Tina asked, "Luke, what are you looking at?" She tugged on his sleeve, noticing him staring off. The trees along the path obscured his line of sight. He withdrew his gaze. "Nothing," he said, focusing on the road ahead, though his thoughts remained unsettled.

Vespera followed Dominic. He stood near a tree, on a call, while she trailed behind. He glanced over his shoulder. Realizing he was on the phone, she stopped, retreating into a nearby mushroom-shaped pavilion. "God, I'm an idiot," she thought, rubbing her forehead.

When Dominic ended the call, she approached, attempting to appear casual. "Mr. Reid, you're sharp as ever. I can't even read a situation properly, so I guess I'm unfit to be your secretary. Sorry for the disturbance."

Dominic raised an eyebrow. "You followed me here just to prove you're unsuitable? To tell me this?"

Vespera had no defense. She forced a laugh. There was no hope of getting the job, so honesty seemed best. "Of course not. I followed you because I wanted to fight for the opportunity. But considering the terrible first impression and how embarrassing today has been, there's no way you'd consider me. I just figured I'd end this sooner rather than later—without making things worse."

Dominic's expression remained cold. "You think that's why I rejected you?"

"Isn't it?" Vespera asked.

"You applied as my secretary dressed like this. If I hired you, people would assume I'm the kind of man who only cares about appearances." He leaned down, lowering his voice. "And if I really did care about that, I wouldn't need to make it so obvious, would I?"

Vespera's face flushed crimson. He was mocking her—implying she'd hoped to use her looks to get the job. She didn't bother explaining. There was no point. Too embarrassed to stay, she said hurriedly, "Thank you for the lesson. I'll be leaving now. Goodbye." She left without waiting for a response.

Yasmine and Alban returned, surprised to find Dominic alone. "Where's Vespera?" Yasmine asked.

"She left," Dominic replied.

Yasmine was surprised, immediately realizing Vespera's application had been rejected, but she couldn't understand why. "Mr. Reid, Vespera is highly capable…"

Dominic cut her off. "She doesn't look like it."

Yasmine, sharp as ever, understood. She'd always believed she understood men, convinced most would fall for such an approach. Dominic proved an exception, entirely indifferent. "Well, what a misunderstanding! It's my fault! Vespera wasn't dressed like this when she arrived. I thought she looked too formal, so I made her change…"

Dominic was speechless.

As soon as she got home, Vespera changed. Feeling drained, she slumped into a chair. She wondered if she was truly nothing without Eclipse Group or Luke. Shaking off her disappointment, she grabbed her phone to apologize to Yasmine. It was on silent; countless missed calls, including several from Luke and Yasmine, popped up. Ignoring Luke, she called Yasmine. "Sorry, sorry. I wasn't feeling great, low blood sugar, so I left early. I forgot to tell you."

A brief silence followed. "I should be the one apologizing," Yasmine finally said.

Vespera chuckled. Smart people didn't need many words. "Oh, don't worry. I just wanted to give it a shot. You've already helped me so much—I won't forget that."

"Come on, don't talk about that. Listen, I explained the outfit thing to Dominic, but he didn't say much. I got his number from Alban. Do you want to give it another try?"

Vespera thought for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Forget it. Tavian Group and I aren't meant to be." Yasmine didn't press her.

After hanging up, Vespera curled up in bed. Feeling exhausted, half-asleep, she heard her bedroom door open. "Mmm…" she mumbled, turning over.

Luke stood by her bed, his expression cold. She didn't want to deal with him, pulling the blanket over her head.

"You've been home all day? Haven't gone out?" Luke sat on the bed, his voice laced with suspicion.

Vespera stayed silent. "I saw someone at the golf course today. Their back looked a lot like yours."

He had been at the golf course too. That caught her off guard. How ridiculous. He and Tina had practically given her a live broadcast of their time together, yet he still dared to question her. She considered admitting it, but the thought of him causing trouble for Yasmine held her back. She stayed silent.

Luke leaned in, lifting a corner of the blanket. His gaze swept over her pale neck. Finding nothing suspicious, his expression relaxed slightly, but he wasn't satisfied. He needed to hear it from her. "Did you go out today or not?"

"I didn't. I was cleaning the yard all afternoon. I'm going to sleep now. Leave me alone," Vespera retorted, pulling the blanket over her head again. Luke didn't think she was lying, so he let it go.

As night fell, Dominic dined in his penthouse. Raymond, his house manager, poured red wine. "No updates from the headhunting firm?" Dominic asked.

"Gerard just sent over a candidate list. He wanted you to take a look when you have time," Raymond replied. "I glanced at it earlier, and guess what? That Ms. Gildon, the one I rear-ended last time, is on the list."

"Oh?" Dominic set his glass down. "Bring me the tablet." His tone was casual, but Raymond knew better. Raymond retrieved the tablet.

Dominic scrolled through the list. He needed someone who understood management, had a commanding presence, looked professional, and was an excellent communicator. His chief secretary needed to maneuver between company departments and external partners, handling both minor tasks and major deals with ease.

"Mr. Reid, Ms. Gildon may look young, but she's quite accomplished. She climbed from a project staffer to a project manager in just four years at Eclipse Group. That company's rapid growth over the past few years? Half of it was thanks to her. Plenty of competitors tried to poach her, but none succeeded. Mostly because Eclipse Group's president, Luke Munoz, was her boyfriend. But word is, he's about to marry the scion of the Sowle family. So, in a fit of anger, she resigned. What a foolish woman…"