Chapter 4

Bethany had just finished changing her bandages and stepped out of the hospital when she received an urgent call from Mandy. Mandy asked, "Beth, are you done with your dressing change? My daughter has a fever, but there's a document that urgently needs Mr. Vazquez's signature. Can you come back to the office and deliver it on my behalf? I owe you one!" After hearing that, Bethany could not bring herself to refuse. "Sure, Mandy. I'll head back to the office to pick it up right now." … Bethany stopped in her tracks outside the private room with the document in her hand. The door was slightly ajar, and laughter spilled out from inside. "Ms. Reid, now that you're back, we should start calling you Ella. After all, Noah is clearly into you!" Noah lounged casually against the back of his chair, one arm draped possessively over the back of Ella's seat. Ella poked his abdomen and covered her face in embarrassment. "Cut it out! Look at them, Noah—they're all teasing me!" Noah lowered his gaze and chuckled. "They're not teasing you. Or is this your way of saying that you don't want to be their close friend?" Bethany stiffened when she heard that. She had thought that she was already numb, but it still hurt. Nevertheless, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" someone inquired, turning around. Bethany pushed the door open and walked in, one step at a time. Looking calmly at the man seated at the head of the table, she said, "This document urgently needs your signature, Mr. Vazquez." Right then, a scion remarked, "Damn, this is your secretary, Noah? She's way too pretty to be doing desk work." The way his gaze roamed over her made Bethany sick to her stomach. Noah's pupils contracted. He clearly hadn't expected to see her. However, a second later, his expression returned to indifference. "Come here. Give it to me." Bethany handed him the document. He signed his name with steady strokes, showing not a hint of embarrassment at being caught. His tone remained apathetic as he said, "Here, you can head back to the company now." Ella eyed Bethany warily before saying softly, "Noah, let my sister stay and join us." A smile crept onto her face as she grasped Bethany's injured hand. "It's been so long since we've seen each other, Beth. Why don't you stay and hang out with us?" Bethany sucked in a sharp breath. The pain from her injury nearly brought tears to her eyes, and she flung her hand away. "Don't touch me. Enjoy yourselves. I need to get back to the office." Everyone was caught off guard by her reaction. Noah frowned and said lowly, "Ella was just trying to be nice. What's with that attitude? Apologize to her right this instant!" Bethany dug her nails into her palm to keep her tears at bay. "I didn't do anything wrong, and I'm not apologizing. If this costs me my job, so be it, Mr. Vazquez." Right after saying that, she hurried out of the room. She felt like she was going to lose it if she stayed there another second. For some reason, Noah felt irritated. He rose from his seat and said, "I'll be right back. Enjoy yourselves without me." With that, he followed her out. The others looked at one another. Then, someone tried to ease the tension. "It looks like Noah's secretary is in trouble. Why did you call her your sister, though, Ella?" Ella forced a smile, but she wasn't in the mood to explain herself. … Noah grasped Bethany's arm from behind in the hallway. "Stop right there, Bethany!" Bethany forced herself to sound calm. "Do you need something else, Mr. Vazquez? If not, you should head back in. I wouldn't want your girlfriend to get the wrong idea." His brows knitted, and his tone softened. "I told you not to call me that in private. What happened to your hand?" So, he had followed her out because he noticed the injury on the back of her hand. "That's none of your business. After all, we broke up, didn't we?" she sneered. "Broke up?" Noah scoffed. "Who told you that we were ever in a relationship?" Pain exploded from her chest, spreading through her entire body. Bethany bit down hard on her lip. "I understand. Don't worry. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." His expression hardened as he watched her walk away. He was about to chase after her when a woman's gentle voice sounded behind him. "Noah… aren't you coming back in?" Noah took a deep breath, turned around, and smiled. "I'm coming, Ella." … As soon as Bethany turned the corner, she could no longer hold it in. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, almost as if the last wall she had built around her heart had crumbled. She stood outside the hotel, leaning weakly against a stone pillar, her shoulders trembling. She didn't even notice the shadow that was slowly approaching her. Silas braced one hand against the pillar beside her and leaned in close. His lazy, low voice brushed against her ear. "It looks like my wife just got her heart broken, huh?"