The man's pained moans grew louder once he realized that someone was defending him. But when he heard the sirens coming from a distance, his expression changed immediately. He quickly got up to his feet and fled from the scene.

Meanwhile, Charlyn was still banging on my car window.

Soon, the police arrived at the scene. We were both escorted to the police station to have our statements taken. The police also collected the security footage from the scene.

Naturally, I was innocent. I even told a policeman, "She kept speaking up for that scammer earlier. I suspect they're working together to scam people."

Once I was done with my statement, I drove away from the police station. Charlyn, on the other hand, was kept back.

Before I left, I heard an officer muttering, "Young ladies nowadays are too eager to show off their so-called virtue in front of rich people. Heh!"

I had no idea what happened to Charlyn after that.

Thankfully, the next few weeks were delightful for me, as I never saw her during that period. According to my mom, Charlyn had taken leave for the past two days, which meant she had temporarily paused Luther's tutoring sessions.

My mom was still thinking whether or not she should change to another private tutor. I wanted to urge her to do so, but I was worried that she'd berate me.

"Why are you being petty? She's just a helpless woman!" she'd exclaim.

Just the thought scared me.

It was a long time since I last saw Charlyn, which explained why my guard was down. I just remembered her momentarily when my mom occasionally brought her up. After all, she was just an ordinary admirer of mine.

But then again, she was no ordinary woman—that was for sure.

After my business rival, Arthur Calvert, snatched a few business deals from my company, I finally had a feeling that he was specifically targeting me.

But I didn't think that he had a reason for doing so. After all, he and I tended to avoid trampling on each other's toes most of the time. Not to mention, our business fields were completely different.

When I first found out about Arthur stealing the deals from me, my first thought was that his company might be making a strategic pivot.

But then Arthur began really eyeing my business deals. Generally, both of our companies were on par with each other in terms of scale and wealth. Moreover, my company had the upper hand here. Then how did he manage to snatch those deals?

After all, the clients and I had already ironed out most—if not all—the details. We had been about to sign the contracts, too. But he still managed to steal them from me.

To think that a few of our business deals had gotten snatched away when we had been on the cusp of wrapping them up!

As I listened to Ms. Vale's report, I drummed my fingers on my desk repeatedly, revealing the frustration gnawing at me right then.

Honestly, it was really exasperating. I couldn't figure out why Arthur would target my company all of a sudden.

Then, I instructed Ms. Vale to make a dinner appointment with Arthur.

I needed to get rid of that pesky rival one way or another. Besides, I was pretty curious as to how he had managed to pull off such a feat. How on earth had he stolen those deals when I'd been so close to finalizing the contracts?

We agreed to meet up at the restaurant at 8:00 pm. However, Arthur only arrived at 8:20 pm. When I saw him forcefully dragging the furious Charlyn, who kept stumbling behind him, I finally connected the dots.

Of course, I knew that there was no need for me to proceed with dinner now. Still, I decided to stay. I wasn't the type who'd lose his manners over women, unlike Arthur.

"I've been waiting for you, Mr. Calvert."

I spun the ring on my finger while reclining against my chair. It was rare for me to look quite relaxed. After all, a man who allowed himself to be constantly manipulated by a woman hardly deserved to be treated seriously as an opponent.

Honestly speaking, I was quite dumbfounded to see Arthur dragging Charlyn into the restaurant. He didn't even sit down before addressing me.

Instead, he just dragged Charlyn to the table before eyeing me up and down disdainfully. A scoff escaped from his lips the next moment.

"At the end of the day, you're just an ordinary guy, Mr. Skyworth."

Then, Arthur began dragging Charlyn out of the restaurant. Charlyn turned her head to look at me while biting her bottom lip. She made sure to cast me a suggestive glance that made it seem like she was playing hard to get.

Wait a minute. Why on earth was she looking at me like that?

Fine. I could understand why she still wanted me despite having seduced Arthur. After all, I was a lot more handsome and refined than him.

What happened just now was a good example. People with basic manners would know they shouldn't show up at an appointment later than the agreed time. But Arthur was 20 minutes late.

I glanced at Charlyn's wrist, which Arthur was gripping at the moment. Her wrist was red, indicating he wasn't a gentleman at all.

As for his height, Arthur was only five feet and nine inches tall. Not to mention, he claimed he was this tall in front of others. But his actual height… Well, all men knew when to exaggerate their heights. But the thing was, I was six feet and two inches all.

On top of that, Arthur and I wore suits of the same brand and cut. I looked like a chivalrous and elegant gentleman in it. On the other hand, Arthur's suit made him look like a human-sized potato.

Alright, alright. I had to admit it wasn't gentlemanly of me to criticize others based on their appearances, but I was just that petty, okay?

Seriously, Arthur was a jerk! From the way I saw it, he'd probably end up losing the company his father had passed down to him one day!

And to think that he was trying to pretend to be a typical domineering CEO! The way he kept dragging Charlyn around so forcefully made him look like a total loser!

I was so mad that I ate three plates of food in one go. As such, I was so stuffed that I could barely walk.

After I secretly loosened up my belt, I tucked in my stomach and grabbed my briefcase before walking out of the restaurant as gracefully as I could.

Surprisingly enough, I spotted Charlyn hanging around my car. She was wearing a slight frown at the moment, though it dissipated as soon as she saw me walking out. A sparkle returned to her eyes for a moment, but she shot me a torn look before lowering her gaze.

At that moment, I wasn't sure whether I should continue moving forward or not. In the end, I could only force myself to head in Charlyn's direction. My car was there, after all.

I pretended not to see her. After opening my car door, I moved to get into my car.

"Mr Skyworth!"

Charlyn grabbed my hand, which was still holding on to the car door. The next thing I knew, she retracted her hand instantly, as though she were zapped. Then, she glanced at me bashfully.

I didn't do anything to her at all! She was the one who grabbed my hand before blushing furiously!

Hold on. Just why the hell was she blushing?

I pushed that thought aside. Since she had called out to me, I could only stop in my tracks out of courteousness.

"Ms. Emerson," I said.

Then, I looked at Charlyn quizzically. I swore that I didn't do anything, but her face still grew redder for no reason after that. I had a feeling that she was going to burn up at this point.

Charlyn shot me another glance, this time in a seductive manner. Okay, fine. I made that up. Maybe she thought she'd have that kind of effect on me by making bedroom eyes at me.

But to me, she looked exactly like Ms. Vale whenever she did something wrong. Right now, she was cowering in fear.

The thought of Ms. Vale made my heart soften. When I looked at Charlyn again, I wasn't that angry anymore.

At the end of the day, she was just a regular woman.

"Ms. Emerson?" I asked again, this time in a softer tone.

Charlyn looked like she'd finally made up her mind. "Mr. Skyworth, I'm so sorry that Mr. Calwert keeps targeting you. I had no idea he'd go this far for my sake."

As she spoke, tears began pooling up in her eyes. Still, she managed to finish her sentences while sounding like she was about to cry.

"Recently, he got his hands on some news regarding your company. You have to be careful."

After that, Charlyn stood where she was with her head hung low. Tears began dripping from her eyes silently.

Whenever I scolded Ms. Vale, she'd look like this as well. She'd keep crying as though I was being extremely mean to her.

I could only sigh mentally as I watched Charlyn toying with her fingers uneasily. A large patch of her exposed wrist was still red.

Although Charlyn was being tactful with her words, I could tell there must be a mole in my company. So, I thanked her for her warning.

"Thank you for warning me, Ms. Emerson. I'll keep that in mind."

I couldn't possibly chew out a woman like her at this time, right? Hence, I fell silent after that.

Charlyn most likely knew that I didn't like her that much, so she said goodbye to me after wiping her tears away.

I watched as she walked toward a red Ferrari, which was parked a short distance away. A teenager with dyed green hair and a pair of shades perched on his nose bridge opened the car door for her. Then, he stuck out a middle finger at me blatantly.

Obviously, that boy wasn't Arthur.

Tsk tsk!

It was just a taunting gesture from an immature teenager who was still wet behind his ears. I just shook my head gently, opting to ignore him instead. After that, I got into my car and returned to the company.

I needed to deal with the mole problem. My company had an upcoming important bidding war to take part in. If Arthur were to get his hands on the final bid, my company would certainly suffer from major losses this time.

Honestly, I'd have to thank Charlyn this time. I supposed I'd suggest that my mom give her a raise. That way, I'd be able to earn a compliment or two from my mom too.

When the thought of Charlyn popped up in my head, I couldn't resist turning to look at Ms. Vale, who sat a short distance away.

Ms. Vale was quite a piece of eye candy. That thought merely flashed through my mind momentarily before I shook all thoughts out of my head. Then, I focused on work.

It wasn't easy to catch the mole. I referred to the people who were in charge of the first few business deals Arthur had stolen from me. In the end, I managed to pinpoint three people.

It was already 11:00 pm by the time I was done with most of my work. I rubbed my sore neck before raising my head to look around me.

To my surprise, Ms. Vale was still at work. The blue light cast by her computer monitor illuminated her face, making her look a little pale.

I couldn't help but study Ms. Vale's face again. She really was a looker.

She had a pretty tall nose with long eyelashes and big, beautiful eyes. Her face looked quite delicate too.

Why didn't I realize how pretty she was in the past? Did I seriously order such a beautiful woman around and make her slave her days away?

Then, I recalled Charlyn, who was quite pretty too. Did the HR department hire people based on their looks?

That question came bounding into my mind for a split second, but I soon said no to the question.

Ms. Vale was extremely capable, after all. Charlyn had most likely gotten through out of sheer dumb luck. Then again, I felt I had no idea what the extent of her work capabilities were.

"Mr. Skyworth?" A cold and melodic voice rang out at that moment. Ms. Vale happened to be gazing at me in confusion while rubbing her shoulders.

I snapped out of my trance immediately, realizing that I'd completely spaced out while staring at her earlier.

But soon, I regained my senses. I looked at the time once again. It was more than ten minutes past 11 o'clock.

"Aren't you getting off work soon?"

"I'll leave after I'm done organizing this folder." Ms. Vale probably didn't know why I was asking her that question.

I didn't really know why I did that either, so I nodded in response. Then, I grabbed my briefcase and moved to leave the floor.

Halfway to the elevator, I couldn't help but think about how dangerous it was for a young woman like Ms. Vale to flag down a cab on her own just to go home. So, I returned to her desk.

"Kyrie."

That was her name, right? Kyrie Vale?

I called out Kyrie's name hesitantly. She was quick to respond, already looking at me from behind her computer monitor. Thank goodness I hadn't misremembered her name.

"You can complete the rest of the work tomorrow. It's getting very late now. I'll drive you home."

Kyrie stared at me in surprise, though her eyes were sparkling in delight. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her. An unknown feeling soon surged into my heart.

She didn't turn my offer down. After packing up her stuff, she grabbed her bag and followed me out of the company.

On the way back to Kyrie's place, neither of us said a word to each other. Kyrie was a woman of a few words.

As for me, even though I had a ton of admirers, I only had brief contact with a handful of women, with the exception of my mom and Charlyn, the oddball who kept pestering me. Since I didn't have much experience with talking to women, all I could do was remain silent.

Silence would be the theme of tonight's drive.

It only took me 20 minutes to reach Kyrie's place. After thinking for a moment, I decided to speak up just as Kyrie was about to get out of the car.

"Thank you for your hard work today. You should rest as soon as you get home."

Kyrie was noticeably startled, as though she didn't expect to hear her boss outright caring for her. But soon, she replied, "You too, sir. Thank you for driving me home."

Then, she opened the door and got out of the car. She added a soft "good night" before turning on her heel and walking through the apartment's gateway.

"Good night!" I replied.

My car remained parked on the spot. I watched as Kyrie greeted the security guard, who was cheerfully manning the entrance, before slowly disappearing into the darkness.

The security guard was a man nearing his elderly years. He turned to look at me curiously. I lowered my window and smiled at him before looking at the gated apartment. By then, Kyrie was nowhere to be seen.

After that, I started the car and made a U-turn so that I could make my way home.

It was almost midnight by the time I reached home. Guess who I saw hanging around at home?

Yes, that was right. Charlyn freaking Emerson was there!

My mom and the others had already gone to bed at that time. Meanwhile, Luther was still playing games in his room. I could vaguely make out his voice scolding his teammates.

After that, I tiptoed to the light switch and turned on the light, only to get startled by the figure slumped over the dining table.

Charlyn rubbed her eyes before gazing at me blearily. "You're back, Mr. Skyworth."

First, I looked at my house keys. Yup, these were my keys, alright. Why the hell was that woman slumping over my dining table in the middle of the night?

Charlyn didn't seem to discern my confusion. She slowly stood up before saying, "There's still fish stew being heated up in the kitchen. You should rest after having some. Let me put your briefcase in your room."

As she spoke, she approached me so that she could retrieve my briefcase from me.

I remained rooted to the spot, watching as Charlyn grabbed my briefcase and began heading toward my bedroom. Only then did I realize what was going on.

I quickly rushed forward to stop her. Then, I snatched my briefcase out of her hands.

"No need for that! Why are you in my home?"

Why the hell was Charlyn freaking Emerson in my home?

Charlyn seemed startled by my question. Before she could figure out the best answer to my question, I turned to glance at my mom's and my brother's rooms.

My mom and the rest of the household were already in deep sleep. I could even hear my dad's snores all the way from my spot in the living room.

Luther was the only one who was still playing games in his room. So, I walked over to open his room door with my briefcase in hand, choosing to completely ignore Charlyn.

I twisted the doorknob twice, but I still couldn't open the door. That brat must have locked the door from the inside.

I twisted the doorknob once again, a frown now occupying my face. Luther's impatient voice drifted from inside his room.

"Seriously, Ms. Emerson! I don't want any stew, milk, or fruit! It's so late now. Can you please go to bed already?"

Upon hearing Luther's complaints, I shot a glance at Charlyn, my brows still knitted into a frown. She just stood on her spot while staring at me in confusion.

When she saw me looking at her, her eyes sparkled instantly. Just as she was about to speak up, I banged on Luther's door impatiently.

"Luther Skyworth, open the door right now!"