Chapter 52 How Humiliating
Chapter 52 How Humiliating
“Ms. Claude? What are you doing here?”
Anneliese froze when she saw Zion.
83
+10 Free Coins
Forcing a smile, she played it off coolly. “W–What a coincidence, Mr. Harlon! I live here.”
Zion looked even more surprised. “What a small world! Mr. Fullbuster lives upstairs. Come on up, Ms. Claude.”
As the elevator doors began to close, he kindly held them open for her.
However, Anneliese had no plans of doing so.
She quickly waved a hand. “Actually, I’m heading down. I’ll wait for the other elevator.”
But Zion only laughed and gave her a gentle tug.
“The next one will take a while. Don’t worry, Mr. Fullbuster doesn’t dilly–dally. I bet he’s already waiting by the doors. You won’t waste any time.”
Before she could respond, Anneliese was pulled inside. She hadn’t even steadied herself when the elevator rose one floor above.
As if to prove how well Zion knew his superior, there he was–standing tall and commanding, right outside the doors as they slid open.
Zion grinned broadly. “Look who’s here, Mr. Fullbuster. Turns out Ms. Claude lives here too. What a coincidence!”
He glanced behind. “Hey, why are you hiding behind me? Ah–ha! You’re trying to surprise our CEO, aren’t you?”
With that, he stepped aside, revealing Anneliese from where she had been shrinking back.
Immediately, she felt the full weight of Jonathan’s penetrating gaze.
That was not what she had intended!
With her head lowered, Anneliese screamed in silence, thanking Zion for his very thoughtful introduction.
Jonathan stepped into the elevator. Anneliese kept her head lowered, shrinking further into
1/3
14:18 Fri, Sep 5
Chapter 52 How Humiliating
the corner.
Just then, his steady voice sounded above her.
“Are you hiding something, Ms. Claude? Why are your eyes glued to the floor?”
He was doing it on purpose!
Anneliese felt the sheer mischief in the man’s words.
83
+10 Free Coins
She rubbed her neck awkwardly. “You see, I have a stiff neck from sleeping funny last night.”
One hand in his pocket, Jonathan let his gaze linger on the tips of her ears, flushed as red as if they might bleed.
“I see,” he mumbled lazily.
Just as Anneliese let out a sigh of relief, his voice came again, slow and teasing.
“Were you overthinking in your dreams too?”
Her breath hitched in her throat, and she coughed violently.
“Are you alright, Ms. Claude?”
Zion, not understanding their cryptic exchange, was alarmed by her coughing fit.
Jonathan raised a hand and gently patted her back.
Startled, Anneliese clamped a hand over her mouth, not daring to cough at all.
When she finally looked up, she was practically begging him with puppy eyes.
Her long hair covered her cheeks, while her face was flushed pink from coughing.
Her catlike eyes brimmed with mist, while her long, curled lashes fluttered gently.
Jonathan’s throat tightened, his gaze darkening.
The hand hovering over her back curled loosely into a fist, and he playfully flicked her forehead before slipping his hand back into his pocket.
“Just this once. I’ll let it go.”
Though slightly annoyed at being teased, his words sounded like a royal pardon to her.
2/3
14:18 Fri, Sep 5
Chapter 52 How Humiliating
6:0
Anneliese immediately straightened her back in relief.
“Thank you for your generosity,” she murmured.
Jonathan said nothing more.
83
+10 Free Coins
Meanwhile, Zion observed the two of them before zooming in on the side of Jonathan’s neck.
“What’s that, Mr. Fullbuster? Did you hurt yourself?”
Jonathan tilted his head slightly, catching sight of his reflection in the elevator wall.
Anneliese’s heart skipped a beat as she followed his gaze, noticing the thin scratch running from his jaw to his neck.
It looked exactly like the scrape from when she had hit him earlier with a shopping bag.
Just when she thought the matter was behind them, the guilt came back to pierce her again like a boomerang.
Her chest tightened.
Jonathan’s eyes flickered toward her before he brushed it off nonchalantly.
“A little wildcat scratched me.”
Zion leaned in for a closer look.
“You’re lucky it’s just a light scratch. Otherwise, it’d be trouble. Best to stay away from strays, Mr. Fullbuster. There are plenty of ungrateful strays these days.”
Anneliese ducked her head, feeling uneasy. Was Zion talking about her?
Thankfully, the elevator finally reached the underground garage.
She bolted at once. “I’ve got places to be. Goodbye!”
Zion stared after her vanishing figure, feeling suspicious. He turned to his boss.
“Did you do something to Ms. Claude, Mr. Fullbuster? Seems like she’s avoiding you.”
3/3
