Chapter 40: Unwilling to See Her

Ten minutes later, Madelyn entered Lockhart Group with her bag on her back. Once again, Malcolm spotted her at first glance.

"Finished," he thought to himself. "Why is the lady boss here again? Will she be making a beeline to see Mr. Lockhart again! This is really giving me a headache!"

Following that, Malcolm immediately sprinted forward, grinning as he asked, “Mrs. Lockhart, what brings you here today?”

Just as Madelyn was about to speak, Malcolm interrupted her with a playful chuckle, “Oh, are you here to see Mr. Lockhart? Mrs. Lockhart, although Mr. Lockhart has indeed returned from his business trip, he is currently preoccupied with work and not seeing anyone. So, I’m afraid it’s not a good time.”

Malcolm spoke, revealing an awkward yet simultaneously polite smile. Internally, he was groaning in distress, unsure if Madelyn would lose her temper. However, since Sebastian had given orders that he wouldn’t see Madelyn for the subsequent days, Malcolm, as his assistant, knew he had to keep her out, even if it meant going to extreme lengths. He would rather lose an arm or a leg or hang himself with a rope than let her in.

Upon hearing those words, Madelyn felt a certain degree of disappointment. However, she understood in her heart that Sebastian, having just rejected her in the morning, would certainly not be willing to see her at that moment. Even though Madelyn didn’t know the reason, what could she do if he was unwilling to see her?

Gathering her spirits, Madelyn managed to give Malcolm a small smile and said, “It’s okay. I’m not here to see him anyway.”

“What?” Malcolm was taken aback.

Madelyn looked at him earnestly, saying, “I’m here to see you today.”

“Me?” Malcolm’s eyebrows twitched after he heard that. What could the lady boss possibly want from me? Did I do something wrong to upset her again?

Thus, Malcolm had no choice but to brace himself and ask, “Mrs. Lockhart, may I know why you’re looking for me?”

Upon seeing his reaction, Madelyn chuckled. “You needn’t be afraid. I’m here simply because I need your help with something.”

After she finished speaking, she pulled out the videotapes she had obtained from Yadiel from her backpack.

“Malcolm, if I recall correctly, you graduated from a technology university, right? Back in your school days, you were quite the renowned computer whiz, weren’t you? I need a favor from you. Could you help me recover the erased surveillance footage from this device?”

Upon hearing that, Malcolm was first taken aback, then elated. The lady boss isn’t here to make things difficult for me! Following that, he was momentarily taken aback once again. He held the videotape with a puzzled expression and asked, “Mrs. Lockhart, what is this footage about?”

Madelyn pondered for a moment before deciding there was no need to let Malcolm know about this matter. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just from our school. By the way, if it can be restored, how long do you think it might take?”

Malcolm examined the cassette and said, “Under normal circumstances, it shouldn’t take too long. As for this kind of device, let me take a look first.”

Madelyn could only nod in response. “Okay. You can start helping me now, then. I’ll wait here.”

Malcolm found it rare to see her not acting out of sorts, which inevitably struck him as odd. Mrs. Lockhart is quite… peaceful today. She didn’t even go in to see Mr. Lockhart. Aba, what on earth is this…wart villa…where…footage…all…

With that thought, Malcolm immediately helped Madelyn with the task.

Subsequently, Malcolm fiddled around on the computer for a bit. A few moments later, he turned around and said, “Mrs. Lockhart, a section of this footage has indeed been erased by someone.” He paused before adding, “Moreover, it seems the other party isn’t a professional. The deletion was done rather hastily.”

Madelyn sneered inwardly. Of course, Janeka wouldn’t understand these matters. After all, she had to do this covertly. She must have been…

“How long will these take to be recovered?” Madelyn asked.

Fortunately, recovering the footage wasn’t difficult for Malcolm.

Malcolm spoke rather confidently, “I should be able to recover everything in around half an hour.”

Upon hearing those words, Madelyn was overjoyed. “That’s great. I really can’t thank you enough.”

With this expression of gratitude, Malcolm was nearly brought to his knees in shock. This young lady actually knows how to say thank you?

Consequently, Malcolm quickly waved his hand. “This is my obligation. You’re welcome, Mrs. Lockhart.”

Unexpectedly, the door to the CEO’s office swung open at that moment. As soon as Sebastian opened the door, he saw Madelyn sitting beside Malcolm, both of them laughing happily. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows and ask in a cold voice, “What are you two doing?”

Startled, Madelyn turned around and saw Sebastian’s icy, stern expression. Malcolm hastily responded, “Good day, Mr. Lockhart. I’m currently helping Mrs. Lockhart out.”

“What are you helping her with?” Sebastian’s expression grew even darker.

Madelyn didn’t want Malcolm to feel embarrassed, so she quickly clarified, “Oh, I just needed Malcolm’s help with something. It’ll be done soon.”

Then, she moved closer to Sebastian and asked warmly, “Sebastian, have you had dinner yet? Would you like to eat together tonight? I haven’t eaten yet. I’m really hungry.”

Sebastian glanced at Madelyn but merely scoffed. “No.”

He actually rejected my offer. Madelyn’s face turned pale, and she said indifferently, “Oh, okay, then. Go ahead with your work, then.”

After finishing her sentence, she turned around and looked at Malcolm with a bright smile. “Mr. Schultz, have you had dinner yet? How about I treat you to dinner tonight?”

Upon hearing those words, Malcolm shuddered all over and broke out in a cold sweat. And here I thought the young lady’s temperament had taken a change for the good. Yet, she’s still as exasperating as ever!

Malcolm frantically waved his hands in fear when Sebastian’s cold voice sounded, “What do you want to eat?”

With a cunning smile, Madelyn chuckled. I knew this trick would work. With that, she turned around, her eyes sparkling with joy. She then snuggled up to Sebastian’s arm and said, “I want to eat at the place we went to last time.”

The restaurant was indeed memorable. That day, in the middle of their meal, Sebastian had abruptly left. Madelyn remembered it all too clearly.

With a cold expression on his face, Sebastian strode off.

Madelyn turned around with a contented smile and said to Malcolm, “Mr. Schultz, I’ll bring you some food later to thank you for your help.”

On the way to the restaurant, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel uneasy whenever he recalled the sight of Madelyn and Malcolm laughing together. In a deep voice, he asked, “What favor did you ask of Malcolm?”

Madelyn’s eyes shifted, curiously gazing at him. “What’s the matter? Why do you care?”

Seeing her being mysterious, Sebastian let out a cold huff. “If you don’t want to talk about it, forget it.”

Madelyn couldn’t help but chuckle. He obviously cares, yet he still pretends otherwise. So, she waved her hand and said, “It’s nothing. I just had Malcolm help me recover surveillance footage. That’s all.”

Sebastian then ceased to inquire further. Subsequently, the two began to dine. The meal was incredibly satisfying. Famished, Madelyn ordered an array of delicious dishes and indulged in a feast. On the other hand, Sebastian didn’t have much of an appetite and didn’t eat much. Watching Madelyn stuffing her mouth full, he found her inexplicably adorable.

After finishing their meal and returning to the office, Malcolm approached Madelyn and said, “Mrs. Lockhart, I’ve already recovered the surveillance footage you requested.”