Chapter 33 Rumors Abound
Lauren meticulously organized the contents of the morning's meeting, having reviewed all the information Linda had given her. She collated the current sales tactics used by the Robinson Conglomerate, laying the groundwork for her future proposal.
Just as Lauren sighed in relief and stretched back in her chair, a cold face suddenly appeared before her, radiating an intimidating chill. Instinctively, Lauren retracted her limbs and cried out in surprise, "Quentin……"
Her exclamation drew the attention of several colleagues, who were astonished that she would call Quentin by his first name, and even more surprised to see him suddenly appear in their Sales Department.
Quentin simply stared at Lauren with a frosty gaze. This woman was restless, already aiming to get involved with one of his buddies. He had accidentally overheard some gossip about her and Noah during his break, and, infuriated, he had stormed over here without giving it much thought.
Lauren felt uneasy under Quentin's scrutiny. As she concentrated, she realized she hadn't done anything today to upset him, so she looked back at him with an innocent bewildered expression.
Seeing Lauren's confused look, Quentin began to calm down. What was he doing? Even if he was angry, he shouldn't have come to confront her. No, why should he even be angry? He despised her, he didn't like her, and they were bound to part ways eventually. So hHe should just stay out of her life.
Quentin was feeling more off-kilter lately, but now that he had ventured into the Sales Department, leaving abruptly would make it look like he'd come just for Lauren. So, turning on his heel, he made his way to Noah's office, ready to demand some answers.
The office door flew open with a bang, and Noah, about to lash out in a temper, softened instantly when he saw who it was.
"Hey, Quentin, what kind of wind blew you into my corner today?" Noah teased, eyeing Quentin.
Quentin's glare was sharp as a knife, flung at Noah, the man who had turned the Sales Department into a complete mess. It seemed he had been too lenient with him.
Noah brushed off Quentin's icy look, and walked over with a grin, clapping his shoulder. "What's up? You seem to be in a foul mood."
"Cut the crap. You know exactly what you’’ve done," Quentin snapped, shaking off Noah's hand.
"What? I haven't done anything, alright?"
Noah feigned innocence; he had been looking forward to the day he'd see Quentin in a rage, and a little rumor had finally shattered Quentin's pride.
"Noah, I've warned you not to let your antics affect the company."
"I'm not playing around. You're talking in riddles. You storm into my office and lay into me with all this nonsense, what's supposed to be wrong with me?" Noah remained in obstinate denial, intent on Quentin broaching the subject of Lauren himself.
"You know what I mean." Quentin's eyes were as fathomless as his troubles.
"Not a clue. How am I supposed to know if you don’t spell it out?"
Noah was being deliberately dense, playing dumb while waiting to see Quentin's next move.
Realizing Noah was toying with him, Quentin turned away and said in a low voice, "Fine, play your games. Just remember, if you screw up the company’s business, I will go to your dad."
The one thing Noah feared was his dad getting involved, and Quentin had played his trump card.
"Come on, tattling is for kids. Aren’t you being a bit childish?" Noah's lip twitched, dreading his father's discipline.
"Hmph, none of your business." With those final words, Quentin stalked off.
Noah, left alone in the office, laughed even more joyously. Stubborn guy, he thought. He wondered if Quentin could handle what was coming next.
Since rumors had already started swirling, Noah decided to fan the flames. He doubted Quentin could remain so nonchalant now.
Before the afternoon clock-out time, Noah made an early appearance at Lauren's desk. His presence alone was enough to draw curious glances—everyone was whispering, wondering if Noah had taken a liking to Lauren.
Lauren found Noah standing before her with a beaming smile, and it gave her a headache.
"Mr. Martin, what can I do for you?" Lauren inquired.
"Requests? Oh, none at all. We're about to finish up for the day, right? I've noticed you always ride the bus, seems like a hassle. I've got my car here; I could give you a lift on my way home," Noah offered with a sly smile.
Hearing Noah's proposition, Lauren's face turned pale. "On your way home? How do you know where I live?"
Noah mentally kicked himself, having accidentally laid a trap for himself.
"Ha, no, I don't. That's just a line I usually use to chat with people, slipped out without thinking," Noah blabbered.
Lauren nodded, somewhat skeptically. Noah was acting weird—talking to her in the morning out of the blue, somehow bringing up Quentin, and now this ride offeroffer to take her home. Could he know about her secret identity? Did Quentin tell him? They were best friends after all.
"Oh, if Mr. Martin has a car, then I won't pass up the convenience. Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Martin," Lauren said.
She decided she needed to probe Noah further; if he really knew her secret, she was out of options. If he was clueless, she would have to be more cautious from now on.
Noah, still smiling, nodded in agreement. Lauren got up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and followed Noah towardstoward the parking lot.
Their conversation didn't go unnoticed and sparked a new round of gossip.
"Did you hear that? Mr. Martin offered to drive Amelia home. It's the first time I've seen him being so friendly with a girl," a coworker who overheard Lauren and Noah said.
Others nodded in agreement, "I didn't see it coming—Mr. Martin liking be interested in a girl like Amelia..." another female colleague commented with a hint of envy.
"Amelia's not bad, though. She’s sweet, hardworking—guys like that bunny type, don't they?"
"Don't men prefer the sexy type, though?"
Their chat went on, but Linda, seated at her desk, was too agitated to pay attention anymore. That Amelia had agreed to go with Noah, to get in his car! She was fuming with jealousy.
Linda glared at Lauren's spot with venom, wishing she could vanish from the Sales Department so Noah would stop gravitating towardstoward her.
In the underground parking lot.
Noah pressed the car key fob and dashed over to the passenger side like a true gentleman, opening the door for Lauren. After she got in, he considerately closed the door behind her before getting into the driver's seat.
