Chapter 19: Don't Recognize Each Other…

"Director Selena, please retract your statement."

Selena snorted: "Did I say something wrong? Your bastard children, even you don't know who their father is yet..."

"You will be a mother someday and have your children. Then you will know that no mother loves her children and uses them as tools. If there is nothing else, I request to leave. As for the transfer, rest assured, I promised you I won't go back on my word."

Selena's face was not pleasant. She watched the back of her secretary and stamped her foot in anger.

She glanced briefly at the closed door of the CEO's office.

Timing-wise, Patrick had already arrived. Have they met yet? Flora was eagerly anticipating how the head of H&H Group would take revenge on the woman who betrayed him.

In the CEO's office, Patrick leaned against the desk, grinning: "Don't tell me the girl just now was your new secretary? Ugly, so ugly."

But with a glance, he still felt that Matthew's secretary was familiar as if he had met her somewhere before.

Matthew kept his cold expression.

"Don't talk nonsense. You didn't come here just to say those useless words, did you?"

"Isn't it because you called me here?" Patrick was surprised but then immediately smiled: "If not, then I'll leave... Oh, and let me take some of the administrative department manager's time at your company."

Leaving the CEO's office, Patrick walked straight to the administrative department.

He quickly threw that familiar feeling out of his mind.

It could be that people look alike. Matthew's secretary was old and ugly, so that he could have met her anywhere.

"Beauty, what are you doing?" Patrick didn't knock but naturally opened Layla's office door and walked in.

"Who gave you the right... Oh, why are you here?"

Just as she was about to scold the intruder in her office, Layla was shocked and happy when she saw who it was.

Her eyes also sparkled with joy.

Patrick smiled, leaned his arms on the desk, and leaned forward: "Why are you so surprised? It's not normal for a boyfriend to visit his girlfriend, right?"

The words "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" made Layla's heart race.

"Who... who is your girlfriend?"

"Whoever answers is my girlfriend..." Patrick leaned close to Layla: "Isn't it you?"

Seeing Layla's cheeks turn red, he laughed, stopped teasing her, and sat down seriously.

The image of the SEI CEO's secretary he had just met appeared again in his mind.

"Layla, did your CEO change his taste? Why did he choose a secretary like that..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Layla stood up abruptly, her voice hurried: "Have you met the CEO's secretary? Then, what about you..."

The CEO's secretary, isn't her name Flora? If he had met Flora... Layla didn't dare to think any further. Just anxiously looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I just met her in his office... Does he like that secretary? She looks over thirty and is still so inexperienced. He likes someone like that... It's quite surprising."

Who would have thought that a person who is the CEO of SEI Corporation would be interested in a country girl like her?

"What do you think of the CEO's secretary... like that?" Layla was a little skeptical.

Patrick nodded without hesitation: "Yeah, what about her? Is there anything special about her?"

"No... nothing..." Layla shook her head, feeling a little happy.

The relationship between Patrick and Flora may end here.

Face-to-face, without recognizing each other, Patrick's feelings may only exist in his memories.

"Click." the door of the CEO's office closed.

Matthew sighed, and his eyes couldn't help but stare at Flora's application for transfer.

Earlier, Patrick's appearance interrupted their conversation, and he didn't have a chance to ask the real reason why she wanted to transfer.

After thinking for a while, he stood up, took the transfer application, and left the office.

His intuition told him that this had something to do with Selena.

"Why... why are you here?" Selena was amazed when the man pushed the door and walked in, stuttering to ask.

Matthew placed the application on the table.

"My secretary, Flora, wants to transfer to a branch. Do you know anything about this?"

"I..." Selena avoided his gaze, a little hesitant, but quickly pretended to be calm again, forced a smile, and replied: "So what? You know that I'm already handing over my work... I'm not sure about this..."

Matthew frowned slightly. Selena's strange behavior was all in his sight.

If he had only suspected a little earlier, he was sure now. Flora's sudden request for transfer must be related to his fiancée.

Perhaps it was because of the rumors within the company that she mentioned a few days ago.

"So what?" He smiled mysteriously, his deep black eyes staring straight into Selena's eyes.

As expected, she once again avoided his gaze.

"Of course...of course. How she decides, how would I know? But...I heard her complain about how difficult this job was a few days ago, and she still has two children to care for... We shouldn't reduce her salary, could we? Let's transfer her to another branch for training, and then she can return."

After speaking, Selena looked nervously at the handsome face of the man before her.

Although they were in an unmarried relationship and were supposed to be more intimate than anyone else, she felt a bit uneasy and fearful in situations like this, facing Matthew.

Matthew shook his head, his emotionless face remaining cold and his voice even: "According to SEI's regulations, we cannot do that."

Selena lowered her head.

"Then, we have to..."

"But there is another way." Matthew smiled slightly: "Transfer her to the AA media company. It's also a subsidiary of SEI."

Selena's face suddenly changed.

Transferring to AA media company was similar to moving to any other company, and it wasn't any closer to SEI's headquarters.

She was about to refute it, but before she could say anything, the man had already turned and left her office.

At SEI, the CEO's decision is the corporation's final decision. She almost forgot about this and almost made a mistake in her work.

Each person had feelings as they ended their workday.

Flora wearily walked into her house, kicked off her high heels to the side, then casually unzipped the back of her dress, planning to take off her bra as well.

She had asked Asher to pick up the two children today, so they probably still needed to return.

Lost in thought, she didn't even notice the presence of a man in the living room.

Matthew stared at the woman's bare back, thinking about some inappropriate images in his head.

He clicked his tongue and said: "You really...have no caution. If the person in the room wasn't me but some thugs, you would have been killed long ago."

Flora jumped, turning around to see him, hunching her shoulders and gripping her dress tightly.

She stepped back two or three steps, her face red with embarrassment as she asked: "Why are you in my house?"

The man calmly leaned to one side and rested his chin, replying: "I brought your two kids home. If you don't want to thank me, that's fine, but why are you giving me that look?"

It was clear that she was giving him a skeptical look. But Matthew had brought her children home, so she shouldn't look at him like that.

Flora breathed out a sigh and said: "Thank you... but could you close your eyes? I need to change."

"Alright." Matthew reluctantly nodded, then closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, Flora had changed into a very ordinary outfit.

The redness on her face had also subsided.

She suddenly remembered her two kids: "Oh, where are my kids?"

Matthew suddenly burst out laughing.

This mother was forgetful, only remembering her children now.

He waved his hand, signaling her to come closer, then whispered: "Keep it down. They're sleeping."

Flora quietly opened the door to their room, confirming that her children were indeed sleeping, and smiled.

As she turned around, she saw the man undressing casually in her house.

"What are you doing?" She unconsciously raised her voice.

Matthew took a towel hanging on the rack, wiping his sweat as he said: "Shh... keep your voice down... I went through all this trouble to bring your kids home and sing them to sleep, and now I'm covered in sweat. Can't I shower for a bit in your bathroom... are you really that stingy?"

This reasoning was indeed hard to refute. Flora couldn't think of anything to argue with.

Unexpectedly, the man was willing to take a mile after being given an inch, frowning at her and saying: "I'm hungry now. Can you cook me something to eat?"

"Oh... I don't..." she hadn't even finished refusing when the bathroom door was closed.

With a sigh, she opened the refrigerator and cooked him a simple bowl of egg noodles with tomato.

A bright yellow egg, a red tomato, and green scallion leaves looked quite delicious.

At least, it was enough to stimulate the appetite of someone used to eating expensive, delicious food like Matthew.

When he left the bathroom, he was surprised that she had already prepared a bowl of noodles on the table. He had only teased her but didn't expect her to do it.

"The smell is delicious. I didn't expect someone as foolish-looking as you to be able to cook." he casually pulled out a chair, sat down, picked up a forkful of noodles, and tasted it.

"Very delicious. Would you like to try it?"

Flora shook her head, but then she saw him pick up a noodle, wrap it around the fork, and hold it out in front of her: "Try it for yourself, then evaluate your cooking skills."

She unconsciously opened her mouth, took the fork, and chewed the noodle.

Before her taste buds could sense anything, she saw the detestable man get up from his chair and whisper in her ear:

"It's too salty."

Even a simple dish like tomato egg noodles could turn out too salty. Flora felt embarrassed.

After teasing her, Matthew bowed his head and ate the entire bowl of noodles, leaving nothing behind, not even the soup.

He had yet to finish speaking earlier.