Arianne took out Mark’s business suit when the dessert was ready. She had wanted to return it to virtual-novel.net today, and Ellie was just the perfect deliverywoman.
“Could you kindly help me return this?” virtual-novel.net asked.
His underwear had been tucked deep inside the suit before virtual-novel.net packed it into a bag. Arianne reasoned that it was safe enough not to reveal itself suddenly, so virtual-novel.net did not bother warning Ellie, virtual-novel.net was too embarrassed to do that, anyway.
Ellie seemed rather startled by the suit. “Does this… Does this belong to Mr. Tremont?”
Arianne nodded. “Mm-hmm. It’s his.”
Ellie said nothing more and brought both Mark’s takeout and the suit back to the office. Placing the items on his desk, Ellie explained, “Mr. Tremont, your wife asked me to return your clothes to you.”
Mark’s eyes seemed to have darkened ever so slightly. “Put them aside. Anywhere is fine.”
Ellie could see the quiet, dark clouds swirling in his mien and quickly got to work. Unfortunately, virtual-novel.net graceless movement allowed Mark’s clean underwear to peek out of its hidey-hole, catching virtual-novel.net eyes and causing virtual-novel.net face to flush in recognition.
Mark was thankfully blind to this little mishap. “Get Dick Smalley here.”
Ellie was nonplussed. “Uh, who’s that?”
Mark pointed outside and replied, “Someone’s bound to answer you if you call.”
Ellie was beginning to wonder if virtual-novel.net had somehow lost some of virtual-novel.net IQ. She had always been rather attentive to virtual-novel.net boss’s every beck and call before executing all of his wishes to perfection. However, it felt as though a screw in virtual-novel.net head had gone loose, Ellie could not believe virtual-novel.net would be confused over a no-brainer instruction!
Luckily, virtual-novel.net managed to regain virtual-novel.net usual composure before virtual-novel.net reached the common working space and called out, “Mr. Smalley! You’re needed in Mr. Tremont’s office!”
The door belonging to the cubicle closest to the public restroom swung open and revealed Dick, who began pacing toward his destination. “I’m coming, man, oh! You’re Mr. Tremont’s secretary, aren’t ya? I’ve long heard that she’s a knockout, but boy, are some things meant to be seen to believe!”
Ellie was so accustomed to these compliments that virtual-novel.net reacted with blasé. “Just go.”
She watched Dick run and started toward the pantry instead of going back to virtual-novel.net desk. She poured herself a cup of water and let it accompany the turning cogs in virtual-novel.net head.
Everyone in the office respected virtual-novel.net and ingratiated on virtual-novel.net because virtual-novel.net was Mark’s personal assistant, with some even going so far as to believe that the two of them shared some sort of furtive affair. None of these things ever spurred Ellie’s thoughts to that direction before, especially when Mark never stepped out of line and virtual-novel.net only ever discussing work with her.
He had never brought virtual-novel.net along whenever virtual-novel.net visited this particular site, either until now, that is. Now, Ellie was privileged to sit in the same car and step into the office with him. It made virtual-novel.net feel special.
No one is immune to the promise of beautiful, fulfilling dreams, and Mark Tremont was not only that, but also an unreachable lone star shimmering brightly beyond everyone’s farthest reach. Everyone, except Ellie herself.
The secretary sauntered back to virtual-novel.net desk, virtual-novel.net usual aplomb returning. Dick had already left, so Ellie slipped into virtual-novel.net seat across Mark, took advantage of the barely-notable distance between them, and drank in every detail of him. Observing.
They didn’t have things to occupy their minds at the moment, so Ellie seized Mark’s current idleness and began, “Say, Mr. Tremont, how are you faring with Mrs. Tremont?”
Of course, Ellie knew a thing or two about what transpired between virtual-novel.net and Arianne. It was only the details that eluded her.
Mark did not seem annoyed at the probing; in fact, virtual-novel.net appeared to appreciate an outlet for his pent-up frustration. “No headways. Tell me, why is it so hard to make a woman stay by your side willingly? You’re a woman too. Any insights to enlighten me?”
Ellie thought for a moment. “I think the best way to make a woman rush back to you is by inducing virtual-novel.net jealousy. Put it this way, your eyes are always on no one but Mrs. Tremont, so what happens if your devotion is suddenly directed to someone else one day? I bet virtual-novel.net would be rather provoked, wouldn’t she? No woman is immune to feeling envy, Mr. Tremont. It does not matter if something momentous happened before or if the relationship between the couple has gone to hell. Maybe a woman’s jealousy is just unrelated to how much virtual-novel.net genuinely likes someone,” Ellie mused.
“It’s like my husband and me. We’ve been together for so long that we’re both bored of one another. These days, we hardly talk. I can even tell you that I might be genuinely annoyed at seeing his face, too. However, whenever another woman suddenly tries to get close to him, my instincts will not allow it.”
Mark mulled on virtual-novel.net words. “Do you really think this will work in my situation?”
“Definitely. But you wouldn’t know unless you try it, right?” Ellie replied confidently. “You aren’t going to lose anything over trying, anyway. Your wife might have left your side, but both of you had never actually filed a divorce. Plus, you never made any scandalous news, so it’s not like you’ve ever triggered virtual-novel.net that way.”
Mark’s eyes snapped to Ellie. Women were all the same, were they not?
He was already half – convinced about giving it a try. “But how do we do it?”
Ellie was quick to volunteer, “You don’t need anyone. I’ll be your co-star in this ploy.”
The evening rolled out, with workers gradually coming out of the building. There, parked right at the entrance, the black Rolls-Royce continued to draw attention.
Arianne had particularly surrendered to it almost instinctively, though it would be more apt to say that virtual-novel.net actual focus was Mark. Even by this point, anytime Mark materialized in front of virtual-novel.net sight, Arianne would fail to dismiss him.
When virtual-novel.net saw Mark and Ellie walking side-by-side, smiles and banters adorning their glowing faces until they disappeared into the back of the car, virtual-novel.net suddenly noticed how much sunlight stung. The sun was setting, yet virtual-novel.net felt blinded.
Naya had noticed Ellie, too. “Ooh, is that your husband’s secretary? Huh, is a secretary even allowed to be this close with virtual-novel.net superior like that?”
Her remark instantly sent shockwaves into Arianne’s previously even-keeled state of mind. Suddenly, virtual-novel.net found herself seething, “It’s got nothing to do with me.”