Chapter 4

Sylvia hadn't expected things to go smoothly. Hence, something was still bugging her after she returned to her office. Tyler was a gentleman, so why was he single by choice? He was so determined to stay a bachelor that his family had to figure out a way to preserve the family bloodline. Someone as cold and indifferent as Arnaud should be the one to be single by choice, not Tyler. Sylvia pressed her lips together and lowered her head. She wanted to focus on dealing with the remaining work first. Heading to the project department personally had taken up a lot of her time. If she couldn't catch up with the progress, Arnaud would get upset again. Suddenly, the internal phone rang. "Come into my office." "Sure, Mr. Kaplan!" Sylvia returned the last document to the folder and heaved a sigh of relief before hurrying out of her office. "The materials submitted by Project Team 3 have been rejected because the land transfer contract cannot be confirmed as valid. I have requested that the financing party obtain a new land ownership certificate promptly." Upon seeing Arnaud frown, Sylvia immediately explained why there was a part missing from the new project contract. After working for him for six months, she had come to understand Arnaud at least to some extent. After hearing her explanation, Arnaud said nothing—but that was the best response. Assuming there were no more problems with the remaining work, Sylvia let her thoughts drift while standing in place, planning her next move. Suddenly, a deep voice pulled her back to reality. "Coffee." "Oh, okay! I'll go brew some now." Sylvia's ability to cater to Arnaud's preferences had reached perfection. He would previously still drink other types of coffee, but now, he only drank the coffee she brewed. As leaving the office, Sylvia headed straight to the office bar. The company had designated this bar to be open 24/7 on working days, providing all sorts of beverages like soda, canned coffee, and other energizing drinks. Even the cleaners could come here and enjoy the free beverages. Upon seeing Sylvia, the person in charge of the bar promptly opened the door and smiled. "Mr. Kaplan really does drink a cup of coffee every day, huh?" "Yes, it isn't easy being the CEO." With that, Sylvia headed straight to the manual coffee maker specially prepared for Arnaud. As she was focused on brewing the coffee, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside, "Which type of coffee tastes better?" It was Tyler! Without hesitation, Sylvia walked out and greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Kaplan. I'm brewing some coffee. Do you want some?" "Oh? What a coincidence, Ms. Reid," Tyler said as he walked over to her. It was time for her to shine, so Sylvia gave extra effort in brewing the coffee. After taking a sip, Tyler repeatedly nodded. "It tastes great. Thank you, Ms. Reid!" "It's just a cup of coffee, it's nothing special. If you like it, just text me whenever you feel like having some in the future." Tyler smiled. "Okay, I won't stand on formalities then." "No need! I'd be happy to." Because of the encounter with Tyler, Sylvia got back to the CEO's office a bit later than usual. Fortunately, Arnaud was focused on his work and didn't pay any attention to her. After he finished reviewing the documents, her work should be done for the day. At that thought, Sylvia inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. Soon, Arnaud closed the folder, and Sylvia stretched her hand to take it from him. She was ready to head back to her desk and end her work day when he suddenly asked, "Do you have plans after work?" "No. Do you need me to work overtime?" She wouldn't say no to working overtime, especially since Kaplan Group would reward her generously for it. After all, she'd have to earn money no matter where she was. Even after she completed her mission and left Portsham with Gregory, she would still need money to survive. "No." A rarely seen awkward look appeared on Arnaud's handsome face. Then, as he pursed his lips, he coldly said, "You mentioned there was a newly opened Irushian restaurant in Portsham that you'd like to go to." Upon hearing that, Sylvia suddenly recalled the restaurant he was talking about. Back then, she'd still been trying to get closer to Arnaud in private. So, knowing he liked Irushian food, she'd offered to treat him to dinner. However, he'd coldly rejected her offer then. But now… "Mr. Kaplan, I've been there. The food doesn't taste nice." Arnaud said nothing. "If you're meeting an important client, do you need me to recommend other restaurants?" Arnaud frowned. "No need." "Okay. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now." Sylvia first took a few steps backward before turning to swiftly leave. She didn't even bother making up stupid excuses to stay in his office for a bit longer like she used to! As Arnaud rubbed his temples, his phone screen lit up. It was a text from Cody. "About your friend, I suddenly thought of another possibility. Perhaps the girl changed her tactics and wanted to play hard to get!" Playing hard to get? Arnaud's gaze swept over the direction Sylvia had just left in. He couldn't just eliminate either of the two possibilities. … After clocking off, Sylvia went directly to the hospital to visit Gregory. As it was past visitation hours, she had to stay outside the room and observe him through the glass panel. Margot worked in this hospital, and since she knew Sylvia was here, she specifically asked for some time off to come and console Sylvia. "Sylv, most people can't even earn ten million dollars in their lifetime. Isn't it perfectly normal to face setbacks or accidents along the way? Besides, we're considered lucky to have gotten the deposit in time. It didn't hold up the preparations for the donation!" "Mm." Sylvia nodded. She could only focus on the positives or get crushed by reality. As she looked at the frail Gregory inside the ward, she felt heartbroken. No one could understand how she felt at the moment. Back when she got into college, she'd also gotten the chance to study overseas. Her parents told her not to worry about the money, so she didn't think much of it and went overseas to study finance. But little did she know that the money was from Gregory, who'd dropped out of school to work to afford her fees. Gregory had done well academically. The school even had high hopes for him to get into top colleges in the country. After he dropped out, the school had even sent representatives to their house to persuade him to change his mind—but to no avail. Sylvia could never repay this debt of gratitude in this lifetime! Upon seeing her expression, Margot knew that Sylvia was likely being plagued by past events yet again. Sighing, she offered her a piece of napkin. "Wipe your tears. No matter how tough the journey is, we still have to go on, right?" Sylvia didn't even realize she was crying. She quickly wiped her face and smiled. "I won't lose hope. I'm really grateful for the ten million dollars! "Don't worry, Margot. I'm fine. You don't have to console me." "I'm glad you're taking it well. Is there anything you need my help with?" Sylvia was going to say no, but something suddenly occurred to her. She asked, "Could you get a few more doses of the specially prepared stomach medicine for Arnaud? "Even though he's no longer my target, I can't risk offending him. I still need to continue working at Kaplan Group to get closer to Tyler Kaplan." Margot nodded. "But my dad is currently at my aunt's, and he'll only be back next week. I don't know the formulation of that medicine." "There's no rush. You can give them to me next week. I still have one dose left."