Chapter 11: General Manager Likes To Cause Discord!

"This is my house. Wait a moment for me to open the door, and when the door opens, you can see those two little devils."

The key rattled in the lock. The little girl was bored, swinging her legs on the sofa. When she heard the sound of the lock opening, she looked out. When she confirmed that the person opening the door was her mother, she ran over joyfully and hugged her mother's leg: "Oh, Mommy's home!"

Turning around, she shouted: "Charlie, Mom's home!"

From upstairs, a boy slowly descended the stairs with his hand in his pocket and yawned as he walked. He saw the person behind his mother, bowed politely, and said hello.

"Hi, Auntie."

Flora happily tousled the little boy's hair, at that moment, the little girl noticed the person standing right behind her mother, with sparkling eyes and a hesitant voice, she greeted: "Hello, Auntie."

But the adult standing behind the child's mother stared intently at the little boy and couldn't take his eyes off him: "Your son... looks just like our CEO!"

She exclaimed.

Flora's two children were very different, one taking after her, but the other was different.

From his eyes to his facial expressions and even how he spoke, he was like a mini version of Matthew Charles himself.

"Looks like him, doesn't he? I was startled when I saw the CEO's face this morning, too." she continued.

Earlier that day, Matthew had laughed at Flora for thinking they had met before, so now she just considered it funny.

Regardless, in her mind, it was better to believe that someone looked like someone else than to think that her son and SEI CEO had any connection.

Layla lowered her voice, suspicion clear in her tone: "You don't think there could be any connection? Who knows, maybe the father of those two is also our CEO."

It was like she had just heard the most hilarious joke in the world.

Sleep with a stranger for one night, have two children, then find out their father is the CEO of a big corporation. What a coincidence.

"Don't you remember what the hotel receptionist said? The CEO of SEI wouldn't be doing that kind of special service." Flora pointed out.

She didn't care, changing her shoes and heading straight into the house: "Do you want bubble tea or coffee? I only have canned coffee, but it'll do for now."

Layla had changed into her sandals and sat on the sofa, feeling awkward. They used to be best friends, but it had been seven years since they had seen each other. It would take some time to become close again.

Taking the canned coffee from Flora's hand, Layla opened it and took a sip, enjoying the incredible aroma of the coffee. She tilted her head and pretended to be distracted, making small talk.

"In fact, after meeting you yesterday, I... called Patrick. Don't look at me like that, and I couldn't resist. I wanted to know if the two of you had a chance to get back together. It's such a beautiful love story and a pity..."

Part of it is genuinely regretful for the beautiful love story of the two in the past, and functions a bit skeptical.

Flora had also opened a coffee packet, held it to her lips, and finally put it down without a sip.

Her voice was sad: "Why did you call him? We ended things seven years ago..."

Layla frowned and looked straight into her old close friend's eyes, her voice trembling slightly but still asking directly: "I want to know, do you still love him? Or have you forgotten about him, forget that there is someone in this world who loves you so much, ready to forgive your mistakes like that?"

Decisively, Flora shook her head: "Perhaps... not. When I think of him, I feel more guilty. I owe him an apology for causing him so much pain. But if we're talking about getting back together, the answer is probably... never."

That night, Flora had a very long dream. She dreamed of the day Patrick, and she were getting engaged, heard the harsh tone from his mother's mouth, and saw the stunned, helpless look on his face when he found out she was pregnant with someone else's child.

This nightmare has haunted her for the past seven years, reminding her that she owes Patrick and the Jones family an apology.

As predicted, she wore a pair of panda eyes to work the following day.

"Oops...did the old secretary say something yesterday? Oh, the CEO has to drink in the morning..."

Flora stood in the tea room, hesitating between tea and coffee: "Tea or coffee?"

The CEO of a large corporation like SEI would drink coffee, right? After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed a packet of instant coffee and mixed it with warm water.

The smell of coffee immediately spread throughout the small room, instantly making people feel alert.

Placing the coffee cup on the CEO's desk, she tried to squeeze out the most professional and polite smile possible: "Would you like some coffee, sir?"

Matthew caught a whiff of cheap instant coffee from the familiar porcelain cup. Annoyance and disgust rose like tides in his heart. He furrowed his brow and gave a glance.

"I don't drink this coffee."

The glance from the familiar face sitting higher than the others was not ordinary, causing Flora's heart to skip a beat, sweat dripping from her palms.

She immediately bowed: "I'm sorry, CEO, I'll change it immediately."

The first day of her official work could have gone better. She pursed her lips, returned to the pantry, emptied the coffee in the cup, brewed a new cup of tea, and then returned to her boss's office. This silly girl... Matthew's brow furrowed even tighter. Who told her he wanted tea in the morning?

"Go make me a cup of coffee."

Flora couldn't help glaring at him. Just a few minutes ago, he said he didn't want coffee and is now asking her to make it. Did he think he could be irrational just because he's the CEO?

He certainly could be irrational, and what's more, she had to comply. She took the cup and went outside to make coffee for him.

As her slender hand touched the door handle, a deep and cold voice sounded behind her.

"Freshly ground coffee, brewed by the coffee machine in the pantry." He looked at her with suspicion: "Do you know how to use the coffee machine?"

Flora was a bit stunned. He wanted something other than instant coffee but only premium,freshly ground coffee. She understood a little about the style of the rich now.

She nodded firmly and walked out again.

She sighed in relief as she entered the pantry, put the tea cup aside, and patted her chest: "Oh my God, working with superiors like this will probably give me a heart attack and die."

He was overbearing, always nitpicking her work, making everything difficult to satisfy him. When the "correct" cup of coffee was placed in front of him, her feet were already sore from constantly walking back and forth on these five-centimeters heels.

He picked up his coffee cup and sipped, showing no expression. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. A slight "clunk" sounded as his coffee cup hit his desk.

"I don't know what tricks you used to persuade Selena or how you beat out countless other beautiful and talented candidates for my secretary position. I won't compare you to the ugliest secretary I've ever had, but at least you should have some brains regarding capability."

Flora's ears were ringing, filled with his scolding.

Frustrated, she blurted out without thinking: "Who said they're more talented than me?"

Whether she had misread the situation or not, the man sitting across from her seemed to be... laughing.

Matthew was indeed laughing.

He looked Flora up and down, finding nothing that matched his aesthetic standards.

"Really? So, where are you more talented than others? As far as I can see, you can't be considered better than others."

His gaze lingered on her tightly buttoned shirt, clearly disdainful of Flora's appearance. She furrowed her brows, widened her eyes, and stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"CEO, how can you... You're the head of a large corporation with many long-legged women by your side. Do you look at them all the time? Besides, using beautiful women is not the era anymore. Nowadays, the world values inner beauty... Your secretary should have a good heart, capability, and integrity."

Matthew's interest grew more assertive as Flora continued to speak. He thought she would retreat when things got tough, but he didn't expect her to turn around and lecture him like that. She was still talking, showing no sign of stopping.

"I am an outstanding candidate who has surpassed hundreds of thousands of other applicants, proving that my abilities are superior to others. Only those who truly have the ability can solve all the problems in their work reasonably. Even if you are not familiar, you should get acquainted. A CEO needs to..."

The man before her leaned back on the chair as if watching a fun game while listening to her reasoning.

She choked, whimpering like a deflated ball.

"Why don't you continue? How should a CEO be?"