Chapter 31 Noah's Assist Plan
Noah was delighted by Quentin's changes. That girl... the one who hurt Quentin had been gone for a while, and it was high time he stood back on his feet.
They say your first love is unforgettable, and in Quentin's case, this was painfully true. Although he wasn't knocked down by the blow but pretended to be strong, throwing himself into work made others worry and feel sorry for him even more.
Noah acknowledged Quentin's pain, but it was a wound he had to heal himself; no one else could really help.
As time passed, years flew by, and Noah finally saw Quentin settling down, yet his family situation was concerning.
The usually aloof Quentin started lingering around Blossom Lane and claimed that his marriage with Lauren was in name only—he despised that woman.
Noah had no solution for Quentin and knew that his friend couldn't let go of his first love.
But tonight, seeing the way Quentin looked at Lauren, Noah suddenly thought that maybe, just maybe, Lauren could be the one to bring Quentin happiness.
Lauren returned to the villa, exhausted. With each passing month, her body grew heavier.
"Just need to get through three months, and the baby will be a bit safer," she whispered, caressing her belly.
But upon reflection, her expression darkened with worry. With the baby three months along, her belly would soon show, and she wondered if Quentin would find out she was pregnant. She fretted over whether she could keep her job.
"Baby, no matter what, I'll protect you completely, even if it costs me my life," Lauren declared with a resolute look in her eyes, her maternal love making her increasingly stronger.
Noah had promised Quentin he wouldn't give Lauren any special treatment because of her situation, nor would he get too close to her.
Curiosity killed the cat, they say, but Noah would rather be a dead cat than suffocate from gossip. He desperately wanted to ask Lauren about the direction of their relationship. This thought wasn't just in his mind; his body was also honestly acting upon it.
Monday was another workday. As soon as Lauren arrived at the Sales Department, Noah called her over.
Lauren, unaware of Noah's intentions and wishing to keep her distance because of Quentin, found she couldn't avoid interaction. After all, Noah was her supervisor.
Lauren knocked on the door and waited for a reply before pushing it open.
"Mr. Martin, hello, did you want to see me?" she asked.
Noah, beaming at Lauren, almost blurted out ‘"sister-in-law,’" but he caught himself just in time to avoid giving himself away.
"Amelia, you seemed a bit under the weather yesterday. Are you alright? If you're feeling unwell, you can take some time off," Noah suggested.
Lauren appreciated his kindness, but she was never one to make a fuss and actually became more defiant when it mattered most. Working at the Robinson Conglomerate required discretion, and she knew she had to be extra careful.
"Thank you, Mr. Martin. I'm fine, maybe just a bit tiredbit tired yesterday, but I'm totally okay today."
Facing Lauren's polite yet restrained demeanor, Noah found her somewhat pitiable. Quentin, that fellow, was not one to be gentle with women. It was tough on Lauren, he thought.
Noah's lips curled into a smile. Since Quentin was stubborn about acknowledging Lauren's presence, he might as well help out a bit.
"Amelia, what do you think of Quentin?" Noah suddenly shifted the conversation to Quentin.
Lauren looked up at Noah's teasing expression, feeling both guilty and irritated. Why was it that she sought to distance herself from that man, yet reality always seemed to clash with her wishes?
"Quentin, um, he's decent, from what colleagues tell me he's a visionary leader," Lauren responded tepidly.
Noah chuckled as he looked at Lauren, thinking how well she and Quentin matched—both pretentious, both keeping people at arm's length.
"Is that all?" Noah teased.
Lauren wasn't sure what Noah was up to with his comments, she looked at him seriously, "Um, like Mr. Martin, Quentin is a respected superior."
"Ha, you're flattering me, I'm almost embarrassed," he replied.
"So, Mr. Martin, what did you want to see me about? I've been working hard on the sales material, aiming to get the proposal done within a week," Lauren reported on her work, but he cut her off.
"Don't rush, I didn't call you here for business. You mentioned you were single yesterday, right? Well, I'm single too, so…"
Noah artfully left the sentence hanging, his words causing Lauren to blush.
What a joke—she was his best friend's darlingwife... Even though the marriage was basically dead, they hadn't officially divorced yet.
"Ha, Mr. Martin, don't tease me. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Lauren didn't wait for Noah's reply and practically fled his office, bumping into Linda, who had come to deliver documents to Noah.
Linda looked after the retreating Lauren with confusion, then turned to find Noah still smiling as he watched Lauren go, feeling a twinge of bitterness.
"Mr. Martin, I've brought the documents you asked for. And, um, what happened with Amelia?" Linda asked nonchalantly.
"Funny, haha." Noah found his own mischief amusing.
Of course, he didn't have improper intentions towardstoward his sister-in-law; his goal was to stir things up between Quentin and Lauren, and maybe that would push them to come together for real.
Unaware of his motives, Linda certainly couldn't grasp his thoughts. She knew she had feelings for Noah and was aware that many in the Sales Department fantasized about him. Yet, she hadn't expected Noah to be so taken with Lauren upon her arrival at the company.
Despite normally being close with Lauren, when it came down to matters of the heart, Linda knew she couldn’t’t back down, which led her to start resenting Lauren.
"Linda, take these documents straight to the conference room," Noah instructed.
Linda acknowledged with a subdued 'okay' and left, feeling disheartened.
Every Monday, the Sales Department at the Robinson Conglomerate would hold a summary meeting, discussing the achievements and problems of the past week, and offering both commendations and proposals for solutions.
This particular meeting was attended only by the Department Heads of all divisions of the Sales Department and Noah, who was the Sales Director. This meant that the meeting was internal to the Sales Department, yet its significance was profound.
Lauren wasn't sure if this fell under the company's confidential information. She was quite shocked when she was instructed to attend the meeting, especially since she was an outsider.
With a mix of nervousness and excitement, Lauren, holding her notebook, entered the conference room. She saw the Department Heads neatly seated at the conference table, nodded to everyone, and then took a seat in the corner.
