Chapter 412

The question hung in the air for a few seconds of silence.

Then...

"Of course, it counts! If you have a boyfriend and you're still flirting with other men, that's already betrayal. Now, she was getting caught doing that in the office. If that's not betrayal, what is?" Female Colleague A exclaimed, gripping her lipstick tightly.

"Keep your voice down, or we'll be in trouble if someone hears us." another colleague quickly shushed her.

"I'm just telling the truth," Female Colleague A muttered, shrinking her neck in defiance.

"Even if it's the truth, it's not our place to say it. Which boss would allow their subordinates to badmouth them behind their back? If he hears even a word, we'll be fired immediately."

"Because of those previous incidents, I actually liked Layla. I thought we misunderstood her and felt guilty. But now, what is this? Loyalty is a basic principle. If she can't even do that, it shows her character isn't great. Was she just pretending in front of us?"

"Who knows? Anyway, whatever happens between her and Mr. Evans doesn't affect us."

"How does it not affect us? Didn't the secretary get warned by Mr. Evans last time?"

"People really aren't what they seem. Layla looks so innocent and sweet, but she's secretly flirting with two men. It's terrifying."

"Seems like she probably used those tactics to close those deals before. Fanny and the others weren't wrong about her."

"Who cares if she did or didn't? We can't afford to offend her. Just don't slip up in front of her."

"Got it. She might be our future boss' wife, after all. Better not mess with her."

Layla felt a bit frustrated listening to this.

Although she had endured her colleagues' hostility all along and didn't take it to heart, it was hard not to be troubled now that things had finally started to improve, only to fall back into the center of gossip.

After spending more than half an hour thinking, Layla made a decision to find Brian.

After showing him the design, Layla said, "Mr. Evans, I need to discuss something with you."

Brian had been focused on his documents, avoiding looking at her face to keep his emotions in check. Hearing this, he finally looked up and gestured for her to continue.

"I can't come to your office to draw anymore. We should keep a bit of distance," Layla said as tactfully as possible.

Brian's heart felt a sharp pang, his gaze darkened slightly, and his voice lowered. "Reason."

"I think it's for the best," she replied.

But Brian, being smart, saw through her excuse.

He closed the file. "You said before that you didn't care about gossip."

"Well, yes, but there's no need to cause unnecessary trouble. Even if you don't care, gossip is never a good thing. They were just talking before, but after what happened yesterday, they all believe we..." Layla trailed off, embarrassed. "Even if we explain, they won't believe us."

Brian nonchalantly asked, "Why care if they believe us?"

"In the company, it's best to avoid rumors between superiors and subordinates," she explained.

"Even if we keep our distance now, they'll just come up with a different story," Brian said, hitting the nail on the head.

"True, but we should still try to avoid it. Over time, the rumors will naturally die down," she added.

Wasn't it said that people's interest in news only lasted a week?

But a voice inside Layla's head said she was deceiving herself.

Still, deceiving herself was better than doing nothing.

"You don't need to care about what others think," Brian added.

Layla bit her lip, staying silent.

Brian felt a deeper sense of discomfort. "Is this your decision?"

"Yes," she replied.

Brian suddenly felt both disappointed and amused. Layla wanted to keep her distance just because of others' gossip. It seemed he didn't mean much to her after all.

Brian felt a bit angry and said, almost spitefully, "Do as you wish." He then lowered his head and continued looking at the contract, but every word seemed to irritate him.

The atmosphere in the office suddenly became very tense.

Layla knew she had upset him.

Maybe she was being too presumptuous. She was just a designer, yet she was asking the CEO to keep his distance. It must have sounded ridiculous to Brian.

Meeting a kindred spirit was rare, and she felt regretful. But sometimes, people had to force themselves to do what they thought was the right thing.

That evening, during a video call, Layla was distracted.

It wasn't until Samuel pulled her back to reality that she realized she had been staring blankly at the wall.

"What are you thinking about?" Samuel asked, staring into Layla's eyes.

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"You're lying." Samuel's eyes were able to see through any lie.

Even through the screen, Layla felt guilty.

"Thinking about a man?" he asked.

Layla panicked, her thin body trembling under her pajamas. She stammered, "I... I don't have any other man to think about besides you."

"Your soulmate boss," Samuel said through gritted teeth, his voice cold and filled with jealousy.

Layla lowered her head even more.

"You're thinking about that man while talking to me?" Samuel's tone was chilling, as if he wanted to tear her apart.

"No, it's not like that..." she replied.

"So you are indeed thinking about him."

Layla quickly looked up. "But not in the way you think. It's because..."

"No matter the reason. I won't allow my woman to think about another man, especially while talking to me." Samuel's gaze was so cold it could freeze her, with dark undercurrents surging.

Layla didn't speak. After a long pause, she mumbled, "I'm sorry..."

Layla had admitted it.

On the other end of the video call, Samuel was furious.

Even though Samuel had suspected it, hearing her admit it made him livid. If Layla were in front of him now, he would have pinned her to the bed and punished her until she cried for mercy.

Not only that, but he would also make sure Layla couldn't get out of bed for three days and nights.

His anger was suffocating, rising rapidly.

Samuel couldn't believe that his woman was thinking about another man. To him, it was a betrayal!

"Please, don't be mad," Layla said, trembling.

Samuel just stared at her coldly, his gaze filled with anger as if he wanted to bore a hole through her.

"It's really not what you think." Layla was on the verge of tears.

"Then tell me, what kind of reason would make me tolerate my woman thinking about another man? I've only been gone for a week, and in that week, you've been spending all your time with him. You even excitedly told me how much you two think alike, how in sync you are, how well he understands you..." Samuel added.

"That's just work, nothing personal," she explained.

"So, can I have female confidants too?" Samuel retorted.