Chapter 46: Chapter 46

At MystiArt Productions…

The next day, Assistant Jiang paced behind the man who was lying on the couch with his eyes closed. Could you believe he was so mad that the man barely spoke yesterday? The assistant knew that his Boss was just compounding his anger. He had developed this new hobby of pretending to be asleep. Wasn’t it to make anyone who dared disturb him a scapegoat?

His boss did not seem to be affected by her words yesterday. Even so, Assistant Jiang could feel his irritation and anger. On the wedding day, the bride walked out on the groom and the groom had to sulk all night. The complexity of his boss’s relationship with the now Mrs. Lim was giving him palpitations.

“M– Mr. Lim.” He called out to the man. In a gentle voice, assistant Jiang cleared his throat and called out again.

When the man opened his eyes, they were red, probably due to the lack of proper sleep. Or maybe the anger boiling inside him was insurmountable.

Like a guardian trying to tame a wild beast, Assistant Jiang came forward hesitantly. He raised both hands in a placating gesture and lowered onto the couch opposite the man. “Considering your current relationship with Ms.– I mean Mrs. Lim, it will seem strange if she suddenly jumps into your bed.”

“You.” Andrew glared at him.

The assistant was quick to realize his bad choice of words and he instantly slapped his mouth. “W–What mean is, Mrs. Lim doesn’t know about your insomnia at this stage. Maybe if she knows, she might want to…”

Assistant Jiang trailed off. Instead of cajoling his boss, it was as if he was fanning the flame. With each word he spoke, the man only got angrier.

Maybe his boss didn’t want to appear weak in front of her. That was why he didn’t want to tell her. If she knew, she might use it against him.

Assistant Jiang’s thoughts were in sync with what Andrew was thinking. He couldn’t trust her anymore. An emotionless girl who wouldn’t bat an eye before shattering one’s heart. He didn’t want to commit the same kind of mistake he had made in the past.

Despite that, Assistant Jiang thought it was better that she knew. Things might become easier for them all, then. If she proved to be stubborn, his boss had the power to make her do his bidding.

“Get her here.” Andrew closed his eyes after giving the command.

Assistant Jiang blinked. He wanted to confirm that he heard him right, but he dared not ask the man to repeat what he said. Yet, his curiosity got the best of him.

“If I get Mrs. Lim, Boss. Are you planning to tell her finally?”

“No.”

Andrew’s reply dampened the assistant’s hope. Assistant Jiang shook his head with a sigh and stood up. “Erm, Mr. Lim. Why then do you want to see her?”

“Sleepy.”

“Ah. Oh, okay.” Assistant Jiang hurried out of the office. His boss must have stayed awake all night. Even the few minutes of sleep he usually had mustn’t have worked. If he could get her here and maybe let his boss have some sleep, it would do something to placate his anger.

…

In the Arts Department:

The employees were quite busy today due to the endless projects being handed to them by the Assistant Manager. This girl who looked harmless at first glance managed to keep them on tenterhooks.

They rarely had time to gossip anymore. Wasn’t she worse than the Manager himself? Right now, the Arts Department employees were bored to death. They were like zombies, moving around their cubicles without any cheers around them.

Layla sneaked a look at Annie’s desktop. A villain character was the hardest to design, however, she designed one seamlessly and was almost done with designing the second one.

“While we were at college, did you take extra lessons, Annie? Why are your designs a bit unique from the school’s default style?”

Layla had been dying to ask this question for a long time now. Although Annie joined them late after skipping some semesters, she was able to catch up with the class in just a few days.

No. They hadn’t been friends at that time because Annie was once her senior. But Layla had to admit her instant liking towards the girl when her intelligence proved to be above average.

“How are they unique, Layla? Have you been taking a lot of caffeine recently?” Annie replied distractedly. Maybe she didn’t even hear her question properly.

Layla fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Will you stop working for once, Annie? Give yourself a break.”

Annie finished working on the character and entered another homepage tab on the desktop. “Working is not always a bad thing. Tell me, If I slack off, what will be the consequences?”

Layla understood what she meant. Unlike her who could take money from her parents willingly, Annie had herself and her family to look after. Even if she slacked off and maybe lost her job, it wouldn’t have any effect on her life.

But for Annie, her life depended on the job.

“It’s just so boring when you work all the time.” Layla pursed her lips. “At least, take a break once in a while, Annie. Have fun sometimes and give your body the rest it deserves.”

Urgh! Layla blamed her brother for all this. Annie never complained about her life, yet, she pitied the girl sometimes.

She had secretly hoped that with her brother’s intervention, her friend’s life would turn around. But the dude was a huge disappointment.

“Why are you on this website? Are you looking for a new place?” Layla asked in confusion. Her eyes were on Annie’s desktop again and the girl was exploring some home rentals website.

“Mm.” Annie nodded. “In fact, I’ve found one.”

“Really?” Layla couldn’t hide her shock. She had also thought in the past that where Annie lived was quite far from the company. She watched Annie chat with the house owner through the website. When the girl was done, she clapped her hands.

“Can we go explore it together? I love house hunting, Annie. And maybe we can catch some fun outside. It’s closing time, anyway.”

Annie hadn’t negotiated the rent yet. Well, it would be better to take a look before arriving at a decision. So she agreed to Layla’s suggestion.

She turned the desktop off and picked up her bag. Layla did the same. They entered the elevator and when they came out, they almost bumped into Assistant Jiang who was on his way to the Arts Department.

Quickly, Annie grabbed Layla’s hand and they hid in a corner.