Chapter 21 You're Crazy!

Twenty minutes later, Yvonne arrived at the Harper Group in her car.

After getting out of the car, she opened the trunk and picked out a white dress from the clothes Mrs. Winston had given her. She then found a restroom to change out of her work uniform.

Elijah's assistant, Arthur, had been waiting for Yvonne in the parking lot for quite some time. He politely greeted her and led her up to the elevator.

Arthur escorted Yvonne into a multimedia conference room.

The room wasn't spacious, and there were only seven or eight people present, chatting away as if there was no urgency for a meeting.

Elijah, seated in the main position, was speaking Norwegian with the Norwegian individual beside him.

When Yvonne took her seat, she glanced at Elijah, and he nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Carlos, the Spanish shareholder, who had attended the previous product launch event, was also present, so Elijah had invited Yvonne to translate.

Carlos was in his thirties, tall and sturdy, with healthy wheat-colored skin and deep facial features. He exuded a unique exotic charm in every gesture.

This meeting was an exchange between the partners without any media presence, which made it more casual.

After more than two hours, the meeting concluded, but Carlos showed no signs of leaving. He whispered to Yvonne, asking if she had a boyfriend, to which she shook her head.

Carlos then asked where Yvonne worked, and out of politeness, she smiled and answered him.

Since she didn't have any time off, Yvonne did her best to stay alert and steadily provide translation services.

Yvonne had to hurry back to the Brooks Group, so she tried sending a message to Elijah on WhatsApp: [Is the meeting over? Can I leave now?]

Elijah picked up his phone and replied with two words: [You can.]

She sent him a grateful glance, but Elijah didn't even bat an eyelid.

Yvonne got up and said goodbye to Carlos, who reached out for a hug and asked for her phone number.

In order to leave quickly, Yvonne gave him her phone number.

Carlos devoutly entered Yvonne's number into his phone and personally escorted her downstairs.

Elijah watched this scene coldly, his face expression terrifyingly grim.

Upon returning to the Brooks Group, Yvonne found the entire building eerily silent. The tea room, which used to be filled with colleagues chatting, was now empty.

Stepping into Department C, Lily whispered to her, "Prepare for overtime. We might even be working until dawn tonight."

"Did the company receive a new order?" Yvonne couldn't figure out what George was up to.

Lily shook her head. "The higher-ups just finished a meeting. The end-of-year tasks must be completed by the end of this month. Anyone who hinders progress will have their contract terminated. Everyone in the company is on edge now."

With Mary and her daughter in trouble, over fifty employees in the company would face the consequences!

"As far as I know, the company has accumulated too much debt, and George has long had plans for layoffs. This is just the final push to squeeze out the remaining value before kicking us out," Thomas sighed with an air of resignation.

James's face turned dark. "Even if we achieve all kinds of performance targets, we'll still end up being dismissed. It's best for everyone to start preparing for new opportunities in advance."

"I'll work on my resume and send it out tomorrow." Lily, young and full of anticipation for the future, said.

Yvonne hadn't expected to stay at the Brooks Group for too long because of her discord with Grace, but she didn't anticipate this day would come so quickly.

All four of them had lost interest in their work, speaking quietly amongst themselves.

"Meeting!" Susan burst into the room without even knocking.

Yvonne glanced at Susan, who still had a stern expression, exuding an air of annoyance toward everyone.

"I'm sure you're all aware of the company's situation, so I'll keep it brief. Divide the tasks among yourselves and aim to finish them by the end of the month."

Susan rambled on for a full five minutes, while Yvonne and the others remained silent.

"As for work requirements, starting from today, we will have to work overtime after regular hours and make Saturdays and Sundays workdays," Susan continued. At this point, Thomas couldn't bear it any longer and interrupted her.

"Susan, how will overtime pay on Saturdays and Sundays be calculated?"

Susan frowned and said, "Now is a critical period for the survival of the company. We can discuss wages later."

Thomas picked up his teacup and slammed it back down.

Susan scanned the faces of everyone with sharp eyes and left the room.

No one in Department C was focused on their work anymore.

The attitude toward the orders from the marketing department was dismissive. Yvonne was also wondering where to go after leaving the Brooks Group.

Elijah transferred ten thousand US dollars to her via WhatsApp, and she immediately accepted it, replying with a simple "thank you."

Elijah sent another message: [Still at work?]

She quickly typed the word "overtime," but Elijah didn't respond further. The person behind her attack had been found, and she needed to move out of Rhode Hills.

Carlos called her twice, inviting Yvonne to hang out at a bar, but Yvonne reluctantly declined, saying she was working overtime.

"It's time to rest now. Why are you still working?" Carlos, a Spaniard, couldn't understand why a young girl like her would push herself so hard.

"To earn money for better bread and prettier dresses," Yvonne explained impatiently.

Carlos immediately said without hesitation, "I'm actually in need of a secretary who knows Spanish. Would you like to come over? The salary here is ten to twenty percent higher than in other companies, and I can guarantee that it won't interfere with your break time."

"I studied interior and exterior design, so I'm afraid I won't be a good secretary," Yvonne said, although she was already tempted.

The place she wanted to go the most was the Seattle Design Institute, but their recruitment for this year had already ended, and she would have to wait until next year.

When she worked as an interpreter at the Harper Group, she heard about the news of Carlos's branch in Winslow recruiting aggressively.

"You're beautiful and smart. As long as you work hard, you can definitely handle the secretary position." Carlos suddenly changed the topic. "Drinking alone is boring. Why don't you come over? We can talk about your employment."

"I'll be right there. Please send me your address, Mr. Carlos," Yvonne said and hung up the phone. She translated for Carlos in the afternoon, and she could feel his ambiguous and flirtatious gaze. He asked for her phone number before leaving, confirming her suspicions.

Carlos's company in Winslow was a large-scale foreign enterprise, and if she could really get the job, it would be much better than the Brooks Group.

Soon, Yvonne made the decision to go on the appointment. With the intention to resign, Yvonne was less intimidated by the rules and regulations of the Brooks Group. She told Lily that her stomach was hurting and left the Brooks Group building.

CC Bar

The dim and hazy lights filled the air with a seductive charm. When Yvonne saw Carlos, he was holding a glass of Tequila Sunrise and having an enthusiastic conversation in English with the bartender.

Yvonne called out his name, and he turned around, giving Yvonne a hug and a cheek kiss. Little did they know that Philippe, who had just entered the bar, witnessed this scene.

Philippe quickly took a picture with his phone and sent it to Elijah.

Elijah did not respond at all.

Philippe found it quite interesting and discreetly watched Yvonne and Carlos from a corner, occasionally sharing updates of their interactions with Elijah.

From the candidly captured photos and videos, Yvonne always appeared stunningly beautiful and flawless, making it difficult to find any flaws.

In that moment, Philippe finally understood why Elijah, this hundred-year-old iceberg, would melt in Yvonne's hands.

Yvonne and Carlos were already familiar with each other. One urgently needed a job, while the other urgently wanted to recruit someone. They quickly agreed and settled on a verbal agreement to start next week.

Before even leaving her current job, Yvonne had already found a higher-paying position. She was in a great mood. She drank three glasses of Rosy Beauty and ordered a few bottles of beer.

As Carlos became slightly intoxicated, he draped an arm around Yvonne's waist. Just as she reached out to push him away, Philippe captured the moment and sent it to Elijah.

Anyone looking at the photo would see a flirtatious interaction between the two.

Afraid of being discovered, Philippe turned and left the bar.

Feeling dizzy and knowing she shouldn't drink anymore, Yvonne tried a few times to leave but was continuously stopped by Carlos.

"We have a great connection. How can you abandon me?" Carlos also had a visible drunkenness about him.

"I'll be right back, just going to the restroom." Yvonne smiled mischievously and deliberately pinched Carlos's cheek.

Carlos didn't act as she had hoped. He repeatedly cautioned her to "come back quickly."

Yvonne went through the back door to the underground parking lot, and a gust of cool wind cleared her mind.

Suddenly, there was a screeching sound of brakes!

Elijah got out of the car with a stern face, and without a word, he pulled her into the car.

"Elijah!" Yvonne was about to speak when the car started speeding off, but the force threw her onto the backseat.

Elijah was driving fast.

The Elijah she remembered was composed and never lost control like he did now.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in Rhode Hills.

Elijah quickly got out of the car.

When Yvonne opened the car door, Elijah grabbed her hand and dragged her into the elevator lobby.

"What has gotten into you?" She couldn't understand why this man would suddenly change.

Using one hand, Elijah opened the anti-theft door and threw Yvonne into the bathtub in the bathroom.

Yvonne's back hit the bathtub wall, causing her to scream in pain.

Her screams did not evoke any sympathy from Elijah.

The room was not lit, and Yvonne hadn't adapted to the darkness yet when a blast of cold water poured down on her from above!

"Elijah! Are you insane!" She tried to close the showerhead above, but her body was pinned down by Elijah and she was unable to move.

The temperature wasn't high in late autumn.

Wave after wave of cold water cascaded down on her, and in the darkness, Yvonne screamed in agony.

"Elijah, you jerk! What kind of man bullies a woman!"

Her curses grew harsher and harsher.

The colder the water, the more shocking it became.

Only after she was completely drenched did Elijah release her.

She curled up in the corner of the bathtub, sobbing softly, her inner courage shattered.

"Clean yourself up properly. If I smell another man's scent on you, I'll throw you out of my house."

"Fine, I'll leave. I don't care about living here!" Yvonne trembled as she climbed out of the bathtub.

At that moment, the lights in the washroom turned on.

Yvonne felt a chill go through her body and hastily returned to the bathtub, turning the hot water to its maximum, trying to alleviate the coldness on her body.

Elijah looked at her, his eyes filled with terrifying anger.

Yvonne's body was wrapped tightly in wet clothes. Her curves became even more mesmerizing, and a misty vapor lingered around her, evolving into a captivating allure.

Yvonne, feeling mischievous, stood up from the bathtub and reached out to unbutton Elijah's shirt.

One button, two buttons...

Because her hands were wet, her movements were slow, so she forcefully tore open Elijah's shirt and viciously bit on his lean, taut chest.