicion when she heard the name.

He continued, "Her full name is Leila Jennings."

Chloe’s breath hitched. Professor Cheney gently patted her on the back, and she immediately lowered her head.

’Wasn’t Leila just holding a nominal administrative position? How did she become the president’s secretary at The Cole Group?’

’That’s my senior for you. No matter where she is, she always rises to the top.’

Chloe’s admiration for her grew even stronger.

Nathaniel Cole hadn’t gotten the reaction he was looking for, so he dropped it. After a quick glance at the video, his expression slowly turned cold.

Professor Cheney resisted the urge to ask what was wrong.

Nathaniel Cole kept the video, gave Caine a bonus, and instructed him to immediately move forward with the evening’s reception schedule.

Part of the schedule included a speech from the host. After finishing his official script, Nathaniel Cole added one final sentence: "Today, we are also extremely honored to have with us President Sinclair of Stellaxis Technologies."

Caine had someone shine a spotlight on Sean Sinclair, who was standing right next to Sarah Lynch.

At that moment, the two of them were truly the center of attention.

Chloe gasped in admiration. "Ms. Lynch and President Sinclair really look good together."

Professor Cheney’s face darkened. "Then what about your senior?" he asked her.

"You mean my senior and President Sinclair?" Chloe looked horrified. "Professor Cheney, what are you talking about? President Sinclair is a great catch, but my senior deserves better. Besides, she’s already married."

Professor Cheney felt slightly better. "Let’s go," he said.

"Go where? The ball is about to start."

Professor Cheney asked, "Who are you going to dance with?"

"..." Chloe silently followed him out.

"I’m taking you to see Elder Shepherd."

"Really!" Chloe said excitedly. "I can really meet the legendary Elder Shepherd?"

"Why couldn’t you? You’re your senior’s assistant now," Professor Cheney said. "You could say Elder Shepherd is another one of your senior’s teachers."

"What do you mean?"

"Back in the day, he fought with Thorne to get your senior as his student. He lost because their research directions were too different, but he’s secretly tried to poach her more than a few times."

Chloe’s admiration for her senior deepened. "Professor Cheney, how amazing must my senior’s husband be to have won her heart?"

Professor Cheney sneered. "Your senior uses all her brainpower on research."

As the two of them left, Sarah Lynch happily pulled Sean Sinclair’s hand and led him to the center of the crowd, where they began to dance to the music.

She noticed Sean Sinclair looked uneasy, his eyes constantly scanning the sides of the room.

She knew he was looking for Leila, worried that Leila would see them.

But she didn’t care. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’No one in the outside world knows Sean Sinclair is married, much less who he’s married to.’

’As long as she was the one publicly standing by Sean Sinclair’s side, people would gradually assume they were a couple, that *she* was President Sinclair’s wife.’

’Once enough people believed it, if Sean Sinclair didn’t want the scandal to break, he would have no choice but to secretly divorce Leila and marry her instead.’

Seeing the envious gazes from the crowd and no sign of Leila, Sean Sinclair gradually relaxed into the moment, his gaze on Sarah Lynch growing more and more tender.

Leila Jennings was standing in a corner.

Sean Sinclair and Sarah Lynch were in the spotlight, while she was in the shadows. They couldn’t see her, but she could clearly see the sweet, happy expressions on their faces.

"Leila!" Cherry Cole appeared again, her cheeks puffed with anger. "That damn scumbag! They think they’re the only ones who can dance? We can too!"

"Leila, do you know how?"

Leila actually did know how. Her mentor’s wife had taught her.

"Are you going to go?"

"Of course not, *you’re* going! I’ll find you a partner!" Cherry Cole ran off and dragged her brother over. "My brother is more handsome than him, taller than him, and has a higher status than him! My brother is at your disposal. Go on, piss that damn scumbag off for me!"

Going along with his sister’s wishes, Nathaniel Cole was pushed onto the dance floor with Leila.

When Nathaniel Cole suddenly appeared in the light with a woman, everyone stopped and turned to look.

Having had their thunder stolen, Sean Sinclair and Sarah Lynch also looked over.

"Miss Jennings, if you please." Nathaniel Cole suddenly became the perfect gentleman, bowing as he extended a hand to Leila.