Chapter 32 Counterattack

Yvonne reached out and hooked her hand around his waist, whispering in his ear. “My space here might be too small to accommodate you.”

“Whether it can accommodate or not, you know better than me.” Elijah's voice was deep.

Their words carried another meaning, and both of them understood it.

Yvonne's face flushed red, and it took her a while to finally say, “You should go, I’m on my period.”

“We can try another way.” Elijah's tone was calm and steady as he leaned closer to her.

Their eyes locked onto each other, both breathing heavily with a sense of ambiguity.

Yvonne's heart skipped a beat, and before she could react, Elijah's lips descended upon hers.

It was gentle, so soft.

Yvonne felt a drowsy sensation, with all her brain cells sinking into Elijah's unique tenderness.

She entered a whole new sensory world.

When she woke up in the morning, Elijah didn't rush to leave. He ordered takeout.

Sitting face to face with Elijah, her mind was filled with the scenes from last night. She was unable to eat anything.

Elijah calmly finished breakfast and before leaving, he said, "Let's go to Rhode Hills tonight. I'll guide you for the competition."

"We'll talk about it later." She didn't dare to lift her head to meet Elijah's gaze.

In fact, at this moment, she had already thought of a reason not to go.

But Elijah, who already had unlocked the security door, stared at her, his eyes filled with a resolute determination.

"It's decided. After work, we won't go see Joseph. We'll have dinner together and then go to Rhode Hills."

Yvonne thought about the invitation card from RD and wisely chose to stay silent.

She arrived early at FA Center Company.

After clocking in, Yvonne was called into the office by her team leader, Owen.

"The drawings you submitted yesterday were all rejected by the design department."

Yvonne was shocked. "I followed the requirements carefully. How could they be rejected?"

"The reason given by the design department is that there are too many design elements and the style is inconsistent." Owen advised her, "Make some changes first. Don't feel too much pressure, everyone has gone through this."

"Thank you." Yvonne smiled and returned to her own workstation.

She stared at the drawings for a long time and felt that the design concept and elements were consistent. She didn't see any inconsistency in style.

Yvonne pushed the drawings to Susie, the most experienced member in their team, and asked her to take a look.

Susie had been shortlisted for the highest level "Golden Nest" Award in the domestic design industry, so Yvonne believed she could provide some guidance.

Half an hour later, the usually cautious Susie pointed at a spot on the drawings and said, "Remove this part and try submitting it again."

Yvonne followed her advice, but within five minutes, it was rejected once again.

Susie stared at the computer screen for a while and said, "It already meets the requirements. Why won't they approve it?"

"I'll try to make some more changes." Yvonne took a deep breath and focused on the drawings once again.

She kept making changes and submitted it several times, but every single one was rejected.

Yvonne was frustrated now. After all her colleagues had left, she still sat at her desk, making changes to the drawings.

Her eyes were sore, so she walked out to the corridor to get some fresh air.

"...Mrs. White, rest assured, with me here, that woman won't stay long at the FA Center Company. But she was recommended by Mr. Watson, so we can't rush things..."

A hoarse female voice came from the stairwell.

Yvonne paused for a few seconds, then pushed open the door to the stairwell, only to see a slender figure disappearing into the distance.

Her blueprints were rejected repeatedly today. She knew it was definitely not a coincidence. That woman said Mr. Watson recommended her, but Winslow only had one Mr. Watson, which was Michael. However, she had no connection with Michael.

Back at the office, Yvonne closed the door and dialed Elijah's number.

"Off work?" Elijah asked.

"Almost." Yvonne's voice became lower. "I have a question. Reese is the president of FA Center Company, right? Is there any connection between him and the Watson Group?"

"Why are you asking this suddenly?" Elijah continued, "The Watson Group holds thirty percent of the shares in FA Center Company, making them the second largest shareholder."

"Elijah, did you help me join FA Center Company?" Yvonne was afraid he wouldn't admit it, so she issued an ultimatum. "If you still want us to be friends, you mustn't lie to me anymore."

This question had been bothering Yvonne for several days.

Elijah paused for a moment and calmly replied, "I mentioned it to Michael."

That's it!

With Yvonne's qualifications, it was quite difficult for her to enter the design department at FA Center Company.

Yvonne let out a sigh of relief, finally confirming that the woman was talking about her.

Abigail wanted to drive her out of FA Center Company. Even if her blueprints were perfect, there would always be someone unsatisfied. It was now easy to imagine her future in this company, but she didn't want to accept this fate!

"Did you hear any rumors?" Elijah sensed something was off.

"No." Yvonne didn't want to cause him more trouble. "I'm getting ready to leave now! You helped me get into FA Center Company. As a token of gratitude, I'll treat you to a big meal."

"Sure," Elijah agreed, "I've already reserved a table. Room 6 at Spring Diner. You'll pay for the dinner."

Spring Diner was a century-old establishment, with an average cost per person in the four digits.

"Can we go to a less expensive restaurant?" Yvonne used a playful tone.

"If you're being stingy, then don't treat me," Elijah said mockingly. "There's a restaurant across from Sunshine Community with lower prices. If you can live with your conscience, you can take me there to show your gratitude."

"Fine, let's go to Spring Diner." Yvonne mourned for her wallet silently.

Thirty minutes later, Yvonne entered Room 6 at Spring Diner.

Elijah had arrived early.

Yvonne noticed he was dressed very casually. "Did you go back and change just to see me?"

"If that's how you feel, then yes," Elijah replied with a smile. He poured tea into a tea cup and placed it in front of her.

While placing the order, Yvonne only glanced at the cheapest seasonal vegetables, but Elijah intentionally chose more expensive options.

Eight dishes and a soup for just the two of them.

Yvonne felt a pang of regret.

After tasting each dish, Elijah set down his cutlery and looked at his phone.

"You're close to Michael?" Yvonne was a bit curious.

"Not really." Elijah's tone suddenly turned cold. "Don't mention him in front of me again."

"Okay!" Yvonne nodded obediently.

Not really close?

But how could he have gotten her into the FA Center Company's design department if they weren't close?

Only Elijah could lie so smoothly.

Most of the dishes at Spring Diner were soups, so Yvonne went to the restroom halfway through the meal.

After washing her hands, she ran into Abigail.

The two stood side by side in front of the mirror.

Yvonne was dressed in a black business suit and white shirt. Her red lips and black hair exuded an indescribable sense of competence and charm.

Abigail wore an elegant red robe, with delicate hand embroidery at the hem and cuffs, and a jade necklace was hanging around her neck.

"Meeting twice in a day? What a coincidence, Miss Brooks!" Abigail stared at Yvonne in the mirror and smiled faintly.

Yvonne didn't back down either. "Mrs. White and I do seem to have some connection. Not only do we happen to run into each other privately, but people also mention you at work."

"Miss Brooks doesn't have any outstanding qualifications, yet she managed to enter the FA Center Company smoothly. Truly impressive!" Abigail adjusted her posture in the mirror, holding her head even higher.

"So, you don't like me and want to drive me out of the FA Center Company." Yvonne chose to be direct again.

Abigail was taken aback for a moment, then sneered, "Yvonne, if Anthony can get my older brother to bring you into the FA Center Company, I can do my part to get you kicked out."

"Anthony?" Yvonne laughed disdainfully without explaining.

Because explanations would be useless.

Three years ago, Yvonne merely had a relationship with Anthony.

Abigail and Anthony's mother caused a scene at Seattle University, and Yvonne was falsely accused of "seducing" a teacher, resulting in her reputation being ruined and nearly being expelled from school.

For the sake of Yvonne's education, Anthony had to resign from Seattle University and return to Winslow to take over the family business and get engaged to Abigail.

If she hadn't discovered that Abigail had set her up, she would have thought that all the grievances had ended three years ago.

Abigail, who started the trouble without distinguishing right from wrong, would definitely not be polite.

They both harbored intense hatred toward each other.

"Mrs. White, please thank Mr. White on my behalf. If he hadn't intervened, I wouldn't have even made it past the initial interview for FA Center Company," Yvonne deliberately provoked her. "If I want a good future, I'm afraid I'll have to rely on him."

Abigail's delicate features contorted in anger, despite her high level of cultivation.

"Yvonne, if you dare to seduce Anthony again, I'll make you suffer!"

"You're so domineering, I'm scared!" Yvonne intentionally furrowed her brow. "Thank you for reminding me. I almost forgot I had seduced Anthony three years ago. Now, trying again wouldn't hurt."

"How dare you!" Abigail's face turned pale. "Get out of here immediately! I don't want to see you in front of Anthony!"

"Anthony is here too, right?" Yvonne's smile was radiant and provocative. "I dare you. Let's meet at the parking lot in ten minutes. The countdown begins—"

Abigail was so furious that her hands trembled as she covered her slightly protruding belly.

Yvonne went straight to the parking lot.

She removed Anthony's number from her blacklist again and dialed it.

"Yvonne?" In less than three seconds, Anthony answered.

His tone was full of surprise.

"I'm at the parking lot. Can you come here?" Yvonne's voice was soft and gentle.

The sound of a chair moving came from Anthony's end. "Are you also at Spring Diner?"

"Yes.” Yvonne had the upper hand now.

"Wait for me." Even through the phone, one could hear Anthony's eagerness.

Putting down her phone, Yvonne took out a cigarette and slowly lit it.

She completely forgot that Elijah was still waiting for her in the private room.

At this moment, Elijah was exchanging greetings with the receptionist. He used his VIP gold card to pay for the meal.

He would never let a woman pay for him.

He came to Spring Diner because he had always had a lingering thought.

When Shirley was alive, they would always book a private room here during the holidays and enjoy a table full of dishes while chatting.

This time, he ordered Shirley's favorite French-style baked snails and Wellington steak.

Bringing Yvonne here was Elijah's decision.

He finished the entire pot of black tea on the table, but Yvonne still hadn't arrived.

When he called Yvonne and she didn't answer, he became somewhat worried. He asked a female server to go and check the restroom.

The server had a strong impression of Yvonne and smiled, saying, "That beautiful lady with fair skin left the restroom a long time ago and went to the parking lot."

Elijah grabbed his coat and left the private room.

In the parking lot, Yvonne hadn't finished smoking her cigarette when she heard Anthony's hurried footsteps approaching.

Yvonne caught a glimpse of a red figure not far away.

Without needing to guess, she knew it was Abigail.

When Anthony saw Yvonne, his gaze burned with intensity.

"How long have you been waiting? Are you cold?"

"I didn't expect you would actually come!" Yvonne flicked the cigarette ash in Abigail's direction and laughed.

Anthony's eyes were filled with affection as he softly said, "It's windy outside. Let's chat in the car for a while."

"Sure!" Yvonne deliberately reached out a hand toward Anthony, and he naturally held it.

When their hands touched, Anthony's heart instantly boiled. He said passionately, "Yvonne—"

"Anthony, what are you two doing!" Abigail's face turned pale. She was already standing behind them.

Yvonne let go of Anthony's hand, and with a smile on her lips, she lit another cigarette.

"We've been married for less than a month, and you two are so intimate in front of me. Where does that leave me?" Abigail questioned sternly.

"Let's talk about it at home." Anthony held onto Abigail, who hesitated for a moment before getting into the car with him.

A fierce argument had already been rehearsed in Yvonne's mind, and the thrill of revenge made her blood boil.

She threw away the unfinished cigarette, turned around, and suddenly saw Elijah, not far away, staring at her.