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She was silent for a while, then pushed down her thoughts. “Thank you, bro.” 

The call ended, and her phone chimed with a “ding.” 

Someone else had sent a message. 

She opened WhatsApp. A few messages had come in from a black, minimalist profile picture. 

“Ms. Schroeder, are you home? Don’t forget about tomorrow.” 

Antony was highly skilled in technology, and she admired him, but as a blind date candidate, Sandria truly had zero interest. 

With her slender fingers, Sandria typed out a long message and sent it. 

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Merritt. I’ve arrived home, and I won’t forget about tomorrow. I’m very happy–Mr. Merritt should be an excellent business partner.” 

With that, the other party should understand what she meant, right? 

Sure enough, Antony didn’t send any more messages. 

That night, Sandria slept exceptionally well. 

Perhaps it was because everything was finally on track, or maybe because things were moving in a better direction, or perhaps because she had finally escaped the bottomless black hole and seen the light of dawn. 

The next day, Sandria put on a professional pencil skirt and went to Shield Technologies as agreed. 

Someone was already waiting for her by the elevator. 

“Ms. Schroeder, I’m Conor Hogan, Mr. Merritt’s executive assistant. Mr. Merritt is waiting for you in his office. This way, please.” 

All the way to Antony’s office, Conor was extremely polite, as if afraid of offending Sandria. 

The subordinates, seeing this, immediately started gossiping. 

“When has Conor ever been this polite to anyone? Who is she? She’s so beautiful, like a model.” 

If Conor personally coming downstairs to greet her was already jaw–dropping, then Antony waiting at the door him- self left those who witnessed it utterly stunned. 

“You’re here. Come on, I’ll take you to see the tech department.” 

This scene nearly blinded everyone present. 

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“Wait, wait… Are you sure she’s not Mr. Merritt’s girlfriend? Mr. Merritt just smiled at her–I saw it with my own eyes!” 

“I believe it. She must be Mr. Merritt’s girlfriend.” 

All along the way, people kept speculating about Sandria’s identity. 

But Antony made no effort to clarify, and the looks cast in her direction grew more and more curious. 

If this continued, wouldn’t it just create more trouble for future collaborations? 

“Mr. Merritt, please wait. I think there are some things that need to be clarified.” 

Sandria sighed, then parted her red lips and spoke with a bright smile. 

“I’m not Mr. Merritt’s girlfriend. We’re future business partners. If Mr. Merritt’s girlfriend heard this, she wouldn’t be happy, so please don’t spread rumors.” 

Hearing this, Antony’s hand in his pocket tightened, and a rare gentle smile appeared on his usually stern face. 

“Sorry, I don’t have a girlfriend. But, Ms. Schroeder, are you so eager to draw a line between us?” 

He didn’t speak too loudly or too softly–just enough for those around to hear. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Sandria caught sight of the gossiping onlookers. 

She raised her brows and handled it with poise. 

“Please don’t misunderstand, Mr. Merritt. My brother told me you built this company from the ground up, and you’re famous in the industry for your top–notch tech skills. I admire your abilities even more.” 

Sandria was smooth–while drawing boundaries, she also made her position clear. 

Her words were flawless. Antony let out a low laugh and didn’t pursue the topic. “Come on, let me show you the com- pany’s old firewall. Maybe you’ll have some ideas.” 

Antony had intended to accompany her the whole time, but his assistant Conor reminded him from the side. 

“Mr. Merritt, you have an international meeting to host in ten minutes. Should we…?” 

At this moment, Sandria was fully focused on the firewall, her slender fingers tapping away at code, multitasking with ease. 

“If you trust me, Mr. Merritt, leave this to me.” 

“Alright, I’ll come find you after the meeting.” 

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