"Mr. Ace, whatever do you mean?" Emily asked through gritted teeth.
As if he hadn't heard her, Ace headed straight to Sophia and smiled gently at her.
Sophia looked at him in bewilderment. 'Does he know me?'
Instead of explaining himself, Ace sighed and turned to look at Emily sympathetically. "Miss Emily, it seems that your ability to comprehend is lacking."
Emily's face was burning from the humiliation, but she didn't dare to retort to the CEO's assistant.
"Let me say it again. Sophia isn't leaving our company," Ace stated in a kind but firm tone. "It's what Mr. Carter wants."
As soon as he mentioned their CEO, everyone's eyes suddenly shifted to Sophia.
A shiver ran down Sophia's spine.
Emily couldn't take it anymore and exploded. "Impossible! This bitch— She offended an important client on her first day of work. Why the hell would Mr. Carter want to keep her in the company?"
Ace's expression darkened instantly. "Are you questioning Mr. Carter's decision?"
Emily immediately shrank back and forced a smile. "Oh, I didn't mean that. It's just that Mr. Anthony"
"Solve that problem yourself." Ace ended the conversation right then and there.
Sophia chuckled to herself, secretly elated.
That Emily was way too arrogant. It was great that someone had finally taught her a lesson.
But a question nagged at her. Why did Mr. Carter help her?
It didn't occur to her that she had met the man the night before.
"Sophia, I'm so sorry. It was all just a misunderstanding." All of a sudden, Emily grabbed Sophia's hand and looked at her apologetically.
Sophia got goosebumps. What a fickle woman!
Disgusted, Sophia shook off her hand with a look of disdain.
Emily was unfazed. She smiled and explained hurriedly, "I just needed to go to the bathroom last night. I didn't expect Mr. Anthony to misunderstand the situation. It's all my fault. How about this? I'll invite Mr. Anthony to dinner sometime. That way, you two can solve the misunderstanding and the company's project will be pushed along smoothly."
Sophia sneered with disdain. "Miss Emily, you really know when to hold your head high and when to eat your humble pie."
Emily nearly lost her temper again, but when she saw Ace's dark expression, she suppressed her anger. "If this project is a success, you'll get a commission," she hissed at Sophia in a low voice.
Upon hearing that, the corners of Sophia's mouth twitched. A commission? Emily didn't mention any commission earlier.
Seeing Sophia's hesitant expression, Emily gritted her teeth and whispered, "Fine! You can get two- thirds of the profit."
"Deal!"
Sophia smiled happily. How could she say no to money?
However, Emily's plan didn't go smoothly. The following day, Sophia didn't get any word regarding the dinner.
It was time to get off work, so Sophia turned off her computer and packed up her things.
"Sophia!" She was on her way out when Emily caught up with her. Her high heels clacked against the marble floors so loudly that it sounded as if she was going to stomp on anyone who crossed her path.
Sophia turned around to the sound of her name and met Emily's gloomy face. "Miss Emily, have you made an appointment with Mr. Anthony yet?"
"No! Mr. Anthony was so angry that he refused to meet with us." Emily gave Sophia a murderous look and shoved a piece of paper into her hand. "This is the hotel he's staying in, so we have no choice but to wait for him in the lobby. You can go ahead. I'll follow after a meeting. Don't fuck it up this time!"
Without waiting for a response, Emily turned around and rushed to the conference room.
Sophia unfolded the note and looked at it warily. Could this be yet another trap?
After mulling over the idea for a while, she finally relented and decided to hail a taxi.
After all, she just needed to wait in the lobby. It wasn't as though Mr. Anthony could assault her in public.
In the Luxury Hotel.
As soon as Sophia entered the hotel, her eyes immediately landed on a conspicuous sight in the corner of the hall.
Outside the hotel cafe, three brawny men stood with their hands behind their backs, their strong arms riddled with tattoos. Their leader was wearing a big gold chain around his neck. He stared fiercely at the cafe with a murderous look on his face.
Everyone who passed by made no mistake and detoured around the three fierce-looking men.
Sophia was also terrified. She instinctively turned around to leave, but something caught her attention.
In the cafe, there was a man in a dark suit. His collar was unbuttoned, exposing his defined clavicle. His temperament was cold and distant, but there was a certain kind of sexiness about him. The elegant woman in front of him couldn't take her eyes off him. She furtively reached forward and held his hand.
'What the—?! What a coincidence! Who would've thought I'd run into the most popular male prostitute here? And he's greeting a guest, too!'
Sophia's face was flushed with embarrassment. However, she soon realized that something was off.
Were the three strong men outside just staring at those two people?
"Here's all the information you wanted." The woman stuffed a thumb drive in Alexander's hand respectfully.
"Thank you." Alexander took the thumb drive and plugged it into his tablet. A photo popped up on the screen. He pointed at the person in the photo and said, "There's something off about this person. Keep an eye on her."
The woman leaned forward to look at the screen, her plump breasts pressing against the table. She was so close to the man.
Sophia felt very awkward watching this scene. She turned her head slightly and noticed that the strong men outside the cafe were reacting more strongly than her.
The leader's fists were clenched, his eyes as wide as saucers, and his lips were pursed tightly, as if he was going to explode from anger.
Sophia studied him curiously.
Finally, she understood the situation.
The woman sitting opposite the male prostitute was a married woman. She was about to have an affair. And the three men outside were here to catch her in the act!
'Poor guy. These men are going to beat him to a pulp.'
Before Sophia knew what she was doing, she had taken a few steps toward the cafe.
But then she stopped abruptly in her tracks. The male prostitute had wrecked her life before. Why would she poke her nose into his business now?
Just then, her phone started to ring. It was Emily.
"The meeting just finished," she uttered. "I'll head there right now. Have you seen Mr. Anthony yet?"
"Not yet, I…" Just as Sophia turned around to leave, she noticed that the leader of the three men slowly approached the cafe, his hand reaching for something at his waist.
'What the—? Is that a gun?'