Chapter 407
“What were you thinking?”
Alaricka brushed it off casually: “My bad, totally my fault.”
Victor raised his hand, poking her forehead with his finger: “From now on—”
“Victor!”
A crisp female voice called from behind Victor. Alarieka craned her neck to see the girl had caught up.
Victor looked mortified while Alarieka barely held back laughter.
He shot her a glare. Alarieka quickly soothed him: “Alright, alright, I get it. You’re single, totally single. I’ll stop laughing, promise.”
As the girl approached, Alarieka arched an eyebrow: “So what’s your plan now? Coming to the office with me or…”
The girl’s voice rang out loudly again. Victor squeezed his eyes shut briefly, jaw tight: “You head to the office first. I’ll handle her and join you later. Don’t wait.”
Just then, the elevator arrived. Alarieka stepped in, tossing over her shoulder: “Fine. See you then.”
As the doors slid shut, she saw the girl lunge forward, attempting to embrace Victor again. He stepped back, raising a hand to block her.
Alarieka shook her head with a wry smile.
By the time Victor reached the office, Alarieka had already led her team in resolving the bug, leaving nothing for him to fix.
Emerging from the conference room, Secretary Liu approached: “Ms. Huston, Mr. Shi has arrived. He’s waiting in your office.”
Alarieka nodded. “Good. Bring us some water, please.”
“Right away, Ms. Huston.”
Pushing open her office door, Alarieka placed the water Secretary Liu brought onto the desk before Victor. “All settled?” she asked casually, rounding the desk to sit opposite him.
Victor gripped the cup but didn’t drink, just rotated it slowly. His eyes fixed intently on Alarieka. “Mhm,” he grunted.
Alarieka gave a noncommittal nod. Victor seemed to reconsider his curt reply and added: “She’s my neighbor’s daughter. Ran away from home this time. Her parents called, worried about her being out alone. Had to take her back to my place first. Just notified her parents; they’ve picked her up. Won’t let her near me again.”
Alarieka glanced up from her files, slightly surprised by his lengthy explanation. “Okay. Understood.”
Victor watched her closely, eyes expectant and tense.
Alaricka thought for a moment, then offered: “You handled it well. I wouldn’t let a Cutie Pie stay out that late either.”
That should keep him from sulking again, she mused.
But Victor’s reaction defied her expectations. Instead, his brow furrowed, eyes flashing with impatience and frustration. He opened and closed his mouth several times, visibly struggling to speak, the sight nearly making Alarieka burst.
Signing a document, she finally snapped: “Spit it out. Stop looking like that.”
Shi Yao jerked up the water glass and gulped down a large mouthful. “And also,” he said, “those pajamas she wore were indeed mine–but brand new, never worn. After she changed out of them, I tossed them straight in the trash. Won’t be wearing those ever again.”
From his words, Alarieka gradually detected something more.
Alarieka pondered it, but couldn’t grasp the meaning.
Alarieka frowned slightly: “Why are you telling me this?”
Shi Yao’s anger instantly choked in his chest at her words.
His gaze turned fierce, fingers tightening around the paper cup until it crumpled, water spilling over the edge, trickling down his hand onto the desk.
Alarieka stared at the small puddle on her desk, baffled: “It’s just pajamas. Wash them if they’re dirty. Throwing them away is wasteful.”
Shi Yao gritted out through clenched teeth: “Wasteful? You think I’m wasteful?”
“Fine, you’re rich. Do whatever you want,” Alaricka snapped, slapping a tissue before him. “Clean it up. You’re not the only one who hates mess.”
Chapter 408