Marcus

Emma was still confused.

Sitting next to her, Emma saw the words clearly and exclaimed, "Lucas! Why did you join this group?"

"Everyone has a gossipy nature," Lucas was startled by Emma's loud voice and quickly put away his phone.

Sophia had already sent the QR code for the "Macho Banquet" group to Emma, but Emma hadn't joined yet. She took a quick glance at the number of people in the group chat on Lucas's phone, and it was already over 300!

And these 300+ people were going crazy talking about James lasting five seconds.

Emma felt embarrassed for James because of the group's discussion about his shortcoming.

As the instigator, Emma decided to look at this optimistically, "Don't most colleagues no longer obsess over President James anymore?"

After all, only a minority of people in the elevator didn't care about a man's ability.

This perspective also brought relief to James, knowing that his colleagues might not idolize him as much after discovering his imperfection.

"On the contrary!" Sophia swallowed the chicken leg, her eyes lit up excitedly, "Everyone used to think President James was too perfect, an untouchable flower on the cliff. Knowing President James has such a big flaw, many colleagues are eager to try to bring down President James to save him in his suffering!"

"The group exploded, everyone has already thought of names for the kids with President James," Lucas happily ate melon seeds without taking his eyes off the messages in the group.

Sophia: "Everyone has also given President James a very affectionate nickname: Five-Second God," she chuckled, amused by the creativity of her colleagues.

Emma: ...How affectionate! They really don't treat him like an outsider!

She lowered her head and ate silently, not wanting to speak anymore.

"Is this seat taken?"

The familiar, deep male voice came, and the four looked up at once.

"President Marcus?" Lucas was stunned at first.

He suddenly remembered that he still had the "Macho Banquet" screen on his phone.

He quickly flipped his phone face down with a slap.

Lucas: "President Marcus, no one is sitting here; please have a seat."

Sophia and Charlotte also exclaimed in unison, "President Marcus."

Marcus gave a slight nod as a form of greeting to everyone before sitting in the empty seat beside Emma.

Marcus was tall and muscular, with deep black eyes faintly sinking, his presence was too strong and daunting.

The originally chattering few people suddenly became as quiet as chickens.

They all lowered their heads to focus on their meals.

Emma's hair stood on end!

When they secretly married at the company, she would lower her head when passing by him, afraid someone would find any clues.

Even after the divorce, she still reflexively resisted getting too close to Marcus at the company.

"I'm done eating, I'll go first..." Emma moved to leave, but her wrist was suddenly gripped.

Emma stared at him, conveying her nervousness with a frown and blinking eyes.

But Marcus did not let go, maintaining a firmly controlling posture, his dark eyes cold and handsome, "You have no appetite today? Eating so little, have a couple more bites."

Emma jerked her hand, but she didn't pull it loose.

The other three immediately stared at the two's clasped wrists, their eyes wide open in shock.

Charlotte suddenly got up with an awkward laugh and said, "We're done eating, Emma, President Marcus, take your time."

Lucas also hurriedly cleaned up his utensils, "I'm done too..."

Sophia stared at Emma and Marcus with a mix of confusion and amusement, while happily munching on her chicken leg.

"Didn't you just say you were full? Hurry up and go," Charlotte said resentfully as she pulled Sophia up.

Sophia was puzzled and interjected, "When did I say that..."

Lucas covered her mouth. "You did; hurry up and go!"

After the three left, Emma couldn't hold back her anger anymore. She heavily put down her chopsticks and said, "Marcus!"

Then she looked around worriedly again, lowered her voice, and said, "What are you doing? Even if we're divorced, we'll still both be fired if it's discovered we were secretly married. Don't you know?"

Being fired directly would be great.

But it was also a breach of contract!

The liquidated damages for Marcus as a marketing employee were negligible.

But Emma's were one million!

"Is that so? I thought since you didn't reply to my messages, you were forcing me to find you in person at the company." Marcus let go of her hand, his gaze growing even colder.

Yesterday, he messaged her, and she didn't reply at all.

She also didn't reply to this morning's message.

Emma's chin tilted up slightly, and she spoke with some momentum, "Why are you still messaging me after the divorce?"

"Emma, don't tell me you blocked me?" Marcus said, and he saw Emma's slightly raised chin gradually lower, looking guilty.

Marcus demanded, "You really blocked me?"

"But I didn't block your call..." Emma avoided Marcus's murderous gaze and lowered her head to eat.

She had blocked Marcus's messages when he moved out after the divorce, causing tension in their communication.

They had not spoken for ten days leading up to the divorce. Now, she wondered how Grandpaand her dad continued to involve her and Marcus in the past two days. Marcus had agreed every time, always finding reasons to contact her these two days. She had also received a call from Grandpa this morning, telling her to go to the Songs' with Marcus after work today, it involved a major project for the Brown family, so she had to go.

If not for the 1.2% equity issue, Emma would have told her dad long ago that they were divorced, and she wouldn't have to keep dealing with Marcus, but she couldn't now.

Today's matter concerned the Brown family. Facing Marcus's questioning, she could only shrink her neck and listen, not daring to confront him.

Marcus fixed his gaze on her and issued a stern command, "You have one minute to add me back."

"I don't know how to re-add someone I blocked," Emma firmly stated, refusing to comply.

"Give me your phone now," Marcus demanded Emma's phone, extending his hand towards her.

Emma tried to pull her phone back, but the next second, the phone was already snatched away by Marcus before she could react.

After a few taps, Marcus added them back.

Emma was too lazy to care about him, and continued to bury her head in her meal, but suddenly felt something wrong, as if the temperature around her body had cooled in an instant.

She turned to look.

Marcus's dark and deep eyes were staring at her, that gaze was meaningful.

"Emma, what did President James call you to his office to do yesterday during lunch break?" Marcus asked, his tone probing and insistent.

"Ah?" Emma looked at it, Marcus's hand clearly displayed their chat history.

Her usually quick-thinking brain stopped working.

She even forgot to question him for checking her chat history.

Starweaver's policies were extremely strict. If their marriage to James was exposed, both of them would undoubtedly face expulsion from Starweaver.

James was the deputy CEO of the group. He must have put in tremendous effort to reach this position.

Especially her... one million!

"Emma, what is the deputy CEO of the group calling a little hand model like you to his office to do during lunch break?" Marcus asked this sentence word for word.

He had been with Emma for five years and had never checked her chat history, he hadn't even had that thought.

He had been doted on by the public since childhood, and chose her from countless pursuers.

He had enough confidence that she would always love him, and would never give him up for another man.

But just now, from the corner of his eye, he saw she was actually in contact with James, and suspicion instantly welled up. James directly led the department heads; he wouldn't have work contact with a low-level employee at all, so he opened it to look.

"Yesterday was..." Emma struggled to find an excuse, feeling Marcus's penetrating gaze and a chill creeping down her spine.

This was a bit tricky... No matter what, she and the deputy CEO of the group shouldn't have any interaction.

Moreover, once Marcus became suspicious, any lie she told would be easily seen through.