A young woman appeared at the back door with a document in her hand. When she saw Alex enter, she rushed forward and said, "Please come in. Maryann is waiting for you. I'm Julie, her secretary."
She seemed anxious to get Alex into the building as soon as possible.
"Why are you so flustered?" Alex asked her. "Are you worried about what's happening outside? As they walked, he looked out of the window at the crowd. He could still hear them chanting.
"What's been happening at the company to cause all of this?" Alex asked. He felt perfectly within his rights to ask. After all, Maryann had given him half of her assets.
"It's hard to say," Julie said, slamming one of the windows shut and retreating out of the crowd's line of sight.
It was such a strange way to be welcomed into the building, but Alex understood that the company must be under huge amounts of pressure and that the senior management was all in hiding.
Julie blushed and apologized. "Please forgive me for the unorthodox welcome," she said. "I don't mean to be impolite. It's just that these people are monsters. If they get to know our faces, they'll attack us the moment we leave."
Alex sighed. No wonder she was nervous. She was preparing for a fight. It must have been hard for her to even get to work.
But she said cheerfully, "I heard Maryann say that you're joining our company. I'm so pleased. Alex, please help the Robinson Winery. Maryann is having a really hard time."
Alex still didn't understand. "If you tell me what the problem is," he said. "Then I'll see if I can solve it."
"Well, it's not the first time that this has happened. Do you know about the Blue Bottle Winery?" Julie asked.
"I thought that was already under control," Alex said. "It has closed down, right? Don't tell me that they are up and running again!"
"There's no end to it," Julie said. "Louisa's uncle, Steven, has been looking for trouble, and he'll use any excuse to attack us. Although we completely defeated their plot before, and even though Blue Bottle has gone bankrupt, and many of the management have been detained and sentenced, they're still not willing to accept defeat."
The more Julie said, the sadder she became. "I'm sorry, Alex," she said. "Maybe I shouldn't have said so much, but I know you're one of us now. You'd better get the rest of the story from Maryann."
It was obvious from the way that she spoke that Julie was more than just Maryann's secretary. The two women were clearly friends.
Julie motioned Alex toward a room rarely visited by the company's staff. Then she stopped and left him to go on alone. Alex pushed open the door, and Maryann met him with a smile.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Have you come to laugh at my incompetence and solve all my problems for me?"
She wasn't so flustered this time. Instead, she was teasing him.
"Well, I don't know what sins I was guilty of in my last life," Alex said. "But you seem to be my punishment. Tell me, what are the Murdochs up to? Didn't we already beat them?"
Since he had made the effort to come in, Alex felt that he might as well take care of the problem.
But Maryann didn't seem to be in a hurry. Instead, she reached out and handed him a thick document. Then she said, "Have a look at it. I don't want you going back on your word. Will you sign it?"
Maryann was looking at him affectionately. Obviously, she was happy to see him, and she was no longer worried about what was going on outside.
Alex was dumbfounded. There must be something wrong with her. Had she invited him up to the office to deal with the protesters or to do some heavy reading? With the anger in that crowd, the building might not be standing for that much longer.
Alex flipped through the documents and discovered they were all concerning the transfer of assets.
"Sign it, please," Maryann said with a smile.
"What are you so afraid of?" Alex asked, frowning at her. "Do you think I'll go back on my word? That you'll miss out on all the benefits of my joining the company? Or are you simply trying to repay my kindness?"
The smile disappeared from her face, and she looked very sad.
"Is that what you think?" she asked.
"Of course!" Alex snapped. "You're a strong woman with a good head for business, so why on earth are you doing this?" He slapped the document onto the desk and asked, "If I told you to sleep with me, would you take off your clothes right now?"
Maryann had tears in her eyes. She stared at him for a long time, and then she laughed. "Yes, I would," she said, nodding. "I would take them off for you! I said I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it.
She raised her head to reveal eyes burning with desire. She wore a blue suit that accentuated her figure, and she looked both smart and charming. She had great taste and had melted many a man's heart.
"I'll take them off," she insisted. "Say something. Let me take them off!" She then squatted down in front of Alex, looking up at him with shining eyes. It would have set any man's heart thumping.
He didn't say anything. Maryann was full of surprises. It had only been a figure of speech, and he hadn't meant for her to take it seriously.
He held his breath, irritated by her provocation.
"Forget it," he said irritably. "Get out of here. I'll sign your document. You're a real pain in the neck!"
Maryann quickly picked up the documents one by one and put them in front of him. Then she placed a pen in Alex's hand. He swept through the pages one by one, signing as he turned each page.
"It's finally happening," Maryann said. "From now on, it's you and me versus the world." Then she added, "Listen to me, Alex. You should change your clothes and update your image. It'll be good for you."
Alex tried to look at his clothes through Maryann's eyes. It was true that they were a little faded.
He didn't have to think about it for long. "No," he said. "I'm used to them, and I think they look good."
Jealousy flashed across Maryann's face. "A girl bought them for you, right?" she asked. "That's why you're so attached to them."
"Yes, she's my soulmate," Alex said solemnly. "I love everything she buys for me."