Chapter 365: Business Before Feelings

“Was that cruise a vacation after you left your old job?” Cleveland asked.

Taking time off to travel after quitting a job was a popular way for people to relax these days. Ellis answered truthfully. “It was before I left. Just a vacation before quitting.”

“Right. I forgot your actual departure date,” Cleveland said, like he’d just remembered something.

After a few more bites of chicken, he suddenly said, “Wait a second… were you the VIP on that cruise?”

“What VIP?” Ellis blinked, confused. She had no idea she’d ever been considered a VIP.

“There was this rich guy who gave our company a big chunk of money to set something up for his wife…” He trailed off, suddenly realizing the story didn’t add up. That guy’s identity was unclear, and Ellis was divorced, not married.

“Nevermind. I must be mistaken,” he said with an awkward laugh. He didn’t finish, but Ellis had a pretty good idea what he meant. That cruise had Easton written all over it. The way he still liked to call himself her husband after the divorce? Yeah, that definitely sounded like something he’d pull.

She didn’t want anyone at her new job knowing she was divorced, so she let the topic drop. After that, the two of them finished eating without saying much.

There were two hours allotted for lunch break. Ellis had planned to take a walk, but Cleveland stopped her before she could go. He had something work-related for her to handle—managing the secretarial team under Maxwell. There were several secretaries, each assigned to different roles. For now, Cleveland just needed her to remember which one handled Maxwell’s meals. If Maxwell didn’t go to the cafeteria, his food had to be delivered to his office.

She’d done that kind of task before. And the memory made her annoyed all over again. Back when she worked at Hudson Group, she’d gotten the job through a legitimate interview process, but ended up doing nothing but menial chores—always orbiting around Easton like some mindless assistant. Thank God she woke up and left before she wasted any more of her time. If she’d stayed, she probably wouldn’t have grown at all. She might’ve even forgotten how much education she’d had.

She jotted everything down in her phone’s memo app. Once Cleveland confirmed it was correct, he finally let her go for her walk. He watched her as she walked away. Even in business attire, her figure still turned heads. Her hair was tied into a casual ponytail, and the entire image was surprisingly pleasant to look at.

That curiosity he’d once had on the cruise started to resurface. Back then, he’d already noticed Maxwell seemed unusually interested in her. Now Ellis was working here. Was Maxwell interested in her professionally, or was there something more to it?

Cleveland didn’t let himself dwell on it too long. Whatever Maxwell’s intentions were, Ellis’s role would soon outrank his. He needed to build a good working relationship with her first—anything else could wait.

Ellis’s first day at the Fox Group passed without much real work.

1:00 PM

Chapter 365: Business Before Feelings

Maxwell asked her to come to his office.

She figured he had something for her to handle, but instead he asked, “How was your first day? Are you settling in alright?”

“Thank you for asking, Mr. Maxwell. I’m feeling great—everything’s going smoothly,” Ellis answered honestly. Her salary had increased, the work environment was leagues ahead of her previous two jobs, and she had no complaints.

“Get ready, I’m taking you to a dinner event tonight.”

Normally, Maxwell didn’t bring anyone to these things. But now that he had a capable female assistant, it made sense—and Ellis seemed like someone who could handle it easily.

“Of course, Mr. Maxwell,” Ellis said without hesitation. The money was good. Staying late wasn’t a big deal—she was happy to put in the extra hours.

She glanced over the event briefing he sent her. She needed to remember what kind of event it was and who was attending. And the moment she saw her ex-husband’s name on the list, her enthusiasm vanished.

Still, she’d taken the paycheck. She had to do her job. She wasn’t about to give her new boss the impression that she was hard to manage, not on her first day. That could make him question whether her ability matched her salary.

Besides, Easton being there didn’t matter. She’d just ignore him like she always did.

As her eyes kept scanning the guest list, she spotted another name: Morty. Ellis nearly groaned. What kind of cursed day is this? Both my annoying ex-husband and my creepy admirer in one place!

Maxwell must’ve noticed something in her face. “Is there a problem, Ms. Harper?”

Ellis smiled politely. “No problem at all.” No problem that would ever stop me from making money, anyway.

Stonebridge hadn’t exactly brought her much luck. She’d had her share of trouble there. But Victoria was now locked up, awaiting trial. There was no need to worry about someone jumping out of the shadows to hurt her. And at the very least, her current boss was paying her what she deserved.

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