Chapter 50: I'm Afraid You Won't Be Able to Order It Elsewhere

Such explicit words caused Vivian Hale's heart to instantly skip half a beat, leaving her somewhat at a loss for a moment. However, she rapidly snapped back to reality, "No."

The man knit his brows, "Why?"

Vivian, however, curled her lips, offering a well-meaning reminder: "President Vance, you seem to have forgotten. Weren't you just stating moments ago that the company strictly forbids employees from engaging in romantic relationships? Now you want to go back on your word?"

Silas gave an honest confession: "I am not an employee."

He spoke these words with absolute zero guilt, appearing thoroughly justified. Vivian had never discovered before that his skin was actually this thick.

"In any case, I refuse to agree." She didn't wish to engage in a romantic relationship at all. Furthermore, even if she did, she absolutely wouldn't choose Silas; this man's duplicity was far too heavy, and she couldn't see through him clearly. Although a tiny shred of childhood affection existed, people grew up, and everyone shifted. Sometimes, she couldn't even discern which sentence from his mouth was genuine and which was fake.

A flash of disappointment passed through the man's eyes.

"If President Vance possesses zero other matters, I am going to return to my workstation..." Witnessing his expression, Vivian spun her body around preparing to depart, but in the very next second, her wrist bone was firmly caught by the man's hand.

"Wait a moment. Promise me that you will accompany me to participate in a technology bidding conference later." As though terrified that she would refuse, he emphasized another sentence: "This is for the sake of work."

Vivian had consistently kept a crystal-clear boundary between public and private matters. "Very well, President Vance." She extracted her hand, and just as she spun around preparing to step outside, a sudden wave of intense nausea abruptly surged upward. She subconsciously supported herself against the door panel, forcefully suppressing the urge to dry-heave, her face turning ghostly pale.

"What's wrong with you?" Silas immediately moved forward in deep worry to support her.

Vivian's heart tightened, terrified that he would discover the fact that she carried a pregnancy. Forcefully straightening her body, she feigned an absolute front as though nothing was amiss. "Likely because I failed to sleep well last night, so I'm feeling a bit dizzy. It will be fine after a brief moment of recovery."

The man, however, deeply knit his brows. In the very next heartbeat, he suddenly bent his waist to lift her in a horizontal embrace.

Vivian subconsciously hooked her arms around his neck. "What do you think you are doing? Place me down."

"I'll carry you into the lounge to lie down for a bit."

"No need, I'm already recovered..." Vivian pressed one hand against his chest, struggling as she attempted to get down.

"Do not move!" Silas lifted his hand to deliver a gentle pat onto her hip, "Behave yourself, otherwise..."

Right at this exact millisecond, the office door was pushed open. The secretary, Kevin, pushed the door to step inside, "President Vance, regarding the first quarter reports you instructed me to compile—" Before his remaining words could fully fall from his mouth, he was left thoroughly dumbfounded on the spot upon witnessing the scene before his eyes.

The pair inside the room turned their twin lines of vision over at the exact same moment. He was instantly thrown into absolute fluster, hurriedly lowering his head to offer an apology: "M-my apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you!"

He had only assumed office recently, and absolutely no one had told him that their boss and the newly appointed Chief Technology Officer shared that kind of a relationship! Kevin instantly felt that his entire being was highly uncomfortable, turning around to bolt straight outside. To his surprise, he collided right into several other employees outside the door.

"Kevin, what on earth is wrong with you? Looking this frantic." Kevin’s cheeks were flushed red, waving his hands repeatedly, "No, I didn't witness a single thing."

As a newcomer who had only recently assumed office within the secretarial department, he remained unable to mask his emotions exceptionally well. The individuals present were all veteran hands, having witnessed Silas leading Vivian into the office with their own eyes moments ago. The entire crowd instantly let their imaginations run completely wild. The exact millisecond he departed, several individuals converged tightly into a cluster, lowering their voices to gossip.

"Say, what exactly did Kevin witness just now? Why was his face this red? Could it be that this Vivian Hale shares an extraordinary relationship with our boss, which was why she was selected internally beforehand!"

"Exactly how extraordinary can it be! It's not as if you all are unaware—the boss has consistently avoided getting close to women. Rumors claim he remained single for so many years solely to await a single person, how could Vivian Hale possibly present an exception?"

However, a brief moment later, someone offered a sharp remark: "What if, and I mean what if, the person the boss has been awaiting happens to be Vivian Hale!"

As the words fell, the expressions across the entire crowd altered drastically, and absolute silence blanketed the venue.

...

Meanwhile, inside the office at this moment. Vivian was thoroughly embarrassed and consumed with absolute fury, possessing a mind that wished to slice someone to pieces. "You executed this on purpose, didn't you?" She lifted her head to glare at him harshly.

Silas had a face full of total innocence, "How could I possibly anticipate someone marching inside? Furthermore, you were the one who failed to lock the door."

Vivian: "..." She merely came over to discuss work, why on earth would she lock the door!

"Rest assured, absolutely no one will dare to spread a word outside," Silas promised with absolute certainty. The corners of Vivian's mouth twitched, lacking even the physical energy to argue with him.

The man carried her all the way into the inner lounge. The door was thrown open, and the exact millisecond she clearly discerned the interior decor within the room, Vivian stood completely frozen. The holistic color palette, style, tables, chairs, and arrangements—every single shred perfectly aligned with her personal aesthetics. Even the faint fragrance drifting through the air happened to be the absolute scent she appreciated, causing her tightened nerves to gradually soothe down.

It just so happened that she was indeed experiencing a bit of physical discomfort right now, so she simply abandoned her struggles, permitting Silas to gently deposit her onto the bed, removing her shoes and covering her with the duvet. The man's massive palm pressed against her cheek, brushing gently across her eyelids, lowering his cadence: "Secure some excellent rest first. I'll be right outside, call me if anything arises."

She closed her twin eyes in an involuntary manner. It was unknown exactly how long this stretch of sleep lasted. By the time she woke up once more, Vivian felt considerably more comfortable.

She slowly sat her body up, discovering a rabbit lamp resting on the bedside table. Such a cute design was simply completely mismatched with Silas's holistic persona, yet it happened to be item she liked. Vivian stepped onto the carpet to get out of bed, standing against the wall to look upon the calligraphies and paintings hanging there—a total of three pieces, all of them exhibits from the artist she admired the absolute most. Once upon a time, she had also pondered collecting them, only to learn later that they had been acquired by someone at an astronomical price; so it turned out they were right here with him.

Having finished appreciating the artwork, she walked over to the position close to the window, discovering two vases arranged with tulips, lisianthuses, and freesias. The fragrance she had been smelling continuously earlier bound to be drifting from this exact spot. Every single one of these multi-faceted details perfectly matched her preferences.

Several memories from the past floated across her mind. They were gifts she had received previously; although they were different from the items present here, the vast majority belonged to the exact same types. In the past, she had consistently assumed that those items were surreptitious surprises prepared for her benefit by Adrian Cross. But at this very moment, she suddenly began to harbor deep doubt. Could it be that those were all executed by this man as well?

But she rapidly linked it back to Silas's identity, feeling that it was highly unlikely nonetheless. Given his status as the President of W.E., what sort of a woman could he lack? How could an unfathomable man like this execute every single shred of this solely for her benefit? She didn't dare to believe it, nor did she wish to be hoodwinked by sugar-coated bullets once more, only to be utilized again. She had to extricate herself as rapidly as possible before Silas discovered that she carried a pregnancy. Forget about men; possessing the child alone was more than enough for her.

Right at this exact millisecond, the lounge door was pushed open. Silas stepped inside clutching a food container. "Did you sleep well? You must be hungry, come eat a bit of food."

Vivian snapped back to reality and walked over to sit before the table. Originally, she had assumed she would possess zero appetite. Yet the exact millisecond the container opened, a refreshing, soul-permeating fragrance rushed over, actually triggering the absolute craving nestled in her stomach.

"Taste this Chinese yam and pork rib soup first. Haven't you been experiencing stomach discomfort these past couple of days? This nurtures the stomach." Silas personally ladled a bowl for her benefit, placing it right before her.

Vivian used a soup spoon to scoop a mouthful, gently blowing away the heat before sending it into her mouth. The temperature of the soup was precisely optimal, a warm, fresh, and sweet flavor spreading across the tip of her tongue, as though a warm current was flooding through her entire form. Furthermore, the Chinese yam had been stewed to absolute softness, requiring virtually zero mastication as it melted in her mouth carrying a unique, crisp fragrance. Her twin eyes illuminated a few shades.

"Incredibly delicious. Which hotel did you order this from? I'll go place an order there next time too." She was currently in the initial stage of pregnancy, beginning to avoid certain foods, yet this dish of soup was remarkably flawless, and highly friendly toward pregnant individuals as well.

Silas, however, spoke with total nonchalance: "Then I'm afraid you won't be able to order it elsewhere."