I nodded my head and pushed him forward. “Go!”
Rushing for his meeting, he left without another word. I decided to read for a bit in the office as I was bored.
Suddenly, I could hear the noises of an argument outside. Curious, I got up to see what the commotion was about.
It turned out to be Nancy whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. She looks different today. Her hair is a mess and she looks haggard. Although she’s dressed in branded clothes, they always look cheap on her for some reason.
Two secretaries were barring her from entering the huge office area. “Ms. Goldstein, we can’t let you in if you don’t have an appointment with Mr. Fuller.”
Despite her image was utterly ruined, Nancy showed no signs of giving up against the secretaries who blocked her path. She screamed hoarsely, “Tell Ashton I want to see him right now.”
A commotion like this wouldn’t solve anything. After all, this was a huge company, and the secretaries had other work to do.
I shouldn’t meddle in this though. Joseph just left and I’m unaware of the proper protocol.
So after some thought, I turned and prepared to head back to the office to kill time.
“Scarlett, stop right there!” I’d only taken a few steps when my name was called.
Turning back, I caught Nancy’s gaze on me. She was still fuming as she spat out, “Aren’t you so pleased with yourself right now? You think you’re better than the rest of us just because you married into money.”
I furrowed my brows in displeasure.
My gaze fell on her disheveled clothes. It’s going to be exhausting if I talk to her from here. Since she’s already seen me, I guess I should just confront her.
I walked forward and stared at her calmly. “Ms. Goldstein, try not to lose some sense of elegance even if you’ve fallen on hard times. Don’t you think you’re degrading yourself like this?”
She actually has decent qualities—she’s young and pretty with a great educational background. Even if her path to stardom has become hopeless, she’ll still have many opportunities. She wouldn’t find herself in dire straits.
She laughed coldly, a hollow gaze in her eyes. “Degrading myself? Are you talking to me from a winner’s perspective right now?”
I shrugged. “Think what you please.”
She sneered, “Ashton treated me like a substitute. How well do you think he’ll treat you, huh? No one will ever match up to that crush of his.”
She’s just degrading herself by being caught up in this whole idea of who among us is the substitute. What’s the point in bringing up this issue now? She’s just doing this because she can’t accept defeat.
As I stared at her, I couldn’t help but say, “Although I have no clue how you appeared in his circles or caught his attention, it’s meaningless now for you to be fixated on this idea of which one of us is the substitute. I would’ve helped you if your words were kinder, Nancy. But if you can’t at least be civil, then I’ll have to return an eye for an eye. The baseless rumors you spread about me last time gave me a lot of trouble. As the victim, it’s only right that I take steps to defend my name.”
Nancy’s expression darkened. “Who can you blame but yourself for your promiscuity? Everything I said was true.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t yet enraged at her words. “My marriage to Ashton seven years ago was a valid union. I don’t know who tipped you off about that incident four years ago, but it only takes a bit of common sense to understand what really happened. Just because I didn’t make a fuss about it doesn’t mean I’m weak. I merely thought it wasn’t worth my time and effort to deal with such matters.”
The two secretaries who’d heard my every word couldn’t help but exchange loaded glances. They seemed shocked, likely by the news of Ashton and my marriage.
I looked at Nancy and continued, “One must always think of the repercussions before taking action. If I were you, Nancy, I’d pack my bags immediately and bring my mother to a safe place where we could live quietly for some time. Maybe spend some time planning my future and stop pestering the Fuller Corporation. Ashton’s patience is limited. Once he’s concluded his business, no one can guarantee how brutal he can be when it comes to tying up loose ends.”
Nancy’s face paled. “What do you mean?”
“She has explained it so well! Ashton only killed your dreams of stardom instead of forcing you into a dead end. If you continue creating a fuss like this, he might get annoyed and ruin your entire future.” A woman’s voice cut in.
I was startled for a moment and turned around. I didn’t know when Emery had shown up. Dressed in a stylish black suit, she stood next to the lift with her arms crossed.
Cheekily, she watched my reaction to her arrival with a barely discernible smile on her face. Her lips curved upwards as she laughed out loud. “I haven’t seen you in four years and you seem fatter now.”
I-Isn’t she being too straightforward? Who starts a conversation like that!
I couldn’t help but laugh as I replied, “The environment in R Province is great.”
She shrugged and walked towards me. “I guess that’s true. Your complexion does look amazing.”
She paused for a moment and looked at Nancy, who hadn’t recovered her composure. “Hey Miss, you’re twenty-six this year, right? Think you’re such a hotshot after being a celebrity for a couple of years? Oh right, weren’t you in the news a couple of days ago for climbing to the top of that building? But nothing happened? I guess you were just making a scene!”
