Chapter 257

The elevator doors opened to reveal T'Accion and his recitamta iranta.

Knowing this was the design department floor, Cassian subtly looked toward the hallway and was pleasantly surprised when he saw Ana at the elevator entrance. His eyes lit up, and Ana caught his gaze at that exact moment. The corner of her mouth curved up slightly in a subtle greeting.

Cassian couldn’t help but smile back.

So that’s why Mr. Rhodes didn’t take his private elevator and insisted on using the regular one, his assistant thought to himself.

What the assistant didn’t know was that Cassian and Ana had been practically inseparable for the past few days—together for everything except bathroom breaks and sleep. Having to be apart for so long felt like torture. He’d been going through the motions at work like a robot, just waiting for any chance to see her.

To speed up their reunion, he’d had to get a little creative.

“Goodbye, Miss Brooks.”

“Goodbye.”

Just as Ana was about to turn away, Cassian caught her eye and gave her a subtle signal, indicating she should meet him in the parking garage.

Ana nodded slightly before walking away.

Vincent happened to come out just then. He saw Ana nodding toward the elevator with a triumphant smile, but he assumed she was smiling at Miss Brooks. Now that the client was gone, Vincent wasn’t going to show Ana any kindness.

“Well, well, Anastasia. Nice work. I didn’t think you had it in you to win over Miss Brooks,” Vincent said with a cold snort, his eyes full of disdain. He had no idea what underhanded tactics Ana had used, but he was sure it wasn’t anything honorable.

Ana looked at Vincent, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “A dirty mind sees dirt everywhere. How much did you eat today?” she asked.

Vincent was furious at the first part, but the second part left him confused. “What?”

Ana’s smile turned wicked. “How many pounds of crap did you eat? Because the amount of shit coming out of your mouth is impressive.”

Vincent froze for a moment, then his face turned black as thunder. “Anastasia! How dare you insult your supervisor!” Vincent snarled, his voice scraping from deep in his throat.

“If what I said wasn’t true, that would be an insult. But since I’m stating facts, how can it be considered an insult?” Ana replied coolly.

“You-”

“Vincent, you said if I signed Miss Brooks, you couldn’t fire me. I recorded that conversation, by the way.” Ana pulled out her phone and waved it at him.

Vincent’s face went darker than charcoal. He hadn’t expected Ana to have that kind of backup plan. Through gritted teeth, he managed, "Of course." He was so angry he felt like he might explode, but all he could do was clench his jaw and endure it.

After Vincent stormed off, Sharlene poked her head out and gave Ana a thumbs up. “Ana, that was amazing! You went toe-to-toe with him.”

“People like him take kindness for weakness,” Ana said. “Give him an inch, and he’ll take a mile.”

Sharlene nodded, though she still looked worried. “But knowing his personality, he’s probably going to target you even more now.”