A Love Rekindled (Nancy and Bruce)

Cindy looked down and said softly, "I didn't mean anything else by that, Ms. Whittaker."

Caroline smiled slightly, not saying anything else in response.

Right after that, Cindy added, "But you're right, Ms. Whittaker. For the sake of the project's progress, I could perhaps go to Bruce to ask for some help.

"Let me see if there's a chance to meet Camille in person."

I was stunned and couldn't find the right words to speak.

Meanwhile, Caroline smiled. "Sure. Thank you in advance then, Ms. Lane."

Cindy smiled slightly, saying, "No worries at all, Ms. Whittaker."

She smiled sweetly, but there was also a hint of boastfulness in that sweet smile of hers.

Caroline also noticed this.

So, after Cindy left, she grumbled, "She was the one who came up with this challenge. But now that we're feeling helpless over here, she's offering her help?

"What if she really manages to rope Camille in? We'd be so ashamed!"

"Weren't you the one who said that money's more important than that?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at me. "How could she dare to boast in front of me? How rude!"

Then, she picked up her phone and started speaking coquettishly over the line, trying to get more information on Camille.

I knew that we needed to be tenacious if we wanted to succeed. So, after some thought, I gave Nikolai a call, intending to ask him to meet.

Unfortunately, he rejected me and said that his schedule was packed.

So, I pondered over it for an evening.

The next day, I brought a gift with me and showed up uninvited at Nikolai's art studio.

His secretary showed me to the waiting room, and I remained there from 10:30 am until 12 pm.

After such time, his secretary politely said to me, "I'm sorry, Ms. Fisher. Mr. Nikolai is still occupied. It might be better for you to take your leave."

I understood what she meant, so I figured that I should act tactfully too. I wanted to ensure that he gets his gift.

"You should bring it back with you,

Ms. Fisher," Nikolai's secretary haughtily insisted. "Mr. Nikolai already has heaps of trinkets like these. He doesn't need more She

pushed the gift back into my hands.

However, she underestimated her strength, and the gift box slipped out of my hands before crashing on my foot.

The gift I'd chosen was a set of paints made by an artisanal paint maker.

They were quite weighty, so it was rather painful to have them smash onto my foot.

Nikolai's secretary awkwardly shot me a sidelong glance and said, "I've already told you that we won't be accepting your gift. Just take it back with you."

She sounded as if she was trying to dismiss a beggar.

Deep down, I felt wronged. And at that moment, I couldn't stop myself from feeling overwhelmed by those emotions.

I silently bent down.

Suddenly, I heard Cindy's familiar voice gasping, "What are you doing here, Nance?"

I lifted my head in doubt.

Then, I saw Cindy standing in front of Nikolai's office with Bruce.

I didn't go into the office that morning. So, I was quite surprised to bump into Cindy here.

But, I was more dumbfounded to see that Bruce was also here.

And at the same time, Nikolai was standing next to both of them.

It was obvious what their purpose was.

Previously, Nikolai treated me in such an unfriendly manner. But right now, he looked as if he was trying to flatter them.

He may be Camille's most valued

agent. Yet, the look on his face was

the expression one would have

when they showed adoration to their

superiors.

In an instant, I was reminded of the conversation I had with Cindy before getting off work the previous day.

Only a night had passed since then. And despite usually being unemotional and impartial, Bruce had actually brought her here to see Nikolai.

I couldn't believe that he had done so without any hesitation.

He was already as protective over her as he could be.

I, on the other hand, was utterly embarrassed and was being chased out of Nikolai's office.