Chapter 22 Don't Assume Feelings

Elijah groaned in pain and pressed Yvonne's hands against the wall. "Are you a dog?"

"Why are you getting so angry? Are you jealous of him?" Yvonne couldn't figure out the reason for Elijah's sudden rage.

Elijah's body froze for a moment, then he abruptly let go of the woman in front of him.

He had actually lost control just now!

He had only had a few intimate encounters with this woman, yet when he saw her cozying up to another man, he went crazy. He immediately dragged her back and demanded an explanation!

Yvonne's smirk faded, but she still teased, "Do you like me?"

"Take a hot shower." Elijah fixed his torn shirt and left the washroom with his head down.

"If you like me, why don't you say it? Won't it be uncomfortable to keep it to yourself?" Yvonne's laughter echoed in Elijah's heart.

Elijah reached out and closed the washroom door, cutting off the springtime scene inside.

He walked into the study and forced himself to sit at the writing desk.

Though the desk was filled with documents, he had no interest in them. His mind was filled with the image of Yvonne being drenched with cold water.

Her rosy lips, beautiful complexion, and perfect figure... Especially those eyes, they held some kind of enchantment that fascinated him.

He closed his eyes and pondered, when did he start caring about this woman?

He dismissed the thought in less than five seconds.

He liked mature and dignified women. Being attracted to someone like Yvonne was merely instinct.

With this thought in mind, Elijah's face softened.

He couldn't watch himself sink deeper into the abyss of desire. He should put an end to his relationship with Yvonne as soon as possible.

Yvonne's brisk footsteps sounded from outside, soon followed by a knock on the door.

"Mr. Harper, can we talk for a moment?"

Elijah pretended not to hear.

"If you remain silent, I'll take it as your agreement!" Yvonne pushed open the study door.

Elijah turned his back to her, feigning indifference.

"Grace and Mary were taken away by the police. You helped me, right?" Yvonne tightened her bathrobe and tilted her head to look at Elijah.

"They were just taking responsibility for the mistakes they made," Elijah replied, avoiding Yvonne's gaze to prevent any unwanted thoughts from resurfacing.

Yvonne saw through his evasion and walked over, smiling. "You helped, admit it."

"I haven't helped you at all," Elijah insisted, trying to distance himself. "Don't be so presumptuous."

"Alright, alright. You didn't help me. It was my good luck that moved God, and they received their punishment!" Yvonne stopped arguing. "By the way, how is Carlos's company doing? I'm thinking of switching over to be a CEO secretary there."

"You're not allowed to go," Elijah blurted out.

Yvonne looked puzzled. "His company is a partner of the Harper Group. It shouldn't be too bad, right?"

Elijah stood up, putting some distance between them, and spoke coldly, "Go wherever you want. I don't care."

"You can't possibly control me," Yvonne provoked deliberately. "Carlos promised me a high salary. If I stay at the Brooks Group, wouldn't that be foolish?"

Elijah narrowed his dark eyes and pulled Yvonne toward him.

Yvonne stumbled and fell into his arms, taking the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his lips.

He pressed Yvonne against the writing desk, releasing all his frustrations with her in their subsequent actions.

The study was left in a mess after their passionate encounter.

Elijah withdrew from the desire. Without bothering to tidy up his clothes, he dismissed her. "Go back to the bedroom and sleep."

"It was too exciting just now; I can't sleep." Yvonne lazily reclined on the sofa, savoring the thrilling moments they had just shared. "Passionate when getting into bed, cold-hearted once you put your pants back on. Your skills are beyond ordinary people's reach."

Elijah, struck by her words, didn't argue and bent down to pick up the scattered files on the floor.

Yvonne smiled at Elijah and adjusted her posture when she got tired, but she never left the study.

Initially, Elijah focused on flipping through the files, but he couldn't sit still. He eventually picked up his laptop and went to the master bedroom.

Observing that he hadn't returned, Yvonne went back to her own room.

Unable to fall asleep, she packed her luggage and prepared to return to Sunshine Community early the next morning.

Before the sun rose, Yvonne was awakened by a call from George.

Knowing what he wanted to say, Yvonne set her phone to vibrate mode.

Feeling wide awake, she got up to freshen up but unexpectedly ran into Elijah, who was coming out of the bedroom in his pajamas.

"Good morning, Mr. Harper," Yvonne greeted with a smile, taking the initiative.

Elijah nodded, without even glancing at her, and went to the other bathroom.

Yvonne shrugged helplessly. She changed her clothes and grabbed her suitcase to leave.

In the kitchen, the stove was hot.

Steam rose as Elijah brewed coffee.

"Thank you for your hospitality these past few days. I should be leaving now." Yvonne bid him farewell.

Elijah jerked, causing coffee to spill from the pot.

Yvonne glanced at the coffee stain on the cupboard and smiled mischievously. "If you don't want me to leave, you can try to convince me otherwise. If I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll stay a few more days with you."

"Pack up your belongings. I'm going to Seattle this morning, and before I leave, I'll change the code for the security door." Elijah tried to conceal all signs of his emotions.

Yvonne suppressed her smile and intentionally raised the garbage bag in her hand. "Please rest assured, Mr. Harper. All my things have been packed, even the strands of my hair on the floor."

Silently, Elijah picked up a cloth to wipe the coffee stain as the sound of Yvonne's heels faded away with the closing of the door.

He felt inexplicably restless, tossing the cloth aside and taking a deep breath in front of the window.

Back at Sunshine Community, Yvonne tidied up her room, cooked herself a meal, and then headed to the office, where she discovered she was the first one from Group C to clock in.

With layoffs impending at the company, the employees were roughly divided into two categories: those who worked overtime diligently and those who idled away, waiting for their fate.

Yvonne belonged to the latter.

George walked into Group C. Yvonne was already contemplating changing jobs.

In just one day, George had aged significantly. Deep bags under his eyes, bloodshot and deprived of sleep, he looked as though he hadn't rested all night.

"Yvonne." Every time George used this nickname, Yvonne knew he would follow with a series of calculations. "Please, I beg you, issue a statement of understanding for them."

George spoke amidst tears, "If anyone is to blame, blame me for favoritism. I couldn't treat you and Grace equally. I was wrong, and now I will change."

Yvonne felt goosebumps rise on her skin and retorted coldly, "You're not at fault! It's only natural to favor the ones we love. You love Mary, so naturally her daughter would be more precious than your own daughter!"

"Yvonne, I understand if you resent them, but the Brooks Group is my life's work. Can you bear to watch it close down and go bankrupt?" George played the emotional card.

Yvonne suddenly chuckled icily. "When Grace was suppressing me during my first three months at the Brooks Group, where were you? Where were you when I tirelessly worked outside every month to earn my performance bonus? Where were you when I didn't have enough money to pay the rent and almost got evicted?"

George gasped for breath.

"Mr. Brooks and Mary have enjoyed the splendor of the Brooks Group, so of course they should bear the consequences of its downfall." Yvonne's smile deepened. "As for me, you needn't worry, I can easily find a job paying four thousand dollars somewhere else."

George's face turned pale, but he still pleaded with Yvonne, "Mr. Winston said they are quite satisfied with you. The Winston family is wealthy, and Ryan is their only son. If you can successfully marry him, Mr. Winston won't stand by and watch the Brooks Group collapse."

"Why can't you do something more productive during the day instead of dreaming?" Yvonne said dismissively.

"Yvonne! If the company goes under, you won't have a good life either!" George angrily slammed the table and walked away.

At the door, Lily encountered a panicked look on her face. She respectfully called out, "Mr. Brooks."

George ignored her and hurriedly walked into the elevator.

Lily entered the office and cautiously looked at Yvonne, wanting to say something but hesitating.

"You heard our conversation just now, didn't you?" Yvonne immediately saw through Lily's thoughts and smiled before saying a word.

Lily nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your relationship with Mr. Brooks."

"It doesn't matter. I will resign from the Brooks Group this week." Yvonne heaved a sigh of relief.

If she hadn't been deceived by George's sweet words in the first place, she would have been a designer at the Seattle Design Institute.

"I really don't understand. You are Mr. Brooks's biological daughter, yet you are treated worse than Grace, who has no blood relation to Mr. Brooks." Lily gritted her teeth, feeling indignant on Yvonne's behalf.

Yvonne smiled bitterly and patted Lily's shoulder. "There are many things that are hard to accept these days. Just get used to it."

Yvonne had a blurry day, feeling lost and disoriented.

Carlos called at noon to confirm her joining the company next week.

After hanging up the phone, Lily approached Yvonne and asked if she had found a new job.

Yvonne found Carlos's company's job posting on her phone and sent it to Lily. Lily was excited and said she would also submit a resume to give it a try.

During the one and a half hour lunch break, Susan "bombed" them twice.

Seeing everyone lying down, Susan shouted until she was hoarse and frustrated before storming off.

When Yvonne arrived at the design department, the only work that needed to be handed over was Ryan's project. She asked the construction department and found out that the construction team hadn't started working on Ryan's villa yet.

Mr. Winston was a bit flirtatious, but he treated Yvonne well. Yvonne didn't want him to suffer any losses, so after much consideration, she decided to call him.

The call connected, and Ryan's casual voice came through. "Are you going to ask for another installment for the interior decoration?"

"You're really naive and wealthy." Yvonne chuckled at his teasing. "I will resign from the Brooks Group this Friday. The interior decoration contract hasn't taken effect yet, so you can still cancel it."

"Why cancel it? Who wouldn't want someone to pay for their interior decoration?" Ryan replied sarcastically.

"Even if you leave the Brooks Group, since you secured the deal, they can't withhold your commission, right?" Ryan spoke frankly.

The performance reward and punishment system at the Brooks Group is considered fair in the industry.

"Well then! You keep receiving your commission without any issues. When my mom wants to see you, just go and meet her face to face." Ryan's side of the call was noisy, and he hung up before Yvonne could reply.