She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

She couldn't cry here.

She lowered her head, covered the bento box, tidied up her desk, and then stood up to walk toward the restroom.

The moment she closed the door, Elena crouched on the floor and wept silently.

Cassie had come. She had photos of the diary.

She stood before Arthur, smiling with such confidence.

What exactly did she want to do?

Elena took out her phone and, trembling, dialed Cassie’s number.

The phone rang three times before it was answered.

"Well? You called me first?" Her voice was lazy.

"What exactly do you want?"

"It’s very simple. Stay far away from Arthur."

She laughed: "If you stay far away from him, no one will ever see those photos."

"So what do you want me to do? Resign? Move away?"

"Smart." She clicked her tongue.

"Resign, move away, leave Jincheng, and never appear in front of Arthur again. If you can do that, I will delete those photos."

"Why should I believe you?"

"You have no choice but to believe me."

The phone hung up.

Elena leaned against the wall of the restroom, feeling cold all over.

Leave Jincheng? Resign? Never see Arthur again?

Could she do it?

She thought of the teriyaki chicken rice in the bento box, she thought of Arthur saying yesterday, "I let go for twelve years, but this time, I’m not letting go," and she thought of the scorching temperature of his palm when he held her hand.

No.

She couldn't go.

But she absolutely could not let those diary entries be exposed, and she could not let Arthur be pointed at and gossiped about because of her.

Just as Elena was sinking into despair, the restroom door was knocked on.

"Elena, are you in there?" It was a female colleague’s voice. "Mr. Gu is looking for you. He said Cassie has left, and he wants you to come to his office."

Elena wiped her tears, took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked out.

Arthur’s office was on the 88th floor; she had never been there.

The elevator went straight to the top floor, and the moment the door opened, she saw Arthur standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her.

"Uncle."

He turned around, still holding the photo in his hand.

"Elena, come over here."

Elena walked over, and he handed her the photo.

The photo was of a letter. No, not a letter—it was a page from the diary.

On it was what Elena had written when she was fifteen; the handwriting was crooked, but every word was clear:

[Today Arthur took me to see the doctor. The doctor said my illness might never be cured. Arthur said it doesn't matter; he will support me for the rest of his life.]

[I was so happy when I heard that. I want him to support me for the rest of my life. I want to be with him forever. Not the kind of being together of an uncle and a niece.]

A sense of shame burned through her entire body like fire.

Elena reached out to snatch the photo: "Give it back to me—"

Arthur didn't dodge; instead, he gripped her hand.

"Elena, listen to me."

"I don't want to listen! Give it back to me!"

Elena struggled, and tears fell again.

Arthur pulled her into his arms with force, holding her tight.

"Fifteen," his voice was very low, as if squeezed out from his chest, "you liked me when you were fifteen, didn't you?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me. It says fifteen on here, but you came to my house when you were twelve."

Arthur looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache, shock, and a certain long-repressed emotion finally breaking through the dam.

"From when you were twelve to when you were twenty-four—twelve years."

"Elena, I like you. Not as an uncle to a niece, but as a man to a woman."

Chapter 21

Elena’s tears fell even more fiercely.

"Then why did you marry Cassie? Why did you send me away?"

Arthur closed his eyes, his voice hoarse: "Because I thought it was for the best. I thought because I was your uncle, I couldn't have those feelings. I thought your feelings for me were just dependency, and that you would leave me once you recovered."

"So I told myself to send you away early, to cut off those thoughts early."

"But I regretted it the moment you left."

He cradled Elena’s face, his thumb wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

"Elena, I will never let you go again."

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but suddenly applause rang out from the office doorway.

Zhou Jiangjin was leaning against the doorframe, wearing an annoying grin.

"Oh my, you finally said it? I’ve been eavesdropping outside for half the time; it was killing me."

Arthur’s face turned dark.

"Zhou Jiangjin, get the hell out."

"Fine, fine, I’m going." Zhou Jiangjin laughed as he backed out, winking at Elena before he left. "Elena, if you agree to him, remember to make him take me to dinner. I’ll be your witness."

The door closed.

They were left alone again.

Arthur looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Elena, you haven't answered me yet."

"Answer what?"

"Are you willing to be with me?"

Elena looked into Arthur’s eyes. Within them was a nervousness and expectation she had never seen before.

Like a child who had waited twelve years for an answer.

She took a deep breath and stood on tiptoe.

She didn't answer.

Instead, she stood on tiptoe and pressed a light kiss to Arthur’s lips.

It was brief, like a feather brushing past.

But Arthur froze, as if he had been paralyzed by a spell.

"You..."

"That’s my answer." Elena’s face burned bright red, her voice as small as a mosquito’s hum.

The next second, Arthur pulled her sharply into his arms and kissed her down.

This time, it wasn't a fleeting touch.

He kissed her intensely, as if pouring twelve years of suppression into this single kiss.

Elena’s back pressed against the desk, Arthur’s hand protecting the back of her head. Their breath intertwined, and their heartbeats sounded like thunder.

It was unknown how much time had passed before Arthur pulled away, his forehead resting against hers, his voice incredibly hoarse.

"Elena, do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?"

"Twelve years."

Elena said, tears swirling in her eyes.

He laughed, his eyes rimmed with red.

"Yes, twelve years."

That afternoon, Arthur didn't let her go back to work.

He had his assistant temporarily move Elena’s workstation into his office, with the excuse that "the Marketing Department needs to coordinate with the President’s office."

Everyone in the company knew it was an excuse, but no one dared to say a word.

Cassie’s photo was still lying on the desk. Arthur picked it up and stared at it for a long time.

"I’ll handle this," he said. "I will get back every single photo she has; you don't need to worry."

"How do you plan to handle it?"

"By bargaining." Arthur turned the photo over; there was a watermark on it. "She is currently collaborating with a real estate developer, and that developer happens to need investment from the Gu Group for a project. She will trade this for that."

Elena was stunned: "You knew all along?"

"She went to Zhou Jiangjin before, wanting him to help pass a message."

Arthur looked at Elena: "I will give her money to get her to hand over all the negatives. Then, she will never appear in Jincheng again."

"Will she agree?"

"She has no choice."

Elena looked at his expression, which was so calm it bordered on cold, and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Is this the real Arthur?

Not the gentle uncle, but the Arthur of the business world.

"Elena," Arthur took her hand, "there are some things you don't need to worry about; leave them to me. You only need to do one thing."

"What?"

"Work hard, eat well, and stay by my side."

Chapter 22

Elena nodded.

In the days that followed, everything was peaceful.

Cassie did not contact her again.

Arthur picked her up for work every day, brought her bento for lunch, and occasionally took her out to dinner in the evenings.

The gossip in the company shifted from "Elena is a nepotism hire" to "Elena is the boss's girlfriend."

Neither of them deliberately made it public, but they didn't try to hide it either.

On Friday night, Arthur took Elena to a discreet Japanese restaurant, where they were the only two in the private room.

"Elena, Cassie’s matter has been resolved," Arthur said as he poured her a glass of sake.

"She took the money, and all negatives and backups have been handed over."

The heavy weight on Elena’s heart finally lifted.

After dinner, Arthur drove her home.