Chapter 27 The Confrontation

Her phone had been off all night, and when Yvette woke up in the morning, she found that she had not missed a single call. 

She checked Facebook, and aside from some boring messages, Sylvia and her female colleagues shared only secrets and shopping links. 

Yvette smiled wryly, realizing she had indeed overestimated her own significance.

Perhaps due to a lack of restful sleep, she found herself daydreaming at work, completely missing Sylvia's questions.

Sylvia expressed her displeasure, saying, "Hey, Yvette, I've been trying to talk to you."

Only then did Yvette slowly raise her head and inquire, "What's the matter?"

"Weren't you supposed to meet Albert yesterday to go shopping? Why did Violet end up going to see him instead?" Sylvia asked.

They had agreed to meet at the training center yesterday, a location easily observed by others. Sylvia, adept at gathering information, had naturally caught wind of the situation.

Yvette, reluctant to delve into the matter, redirected the conversation, saying, "Hurry and fetch the expired medications. We have a lot to attend to today." 

"Violet is responsible for that task. I'll go speak with her," Sylvia stated. 

Yvette, seizing Sylvia, urgently interjected, "They are colleagues; chatting and socializing is normal." 

"Don't lie to me. You were so cheerful yesterday, and now you seem so down. You can't fool me. If I were you, I'd ask Violet why she's always in the company of someone else's husband, exposing her actions," Sylvia suggested.

"Don't be like this," Yvette pleaded.

Seeing Yvette's stubbornness, Sylvia grew increasingly frustrated. 

Just as they disembarked from the plane, Sylvia, feeling her pockets frantically, exclaimed, "Oh no, I forgot my phone! It must have slipped out on the plane. I'll go retrieve it. Please wait for me."

Yvette glanced at the time and said, "Hurry up!" 

Violet had just finished her tasks and was about to return to the cockpit when an angry Sylvia stopped her. 

"Let's talk," Sylvia said. 

Violet glanced at Sylvia and followed her. 

The two stood facing each other in a corner of the cabin where no one was around. 

Sylvia said contemptuously, "I only have two minutes, so I'll make it quick." 

"Please stay away from Albert in the future. Don't secretly go to see him. Albert's wife is Yvette now. Whatever relationship you had in the past is over. Get that straight," Sylvia said. 

Violet was stung by Sylvia's words and struggled to maintain her composure, but she managed to suppress her anger and said, "Did Yvette ask you to say this to me? Does Albert know?" 

"That's none of your business!" Sylvia said. "Just remember, Albert is Yvette's husband! They have kids together. Don't interfere in their marriage and keep some dignity for yourself." 

Yvette waited for about two minutes before Sylvia returned. 

"Did you find your phone?" she asked. 

Sylvia hesitated for a moment and then said, "My phone wasn't lost; I just found it in my bag." 

Yvette didn't doubt her and said, "You're so scatterbrained." 

Yvette had sent the wrong form yesterday and had to redo everything today. Sorting through the data was exhausting. She was carrying a stack of documents, reading them as she walked to Ross's office, completely unaware that an angry person was heading her way. 

There weren't many people in the hallway, and Yvette didn't look up, so she didn't notice the person in front of her had stopped, blocking her path. 

She was caught off guard and bumped into the person. 

The pain made Yvette look up, and she realized the person was Violet's friend. She had seen this person from a distance before; she was a flight attendant, and Sylvia had mentioned her. She seemed to be called Sissy. 

Sissy was wearing a black dress, looking like she was out for revenge. She appeared fierce and full of disdain, immediately scolding, "Yvette, what do you mean by this?" 

Yvette thought she was talking about the collision and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry." 

"Sorry isn't enough!" Sissy said. 

Before Yvette could react, Sissy raised her hand and slapped her hard. 

The slap left Yvette stunned. 

People around them stopped and turned to see where the sound had come from. 
Yvette's face burned like it was on fire. 

Many people were whispering about them. Yvette covered her face, silently enduring the strange looks from everyone. 

Yvette knew Sissy had hit her for another reason. 

"Is this behavior a bit excessive?" she inquired.

"Excessive?" Sissy scoffed coldly. "When you shamelessly flirted with Albert, did you not consider that excessive? It was you I struck; if you feel aggrieved, have Albert come to me! Let him decide where his loyalty lies, with you or with Violet. You are truly shameless."

Yvette, uncertain why she had been struck, asked, "Did Violet send you?"

"Don't pretend to be innocent. If you hadn't sent your good friend to bother Violet, I wouldn't have bothered hitting you. Hitting you dirties my hands; it's disgusting," Sissy said. 

"My good friend?" Yvette looked at her in confusion and asked, "When?" 

"This morning, and now you're pretending not to know," Sissy said. "Don't act innocent; you might fool Violet, but you can't fool me." 

Yvette suddenly thought of the two minutes Sylvia had gone back this morning. She must have gone to find Violet, not to retrieve her phone. 

'Sylvia is too impulsive,' Yvette thought. 

She hadn't asked Sylvia to bother Violet, but no one would believe her. 

Yvette didn't want to explain and calmly said, "You've achieved your goal. Can I go now?" 

Sissy had expected Yvette to cry after being slapped, but she was so calm. There was no satisfaction in avenging Violet. 

Yvette straightened her back, her demeanor making Sissy feel a bit guilty. She also straightened her back and warned harshly, "Watch yourself in the future. Don't mess with Violet again. Next time, it won't just be a slap." 

Yvette replied aloofly, "Okay."
 
Yvette stepped aside and walked past her. 

Everyone was watching, but she remained calm and composed, leaving amidst their whispers. 

Yvette was on her way to freshen up when she unexpectedly encountered Albert. Leaning against the wall, he was engrossed in his own lighter, flipping it open, closing it, and then opening it again.

The rhythmic clicking sound resonated distinctly in the quiet corridor. She instinctively turned her face slightly, unwilling for him to notice the prominent red marks of five fingers on her swollen cheek.

To her surprise, Albert didn't even glance in her direction, his gaze fixed on his lighter.

"You didn't come to see me yesterday?" he asked coldly. 

Unaware that he was there to reprimand her, Yvette replied, biting her lip, "I suddenly had to work overtime."

Albert furrowed his brow and said, "Then why didn't you call me to explain?"

Recalling that her phone had not received any missed calls that morning, Yvette calmly countered, "But you didn't call me either."

He called out to her, "Yvette." 

Albert was displeased and looked up sharply, finally noticing the handprint on Yvette's face. His expression changed. 

"What happened to your face?" he asked. 

Yvette moved her lips and smiled, saying, "I was playing with my phone and accidentally bumped into the wall." 

Albert frowned, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her closer to examine the red mark on her face. 
"Who hit you?" he asked.

She looked up, staring at Albert, and said, "You ask, but what are you going to do about it?"

Her tone was joking but tinged with bitterness.

Yvette revealed, "It was Violet's friend Sissy. So, are you planning to take revenge for me? Should I brace myself for you to confront Sissy or Violet?" 

Albert frowned at the mention of Violet's name and fell silent. 

After successfully countering Albert for the first time, Yvette experienced a bittersweet satisfaction. Although she knew that such defiance would only intensify his aversion toward her, she couldn't resist.

She forcefully pulled her hand back from Albert's grasp, finally breaking free.

"So, there are things I won't say, and it's pointless for you to ask," she stated, taking two steps backward. "I have to go to work. I'll take my leave now."