Chapter 3 Steamy Gossip
It was obvious who sent the message. Just a few plain words, but they were filled with ambiguity. Leila replied, “Mr. Ramirez, please throw it away for me. Thanks.”
After sending the message, Leila transferred $10, 000 to Mrs. Patel. Then she put her phone on silent and closed her eyes.
Five years ago, The Patel Group went bankrupt. Mr. Patel ran off with the last bit of money and hasn’t been heard from since. No one knows if he’s dead or alive.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
Over the past five years, creditors have been knocking on the door every day demanding payment, Leila and Mrs. Patel haven’t had a single night of peaceful sleep.
People in the industry said she worked too hard, but no one knew she was working so hard just to pay off the debts sooner.
The next morning, as soon as Leila entered the company, she heard two receptionists whispering.
“Do you think those photos are real or fake?”
“The photos are so clear, how could they be fake?”
“Ugh, I never would’ve guessed. ”
“She usually looks so innocent.”
“She’s just pretending. Any woman who can have sex with a man in a car…”
“Who’s the guy? His face was not clear in the photos.”
As soon as she got to her office, her assistant showed her the so-called scandalous photos.
“These photos were sent to the work group chat in the early hours of the morning. Not only were they in the lower-level group chats, but every executive also received them in their emails.”
Leila’s eyes fell on the photo of her pinning Mason against the hallway wall. In the photo, her shoulders was exposed, and she was standing on tiptoe, kissing Mason’s jawline.
It was clear Mason was trying to avoid it; his face was turned to the side. The person who took the photo was obviously a professional. The photo was well taken: she was fully exposed, while Mason’s face was just a blurry side profile.
The assistant waited a long time without getting a response from Leila, and cautiously spoke again, “Miss Patel, Mr. Lee just said he wants to see you in his office as soon as you arrive.”
Leila frowned, “Got it. Notify everyone that we’ll have a morning meeting in ten minutes.”
The assistant was stunned for a second, then responded, “Yes, Miss Patel.”
Ten minutes later, Leila gathered everyone from the project department for a meeting. Throughout the meeting, she remained calm and composed, handling everything with her usual efficiency.
After the meeting ended, Leila left the room, and a buzz of conversation broke out among the attendees.
“Miss Patel is so brave!”
“Yeah, I thought she’d at least lose her composure today.”
“As expected, a successful woman must be able to endure what others cannot.”
Meanwhile, Leila took the elevator upstairs to her superior Mr. Lee’s office. As she approached his office, she was about to knock when she heard a flattering voice from inside, “Mr. Ramirez, are you here for the Southside project?”
Mason replied indirectly, “I heard the manager in charge of this project had a scandal last night?”
Leila’s hand froze mid-air.
Inside, Mr. Lee’s laugh could be heard, “Who told you that? There’s no such thing…”
Mason, lounging on the sofa, said, “Really? I heard there are photos to prove it.”
Mr. Lee quickly lied, “That’s just a bit of fun between a couple. We can’t really get involved in that.”
Mason questioned, “A couple?”
Mr. Lee kept his composure under Mason’s probing, “From what I know, the person with Leila in the car last night was her boyfriend. You know, it’s a personal matter between them…”
Mason smiled, “Oh?”
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Mr. Lee quickly said.
Leila entered, and as their eyes met, Mr. Lee gave her a look. He turned to Mason, “Mr. Ramirez, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Leila”
Having overheard their conversation outside, Leila met Mason’s gaze, “Mr. Ramirez, what do you want to know?”
“Nothing.”
Seeing Mason drop the subject, Mr. Lee seized the opportunity to bring up the collaboration.
Mason, lounging lazily on the sofa, remarked, “I don’t know the details.”
Mr. Lee caught Mason’s hint and quickly said, “I’ll arrange a meeting right now and personally give you a detailed introduction to our project.”
Mason looked up at him, “Mr. Lee, aren’t you busy? Do you have time to accompany me?”
Mr. Lee stammered, “I…”
Noticing Mason’s gaze on Leila, Mr. Lee suddenly understood, “I am a bit busy. Mr. Ramirez, if you don’t mind, how about having Miss Patel accompany you?”
Mason chuckled, “Sure.”
…