Chapter 2

As soon as the call ended, Chloe rushed the taxi driver to go faster, which made the driver grow more annoyed by the second. Finally, Chloe arrived at the building of Dane Corporation on time. Looking up from below, the building had stood tall and strong for more than 60 years, in the heart of Detroit, the most prosperous city in the country. This had been the place where Chloe started working when she was fresh out of college three years ago. 3rd floor, sales department, office area. 'Good morning, Miss Stark.' 'Good morning, chief!' 'Morning everyone!' As soon as Chloe stepped into the office, she was greeted by her colleagues. She worked hard in the Dane Corporation for three years, starting as a sales representative to a sales supervisor. Every step on the way, she managed to impressed her co-workers and subordinates with her outstanding performance and professional work ethics. Dwayne, Chloe's assistant, followed her closely and said with relief, "Thank god you are here now, Miss Stark! Mr. Shaw just told me to call you again!" 'Thank you Dwayne.' Chloe gave Dwayne a pat on her shoulder. She didn't take the elevator to the conference room right away. Instead, she went back to her desk, took out a new set of clothes from her drawer. Then she went to the bathroom to get rid of her current wrinkled outfit thanks to Sam Bolton. Standing in front of the mirror, she stared at the marks on her neck as the "souvenirs" from the other night. She could barely cover them by pulling up her collar. "Hey, have you guys heard? The soon-to-be-appointed executive officer came back from Europe. It's like a prodigal son returned!" "What's wrong with that? You don't know much about his background, do you? You guys remember Hank Bolton? He is the former director who founded Dane and turned it into a world-renowned company." Seeing everyone nodded, the man continued excitedly, "And the one who will take over Dane today is Hank Bolton's youngest son!" "That's odd. Hank Bolton has two sons. Yet he only asked his younger brother to lead Dane when he retired. It all changes until today. Won't he be afraid of a hostile takeover by others?" "Well... Rumours said that the eldest son in the family was a bit of a bad apple. As for his second son, we will find out soon enough. Who knows? Maybe both of Bolton boys are not built to run Dane." From the third floor to the 18th floor, Chloe silently listened to the gossip along the way. As soon as the elevator door opened, she followed the crowd and entered the conference room. The name plates on the table were arranged in advance. Chloe casually glanced at the empty chair for an executive officer and wondered, "It's almost nine. And the legendary Mr. Bolton still hasn't showed up yet. Is this him sending all of us a message?" Suddenly, she heard a creaking sound as the two red wooden doors were pushed open and two men walked into the room. The first one was the secretary of the chief executive officer, followed by the executive officer Zack Bolton. Though beyond his prime age, Zack Bolton seemed energetic and driven. Meanwhile, the board was really concerned about his decision of letting a young rookie take over the Dane empire. But when everyone had a good look at the man standing next to Zack Bolton, they succumbed to him with an aura of power. He was tall and slender in a suit and tie. His face was carved by angels with thin red lips that no women could resist. He casually put one hand in his trouser pocket while the other loosened his tie. He didn't look like he was here for a meeting, more like a visitor of Dane. 'Woah, he is hot!' Was he really that charming? Chloe, who heard the murmurs of the crowd, couldn't help but take a peek. The man, who was commented as "perfect" by female colleagues, had walked to the nearest window. When the man's piercing eyes entered her sight, she was so shocked she almost jumped out of her leather chair! She blinked a few more times just to make sure what she saw is real. Staring at his eyes, nose and mouth, she was certain that he is the same man she just saw this morning. In other words, she slept with her boss and called him a male escort. Did she decide to look for a death wish because life was boring? Chloe shuddered and suppressed her urge to dig a hole and bury herself. Then she leaned stiffly against the back of her chair, trying to avoid being recognized. At this moment, the man who officially received the letter for equity transfer from Zack Bolton addressed everyone with a smile, 'My name's Sam Bolton.' That was the end of the meeting. Chloe tried to blend in the crowd. She felt a mild headache with a silver lining. At least Sam did not deliberately ask her to stay. Perhaps it meant that he did not notice her at all during the meeting? She was just a supervisor in the department. If there was anything that requires verbal reports or written negotiations with Sam from now on, she would just ask her manager, Mr. Shaw, to help. After all, he had been treated her well these few years. Chloe, who thought she was out of the woods, missed the pair of eyes fixed on her from a man just a few steps away. It was 6 p.m. in Dane Corporation. After contacting the customers who bought the last batch of raw materials, Chloe was tidying up the table full of materials lists in an orderly manner. At this instant, her phone suddenly vibrated and caught her attention. After seeing the caller ID, Chloe slightly frowned and picked it up. She didn't even bother to greet, but waiting for the caller to speak first.