Chapter 19 Late for the Date
"Mr. Martin, I have a date, and I have to leave now. Sorry, I can't work overtime today."
Under normal circumstances, Lillian would have complied with such a request. However, today was special, so she could not miss out.
Ms. Hill, this is Mr. Sinclair's order. If you can't attend the meeting, you must tell him yourself," Kevin said, softening his tone as he noticed she was dressed up for the day, "The meeting will last about two hours, it won't delay you much. You can still make your date afterward. I advise you not to make him unhappy."
Kelly chimed in, "Mr. Martin is right, two hours will fly by. You can just tell your friends that you'll be a little late."
Lillian was not capricious; she knew what was more important. Since she couldn't refuse, she decided to do it.
"But I've only attended two meetings at the company, and I'm worried Mr. Sinclair won't be satisfied if I don't do a good job taking notes."
"Just do your best."
They went upstairs together, and Lillian quickly sent a message in her group chat saying she had to work late and would be delayed.
In the office, Alexander sat behind his desk reviewing documents, the meeting yet to begin.
"Mr. Sinclair, Ms. Hill has arrived," Kevin announced before stepping aside.
Alexander looked up subconsciously and saw Lillian standing in front of him.
She was clad in high-waisted flared jeans and a red turtleneck sweater. Her long hair lightly curled and held back with a small antler-shaped hair clip. She had put on a well-crafted makeup look, managing to appear both playful and adorable.
Alexander was used to seeing her in work attire, so her appearance today took him by surprise, but he quickly resumed reading his documents.
"Mr. Sinclair, when does the meeting start?" Lillian asked in a low voice.
The warmth of the room, combined with her sweater, made her cheeks rosy.
"In a hurry?" Alexander tossed two folders from his desk to her and said, "Read these first."
Lillian, with a slight swipe of her hand across her sweaty lip, sat down to examine the documents seriously.
Half an hour later, the meeting began. This was Lillian's first time taking meeting notes alone. Seated beside Alexander, her hands trembled with nervousness.
The other party was a multinational company, and when several foreigners appeared on video, speaking fluent French with Alexander, Lillian's nerves tightened even more.
Notably, her grasp of French was not strong.
She swallowed silently, sitting up straight and listening carefully, afraid of missing any word.
Lillian had thought of recording the meeting on her phone just in case but realized she'd left her phone behind.
She had to rely on herself now! 'Come on!' she cheered herself on internally.
If only cheering herself on could solve every challenge.
Alexander chatted away merrily. His speech was rapid-fire, and the unfamiliar words he used left Lillian dumbfounded, unsure of how to jot them down.
Sweat began to bead on her forehead in her frenzy. She scribbled down as many words as she could remember, planning to organize them after the meeting ended.
As Alexander discussed business, he noticed Lillian's frantic state. He gave Kevin a look, signaling him to check on her.
Kevin strolled up behind Lillian, his brow furrowing as he leaned over to whisper, "Ms. Hill, what do these blanks in the middle of your sentences mean?"
"They're the words I don't recognize," Lillian replied quickly.
"What?" Kevin asked in surprise. "Ms. Hill, if your French isn't up to par, how did you become the executive assistant?"
"I don't know," Lillian answered distractedly, her focus fully on her work.
Annoyed, Kevin patted her shoulder. "Stand up, let me take over."
Willing to help Lillian, she sighed in relief, gratefully saying, "Mr. Martin, thank you so much! My French is really terrible, and if I kept this up, I would hold Mr. Sinclair back."
She hurried out of her seat, whispering, "Thank you for your hard work. Goodbye."
Kevin's fingers flew over the keyboard as he fixed his gaze on the computer screen. After hearing her, he turned in surprise, but all he saw was her retreating figure.
Lillian didn't seem to give Alexander much thought. She had the audacity to leave without being dismissed. If she angered Alexander, she was sure to face consequences.
Kevin glanced at Alexander and saw that he was engrossed in conversation, unfazed and not upset.
Exiting Sinclair Villa, Lillian was on cloud nine as she shared the good news in a group chat with her friends.
Lillian: [Dear friends, I'm out! A colleague took over my work, and I am so grateful. I'm going to treat him to coffee!]
Wendy: [Hurry, both Angela and I are here!]
Typically busy with their own jobs, it had been a long while since they had seen each other. Today, finally having a chance to gather, they certainly didn't want to waste away the time waiting.
Lillian spotted Wendy and Angela seated by the window as she approached a coffee shop. She waved and jogged over.
"Lillian, you're late!" Wendy said with mock annoyance, pouting, "You're treating us, right?"
"OK!" Lillian replied playfully, making a gesture with her hand.
Angela, more composed and fiery than Lillian and Wendy, was the de facto leader of the trio.
"Are you even supposed to be working overtime as a third-tier secretary?" Lillian awkwardly scratched her head, "I might just be doing odd jobs, but I'm still part of the president's office team. It's completely normal for me to have things to do and work overtime."
"Which colleague helped you out?" Angela pressed on.
"Um... Kayla. She saw that I was in a rush and did my work for me. Taylor didn't come in today, all we needed to do was finish the tasks."
Angela’s eyebrows knit together slightly, and she leaned forward, resting her arms on the table and staring intently at Lillian, almost sternly she said, "Look me in the eye. You're not telling the truth!"
"Ah? Really?" Wendy, mimicking Angela’s posture, looked at her and asked, "Angela, how can you tell?"
"I... I'm telling the truth," Lillian, who dreaded Angela's piercing gaze, found it impossible to lie under her scrutiny.
"Tell the truth!" Angela's voice deepened a bit, her gaze becoming sharper.
"I am telling the truth!" Lillian insisted defiantly.
Angela snorted scornfully, "Of all people in your office, Kayla is the most opportunistic, and she’s the best at sucking up to Taylor. How could she possibly have helped you with anything? Even if you're going to lie, at least pick a better excuse!"
"Lillian, what were you actually doing? Why can't you tell us?" Wendy asked earnestly.
In truth, Lillian felt uneasy about keeping such a significant incident from her closest friends, yet she was aware that even if she disclosed it, not only could they not resolve anything, but it would likely cause them worry.
"Do you really not want to tell us?" Angela asked seriously, looking at her.
