Chapter 25 25 Hannah's Visit
The next day, Lauren had learned her lesson. If the company discouraged overtime, she could simply take work home; it wouldn’t’t make a difference.
So, after work, she packed up the files to take back to the villa. To ensure no one discovered that she lived at The Robinson Family villa, Lauren deliberately left last. However, unbeknownst to her, her actions were caught by Quentin, who ‘“coincidentally’” had come to the 18th floor to inspect.
Seeing Lauren arrange a stack of documents on her desk, Quentin immediately saw through her intentions. So, this Lauren was disobedient, trying to find ways to defy him, huh? Fine, very well, but he had better ways to deter her.
Quentin silently left the 18th floor and went down to the lobby where the security guard’s office was located.
Upon seeing Quentin at the door, the security guard didn’t’t dare to delay a single second and quickly ran over.
"Good evening, Quentin!" the guard called out loudly.
Remembering how the big boss caught him slacking off last night and nearly losing sleep over the thought of being fired, he was relieved to have made it through the night safely. He reminded himself to never get caught slacking off by the boss again.
"Mhm, company employees are prohibited from taking company materials outside, so make sure you enforce that going forward," Quentin said abruptly.
The guard was clearly not prepared for this statement, but he nodded vigorously; what the boss says goes. He just thought the boss had been acting a bit strange lately.
Quentin strode off, leaving the building, while the security guard was still standing there, stunned. Just then, Lauren came downstairs, holding a stack of files.
The security guard promptly approached her, swearing inwardly to fulfill the task assigned by his boss.
"Hello, which department are you from?" the security guard asked Lauren sternly as she stopped in her tracks, puzzled but responded.
"I'm from the Sales Division 4. Is there a problem, sir?" she replied.
The guard pierced her with a gaze of recognition, only then recalling that she was the very girl who stayed late last night and had been ushered out.
"Oh, what are you carrying there? Are those company documents? The company has a policy that no employee is allowed to take documents off the premises, so could you please put them back?"
"Ah? I didn't mean anything by it; I just can't finish these at work, and since overtime isn't allowed, I thought I'd just take them home to look over, with no intention of leaking them," Lauren explained.
The guard was patient too, "I'm really sorry, miss, but I'm just following company policies. If you have a special situation, please clear it with management, and once they approve, I'll let you through."
With a resigned smile, Lauren knew not to make it difficult for the guard. "Alright, then I'll put the documents back."
She turned to return to the elevator, incessantly grumbling in her head, the: Robinson Conglomerate sure has a surplus of rules. No overtime, no taking documents home—don’t employees who can't finish their work end up in a bind?
After returning the documents, she was finally allowed to leave. Now, her right eyelid began to twitch. Left for wealth, right for strife—could it be a sign of something unfortunate about to unfold?
On high alert, Lauren’s recent luck had been nothing short of dismal. What she yearned for was to rush home, have a good night's sleep, and give her heart a break.
Arriving at her villa, she was taken aback by the sight of a sleek black Ferrari parked in front. Quentin was back?
Standing at the doorstep, she hesitated. Why had Quentin returned so unexpectedly? Her heart fluttered with excitement. Could there be a reason, or would it remain enigmatic like the depths of his unfathomable mind?
"Lauren, get a grip," she chided herself. "This is his home; he doesn't need your permission to return." Pinching her cheek, she reminded herself not to dwell on his affairs.
With that self-reassurance, Lauren walked into the villa, feigning composure. But upon opening the front door, she was greeted by an oddly tense atmosphere and two sitting figures.
"Dowager... you... what are you doing here?" Lauren was truly surprised to find Hannah in the villa at such a late hour.
"Lauren, if I hadn't come by , would you have kept sneaking off to work, hiding it from this old lady forever?" Hannah was a bit angry, but mostly she felt sorry for the girl.
Quentin sat beside Hannah, silent, his gaze fixed on some distant point, his thoughts unreadable.
Lauren was startled, having not expected Hannah to be aware of her job. The embarrassed butler, standing behind Hannah, glanced at Lauren apologetically. He was in a bind, unable to lie to the Robinson family matriarch. Ah, hHe could only answer her questions directly.
"Matriarch, you know everything. I was planning to tell you, just got too swamped with work and couldn't find the time. Please don't be mad at me!" Lauren said with a smile, walking up to Hannah, affectionately taking her arm, and gently shaking her hand.
"Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. Quentin, this rascal, is right here too. Now, both of you tell me, is Quentin treating you poorly? Is he being stingy with money, forcing you to work?" Hannah was determined to stand up for Lauren today; she had endured enough over the past two years.
Lauren was a good-hearted soul; if only Quentin treated her well, they could have been happy together. But all this time, Quentin failed to see Lauren's worth, which made Hannah anxious and frustrated.
On a whim, Hannah had come to the villa to visit Lauren, only to be told she wasn't home. When she pressed the butler on Lauren's whereabouts, he hemmed and hawed, unable to give a straight answer. It was only after Hannah demanded the truth that she learned Lauren had started working half a month ago.
Hearing this news enraged Hannah. She couldn't believe Quentin was so harsh on Lauren, her lifesaver. Hannah hadn't been able to repay Lauren properly, and instead, Lauren had been suffering.
"Matriarch, it's not what you think, I just..."
"Enough, Lauren. No more defending him. I've had my eyes on what he's been doing these past two years. Quentin, I usually turn a blind eye to your antics, hoping one day you'd see Lauren's worth. But now, it's clear you've never appreciated my good intentions. Lauren is a gem, and you're betraying her affection. You'll regret it one day!"
Hannah spoke with passionate disappointment, her emotions running high. Fearing for Hannah's well-being, Lauren quickly admitted fault.
"Madam, this time it's really not Quentin's fault. It was entirely my own decision to look for a job. If you must blame someone, blame me. Please don't be upset, I was wrong. I should have informed you in advance."
Hannah, heart aching, listened to Lauren's tearful voice and couldn't bear it. The poor girl didn't understand that she was just trying to stand up for her.
