Chapter 5
Elena watched Justin speak with unwavering certainty, and the storm of anger that had been raging
inside her suddenly faded.
She’d seen right through him all along. What was there to be disappointed about?
If he wanted to hand the project to Nadine, let him. It was just that Nadine might not be up to the task.
Justin saw the sudden calm settle over her, and his expression softened. He rose, came over, and took
her hand, which felt icy in his.
“Lena, as Nadine’s brother and sister-in-law, we should give her a little support, don’t you think?”
Elena jerked her hand away. Her eyes were sharp and cold. “If you say so.”
Justin’s brows knitted together. He seemed slightly annoyed at her attitude. But since she no longer
cared who was in charge of the project, he didn’t voice any blame.
Instead, he said, “Nadi just took over this project and doesn’t know much yet. You’ll have to help her a lot.”
A second ago, he’d insisted it was to spare her from overworking and to protect her health. And now, he
was asking her to help Nadine.
Elena’s eyes probably gave away too much sarcasm, because Justin cleared his throat awkwardly and asked, “How was your visit to the hospital today? Nothing serious, I hope?”
His concern came too late to make her feel touched. It only made him seem more ridiculous.
“I’m fine. I’ll be going now,” she said flatly.
Justin watched her walk away, and that faint unease crept back inside him. But it vanished the moment
Nadine pushed the door open.
She approached Justin cautiously. “Jus, Ms. Miller isn’t mad, is she?”
Justin gave her a reassuring smile. “No. Don’t worry. Lena’s always sensible.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
But despite her words, she was anything but pleased. She’d taken Elena’s project, yet Elena hadn’t made a
scene with Justin.
Nadine had hoped for an outburst, something to rile Justin up, to drive a deeper wedge between them. But Elena? She knew exactly how to stay calm.
Nadine sneered to herself. Her eyes glinted as a plan took shape.
“It’s my first day, Jus. Why don’t we host a dinner tonight and invite everyone from the CEO’s office? It’ll help me get to know them faster.”
Justin didn’t hesitate. “Sure. I’ll have someone handle the reservations immediately.”
Before long, word of the dinner had spread to everyone.
“Why the sudden dinner?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s to welcome Ms. Riggs.”
“So what’s her deal? She has the same last name as Mr. Riggs. Are they related?”
“No way. The way they look at each other is electric. You can practically feel the chemistry. Having the same last name is probably just a coincidence.”
“So she’s his girlfriend? I always thought he and Ms. Miller were a thing.”
“Doubt it. If they were really together, everyone would know by now.”
The gossip chat group was buzzing with excitement. Elena scrolled through it, expressionless.
Nadine had barely been at the company a day, and already everyone in the CEO’s office had noticed the
ay she and Justin flirted. They were practically glowing with it.
na remembered how she had once wanted to make her relationship with Justin public at work, but
d said, “Lena, the office is for work. Let’s not drag our personal life into it.”
She’d thought he was just trying to keep his personal life private, so she’d gone along with it. Looking
back now, it was clear he’d been reserving the “CEO’s wife” spot for Nadine all along.
Elena hadn’t wanted to go to dinner that night, but a few colleagues were so determined that she had no
choice but to follow them to the restaurant.
Everyone knew the dinner was meant to welcome Nadine, so someone immediately raised a glass to
toast her.
But Justin cut in. “Nadi can’t drink for health reasons. I’ll take hers.”
He lifted his glass and downed it in one gulp. Then, he made sure to order a glass of juice for Nadine.
The room buzzed with hoots and cheers. Being out of the office seemed to give the CEO’s office staff,
usually cowed by Justin, a newfound boldness.”
“Mr. Riggs is so considerate toward Ms. Riggs.”
“Mr. Riggs really is a good man.”
Nadine’s cheeks flushed pink. “You’re exaggerating… He’s just being nice because I’m sickly.”
“Oh, Ms. Riggs, don’t be modest. It’s obvious he cares about you.”
“Mr. Riggs, we’re toasting to Ms. Riggs tonight. Are you going to drink it all?”
Justin glanced at Nadine beside him. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “No matter how many toasts there
are, I’ll drink them all for her.”
“Wow…”
Everyone was amazed. No one had expected Justin, who was always so cold and distant, to act this way
when it came to love.
Elena sat alone in the corner. Her eyes were fixed on the glass of wine before her.
She remembered the nights she’d attended social events together with Justin, her downing one strong drink after another, while he never touched a single one for her.
She’d been so naive. Just a few words of concern from him after she finished a drink, or having someone fetch her a hangover remedy, and she’d have felt like he truly cared.
But now she knew what real care looked like. It was Justin, refusing to let Nadine have even a single glass
-not even a weak beer-because he simply couldn’t bear to see her drink.
“Ms. Miller.”
Nadine’s voice, dripping with false sweetness, cut through the air. Elena looked up to see her standing
there with a glass of wine.
“I hear you’ve been running things around here for a few years and earning everyone’s respect. Since I’m
new here, I figured it’s only polite to offer you a toast.”
She held the glass out.
Elena remained composed. “I’m sorry. I’ve been having stomach issues lately. I can’t drink.”
Nadine put on a wounded look. “Ms. Miller… Did I do something wrong? I was only trying to offer a toast. I
didn’t mean anything by it.”
Elena said nothing. She was just telling the truth.
Nadine turned to Justin. Her expression was pleading.
Frowning, he said in a cold, detached voice, “Ms. Miller, Nadi’s your new colleague. You should accept her
toast.”
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