At first, Aurora didn’t think much of it. After all, Lucas had a habit of keeping his distance from others, and there was plenty of space around him. But the moment those words left his mouth, she suddenly felt countless eyes on them. It was as if the entire room had been watching this whole time.

“Anything’s fine. Stop asking me,” she muttered, wanting nothing more than to escape.

Meanwhile, whispers spread among Desmond and the other employees nearby.

“Holy–so this is Mrs. Carter?!”

“It has to be! The boss is asking her what she wants for dinner.”

“Wait… The boss cooks?”

“No way. I thought he was the kind of untouchable figure who never stepped off his pedestal. Turns out he didn’t step down, he just found someone just as high up.”

“I just want to know what flaw God gave our boss, because I don’t see a single one.”

Though everyone pretended to focus on their work, they were all eavesdropping–eyes and ears tuned in, fully invested in the scene playing out before them. Aurora felt increasingly uncomfortable under the silent attention.

Lucas noticed immediately. His gaze swept across the room. It was a silent warning. One look was all it took. Every single employee instantly ducked their heads, eyes glued to their screens as if their lives depended on it. At that moment, they all had the same thought–they were doomed. The boss was definitely going to remember this and settle accounts later.

Oblivious to his silent intimidation, Aurora exhaled. “I’m heading back. You should get back to work. I still have to report back.”

Chapter 85

“I’ll walk you to the parking garage.”

Aurora wanted to decline, but when she met Lucas’ unwavering gaze, she found herself unable to say no. He had nothing better to do anyway.

“Fine.”

With that, the two of them walked side by side toward the elevator. The moment they left, the employees let out a collective sigh of relief.

So, this was why their boss had always seemed indifferent to women. It wasn’t the lack of interest, he just hadn’t found the right one yet. Seeing how Lucas treated Aurora with such quiet gentleness, it was something no one had ever witnessed before. Desmond couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

From behind, the two of them looked incredibly well-matched. Even standing beside their CEO, Aurora carried herself with an undeniable presence, her aura never overshadowed.

“Alright, alright, back to work,” Desmond finally said, snapping out of his thoughts. “And don’t go spreading what happened today.”

That was the important part.

“The boss did give a direct order in the group chat. It’s their business, not ours. Our job is to keep our mouths shut. Otherwise…”

He trailed off and didn’t say more. The warning was clear enough. The employees all nodded, taking his words seriously. No one wanted to risk their job over some idle gossip. Eavesdropping was one thing, but stirring up trouble wasn’t worth it.

Just as Desmond was about to return to his tasks, the project director approached, handing him a folder.

“Mr. Watson, this is Miss Walton’s proposal. Should we pass it to the boss for review?”

Chapter 85

Desmond took the document, hesitating slightly. What exactly was the boss planning?

“I’ll check with him later,” he decided. “Do you need a backup copy?”

The director shook his head. “No need. I had Miss Walton walk me through the key concepts, so I’ve already noted the main points.”

Desmond nodded in approval.

Meanwhile, Aurora remained blissfully unaware of the storm she was walking straight into. She had no idea that Lucas was the true power behind Vanguard Group, and even more, that he was the single most important person when it came to securing the project. If she had known, would she still be walking so calmly beside him?

Right now, she only saw the man carrying her bag–his tall, imposing figure contrasted by the presence of her elegant, but completely out-of-place purse slung over his arm. The sight was so absurd it was almost comical.