Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Strange Face

However, on this particular day, as the metallic doors of the private elevator glided open with a soft chime, the person standing there to greet Julian Sterling was not the familiar and reassuring figure of Helen Lloyd. Instead, Julian found himself face to face with a young woman he had never seen before. She possessed a rather delicate and refined appearance, suggesting she might be a relatively new addition to the dedicated assistant team working under Ethan Caldwell. Judging by the sheer novelty of her presence, it was highly likely that her experience working on this exclusive executive floor was still quite limited. She was rarely, if ever, seen making public appearances in this restricted area. At the least, during all of Julian’s previous visits to the corporate headquarters, he had never once crossed paths with her, nor did he hold even the faintest impression of her existence.

Upon seeing Julian step out from the exclusive elevator, which was strictly reserved for upper management and special guests, the young woman could not entirely hide her surprise. She stood frozen in her tracks for a few fleeting seconds, her eyes fixed on him, before she quickly gathered her wits and regained her professional composure. With the perfectly practiced grace of a well-trained corporate employee, she bowed her head in a standard greeting and said: “Hello, Assistant Sterling.”

Julian gave her a subtle, fleeting look, his brow twitching upward in a barely perceptible motion. Despite the calculated observation hidden beneath the surface, his youthful and seemingly innocent face maintained a warm, radiant, and entirely approachable smile. He tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying a natural ease as he asked her in return: “Did Ethan instruct you to stand out here and wait for me?”

“Yes, that is correct. CEO Caldwell was concerned that Assistant Sterling might feel unfamiliar arriving here all alone, so he specifically assigned me to wait by the elevators and welcome you into the lounge to rest first.” She replied, her voice steady and polite: “He is currently wrapping up a brief discussion with the management board. Once that is concluded in a little while, he will return here immediately.”

“Oh, is that so? Where exactly did Ethan go right now?” Julian asked, letting a hint of playful disappointment seep into his voice: “Did he not promise me over the phone just a short while ago that he would personally come downstairs to pick me up? And yet, here I am, completely abandoned, having to quietly make my way up here from the basement parking lot all by myself.” In an instant, Julian adopted the endearing, slightly petulant demeanor of a spoiled child who had just been wronged by an adult’s broken promise, his expression the perfect picture of innocent grievance.

The young woman remained standing respectfully to the side, maintaining a placating and diplomatic smile as she tried to smooth things over: “Lately, the CEO truly has a massive workload and many major decisions to finalize. A moment ago, he had every intention of heading downstairs to receive you himself. However, right as he was about to leave, Helen Lloyd called to report an urgent matter on a lower floor that required his immediate intervention. Because of that sudden development, he simply could not arrange the time. Please be generous and do not hold it against him.”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Julian nodded slowly, pretending to be fully appeased and understanding of the situation. He began to stroll at a leisurely, unhurried pace down the quiet corridor toward the grand, luxurious doors of the office belonging to Ethan Caldwell. As he walked, he casually threw a probing question over his shoulder. “Are you a recent transfer to the secretarial team? I visit quite often, yet I have rarely had the chance to see you around.”

“I have actually been working in the assistant department here for about three years now. It is just that, prior to this, my main responsibilities involved coordinating with the mid-level management teams stationed on the lower levels, so I do not frequently appear on this floor. Today, because a few unexpected tasks popped up, the CEO called me upstairs to provide a bit of temporary support.”

“So it turns out you are a veteran employee after all. By the way, amidst all this chatting, I still have not caught your name. What should I call you?”

“My name is Nadine Locke.” She answered politely.

“Well, Nadine Locke, let me ask you something. Is the direct secretarial team serving Ethan quite large at the moment? I have never really had a proper opportunity to meet everyone and get to know the staff.”

“If we do not count Helen Lloyd, who holds the position of Chief Secretary, our immediate team currently consists of eleven members in total.”

Julian nodded, quietly filing this piece of information away in his mind. He was just about to casually ask a few more peripheral questions when the two of them arrived in front of the massive, imposing wooden doors that guarded the inner sanctuary of the CEO’s office. Nadine Locke attentively stepped forward to push the heavy door open for him. She then made a graceful and welcoming gesture, inviting him to step inside. Meanwhile, she maintained her strict professional boundaries, staying put in the hallway: “Assistant Sterling, please go on inside and make yourself comfortable while you wait for the CEO. I still have a few tasks left to complete downstairs, so if you will excuse me, I will take my leave now.”

“Alright, go ahead and get back to your work.” Julian replied breezily.

Julian stood right at the threshold of the office, his eyes following the grand door as it slowly began to swing shut. Through a small, horizontal pane of transparent glass set near the top of the doorframe, he quietly and intensely observed the retreating figure of Nadine Locke. He watched her until she stepped into the elevator and the metallic doors closed completely, swallowing her silhouette. At that exact moment, the warm, friendly, and innocent smile that had been painted on his lips vanished without a trace. In its place, his eyes narrowed slightly, turning dark and brimming with deep, calculating thoughts.

Without missing a beat, Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Instead of calling Ethan Caldwell directly, he quickly typed out a short, straightforward text message: [Have you finished dealing with your work yet?]

The reply came through almost instantly, as if the person on the other end had been holding his phone and waiting for the screen to light up: [Almost done. What is it? Are you already missing me? Wait for me just a little bit longer. Helen Lloyd just brought your crab noodles into my office. Go ahead and start eating first. Do not sit around waiting for me, if those noodles get cold, they will not taste good anymore.]

Julian typed back a single, brief “ok” accompanied by an obedient, cute emoticon, and then casually slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He tossed his casual backpack onto a plush, single-seater sofa off to the side of the room, then walked straight over to the massive, imposing executive chair behind the desk. With an air of complete familiarity and ownership, he sat right down in the seat that belonged to Ethan Caldwell. Arranged neatly on the pristine surface of the organized desk were two portions of food, both packaged in an incredibly exquisite and luxurious manner. Placed right next to the elegant takeaway boxes was a stunning set of high-end, white porcelain tableware. The bowls and chopsticks were delicately painted with a vibrant, intricate motif of vivid blue forget-me-not flowers.

This specific set of tableware was not a standard company issue. It was a custom collection that Ethan Caldwell had specially commissioned a master artisan to craft on an expedited timeline, made exclusively for Julian. The entire extravagant endeavor had started simply because Julian had once accidentally let slip a casual complaint, whining that the plain, monotonous white ceramic dishes used throughout the company were so incredibly boring they could put someone to sleep. Taking that passing comment to heart, Ethan Caldwell had generously paid to have eight entirely different, custom-made sets created. Four of those sets were kept at their private home, while the other four were permanently placed here in the corporate office. Each individual set featured a different dominant color palette and highlighted a different species of flower that Julian favored, ensuring that he could switch them out at will, perfectly matching his dining experience to whatever mood he happened to be in on any given day.

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