Elias went back to his office with Isabelle.
As they walked, the office murmuring grew even louder.
There were speculations about the tension between Isabelle and Elias. Those who weren't present at the time couldn't believe that those two were like fire and ice but they could understand the reason, since Elias literally took the position Isabelle was vying for.
Who wouldn't get angry?
"Here's my key," Elias said, handing her his car's remote. "I parked my car in B-1, space 4."
'B-1? Isn't that a space only executives use?'
First, he uses the executive elevator and then he parks there as well.
The time he gave her a lift home, she didn't see clearly what space he parked in but thinking about it now... He carried himself like an executive.
What was his real relationship to the company?
Was his father one of the higher-ups? A board member, perhaps?
She did not get the chance to ask this when they had their conversation and now she can't even bring it up because it would seem like she was 'interested' in him.
She looked at the key remote and then up at him.
"Are you really letting it go?" She asked, referring to this incident, and he lowered himself onto his desk, leaning on it and folding his arms.
"Do I have a reason not to?" He asked her. "It was a mistake, even I know that. I can't punish her for something like this."
She nodded, clasping the key in her hand.
"Understood." She said. "I'll get your spare suit right away." She was about to leave when he called,
"Ms Han?"
Her heel clicked once and then she turned her head to him.
"How do the employees see me?" He asked but she went silent.
Wasn't it obvious?
Their boss was cold, distant, and didn't express himself very clearly; it was clear they would be walking on thin ice around him.
"I'll answer that when I get back." She said and left.
Gracefully, she walked out of the office, all eyes on her but it didn't matter.
They were quiet now but the moment she was out of sight, they would erupt with all sorts of theories like this was a science class.
After Isabelle left, Clara returned and saw all the commotion going on.
"I was only away for five minutes. What happened?"
Then she heard of the incident and her head nearly erupted like a volcano.
Once again, Isabelle was a step ahead of her.
Isabelle arrived at the underground garage, looked for B-1 parking space, and then found his car with a light press of the remote.
'The spare was supposed to be in the back seat, right?' she thought as she hadn't asked such a basic question before heading out.
Thankfully, she found the garment bag where the suit was neatly kept in the backseat.
Now all that was left was to get the suit to Elias, and that would be all.
But the moment she got to his office, he said,
"Shut the blinds."
Naturally, he would shut the blinds so he could change but... Why was she the one shutting the blinds?
It couldn't be that he wanted her to be there while he changed, could it?
"What's wrong?" Elias asked and she answered,
"Do I have to be here?"
He quickly understood her worry but this made him elated.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to strip naked."
"That's not the point."
Only the fact that she was going to be in there while he changed was enough to stir up more rumors about them in the office.
Did he really want such rumors?
She didn't care, and he probably didn't care either, but if they keep fueling the rumors, they would end up creating a situation they can never escape from.
"I'm taking off my clothes and that includes my brooch," Elias said, suddenly closing the space between them. "As someone who signed the contract, you should know what that means, right?"
Right. If he so much as gets a little flustered while the brooch is off, he would risk exposing his secret.
And what would happen if someone were to open the door at that moment?
No one should be so bold... Except Clara.
It was best to avoid such variables.
"Watch over the situation while I change, Ms Han." He stopped in front of her, his voice low and somehow crispy as he murmured in her ear. "It's only gonna take a moment."
Isabelle clenched her fist not out of anger, but out of determination.
"Don't worry. I won't let a single fly come in. You can count on me." She turned around, putting down the blinds.
Elias took off his brooch and then his lips tilted to the side in a smirk as he mumbled,
"I know I can."
After all, they were bound by a contract.
Elias took off his coat, and then his shirt.
He didn't need to take off his pants since the coffee didn't spill on them. At least, that's what he thought.
"Lower left corner." Isabelle suddenly said as he was about to pick up the fresh suit to wear and he paused. "Your pants are stained as well."
She had her back turned, so how did she know what he was thinking or about to do?
"Don't get careless just because you can't see the stain."
She had noticed the stain when her eyes darted to the paper cup on the floor. It was only smart to expect that a part of the coffee would splash on his shoes and pants.
But even if it didn't splash on his shoes, there might've been a part of it spilled on his pants as the paper cup fell.
"Then, I guess I'm changing my pants as well," Elias said, his tone sounding amused.
Now that he wasn't wearing the brooch, he was expressing himself more clearly than before.
"You know, you intrigue me, Ms Han." He said and she pursed her lips.
He was acting strange, again.
Was this the 'curse' he was talking about?
His tone, his gaze... From behind, she could feel everything, and they felt so different from the usual coldness etched at the edge.
Still, she responded as she would usually do.
"I'll take that as a compliment," she said and he chuckled.
She heard it. Vivid, smooth, and quite cunning.
"Anyway, what about that answer? You said you'd give it to me once you get back."