"Miss Hughes, Mr. Winslow is currently in a meeting. He asked that you wait here for a moment," Assistant Sutton stated in a businesslike manner.
Shalma Hughes looked at the robotic woman standing before her. She couldn't help but wonder if everyone around Julian Winslow was this rigid and dull.
"Alright, I understand. Assistant Sutton, are you married?" She had been wanting to ask this question for a long time.
As expected, a distinct expression flickered across Jonah Sutton's face upon hearing the question. She paused. "I am married. My child is already five years old. Miss Hughes, I have other matters to attend to, if you'll excuse me."
With that, she gave a slight bow and walked out.
Once Jonah Sutton left, Shalma surveyed her surroundings again. It was exactly his style—seamlessly minimalist. She sat down on the nearby sofa and picked up a magazine from the table to flip through. They were all business and economics magazines, both domestic and international. After reading for a while, Shalma grew increasingly drowsy. Deciding to give in, she kicked off her high heels, curled up on the sofa, and lay down.
By the time Julian Winslow finished his meeting and arrived at the lounge, it was exactly four o'clock in the afternoon.
The moment he opened the door, he saw her lying there, her long, straight legs immediately catching his eye. He walked over and noticed her delicate lips slightly parted as she dozed off. Surprisingly, she looked somewhat adorable.
Their relationship had always been strictly transactional, and he was always the first to leave. This was truly the first time he had ever seen her asleep. For a brief moment, his heart actually skipped a beat.
He smiled and slowly lowered his head.
When they were so close that their lips were just a second away from touching, Julian spoke in a cool, detached tone. "Have you had enough fun playing around?"
Shalma opened her eyes, her gaze full of sly amusement. "It's not fun at all. How did you know I would come today?" As she spoke, she grabbed his tie and yanked it toward her, looking up into his eyes with an aggressive yet flirtatious gaze.
Just like always, those eyes contained nothing but absolute indifference.
Julian slowly peeled her fingers off his tie one by one. Then, he stood up and walked straight into his office, completely ignoring her question.
Shalma followed him in and watched as he sat down at his desk to review some documents.
"Say something! I asked you a question!" Shalma pressed on. Even though she had been with this man for half a year, she had never been able to read him.
"I think your question is childish, and... I have the right to refuse to answer." Julian looked up at the woman before him and her overly exquisite makeup. He was somewhat surprised that he had managed to tolerate her for half a year—a woman who had deliberately approached him with ulterior motives. "Those three wishes of yours were just to get my attention, weren't they? When I brought up breaking up with you, you couldn't handle it, so you tried to hold onto me! You've always known that I despise clingy women..."
HAH!
Shalma looked at the faint disdain in the man's eyes. It turned out that, to him, she was just like all his other lovers. A strange pang of emotion flashed through her heart, but she quickly masked it with an irresistibly charming smile. "You know I'm different from the others. I truly am. You can't compare me to those other women."
"Different?" Julian's thin lips curled slightly. "Just because you were a virgin when you came to me, you think you're different from them?"
The word 'virgin' pierced her heart like a sharp blade.
Even so, she maintained the smile on her face.
"Shalma Hughes! Let me tell you, I despise women who approach me with an agenda. You're Marcus Hughes's illegitimate daughter. Why didn't you tell me? Or did you think I'd lose interest in you if I knew? Hmm? Didn't you approach me just for this project? I'll give you what you want now and hand this project over to The Hughes Group. However, I'll lay my cards on the table right now: if this project fails, I will make sure The Hughes Group vanishes from Aethelgard." Julian's gaze darkened, his every word acting like an invisible sword, striking lethally without a trace.