11 Explanation

At the morning meeting, Mr. Thompson praised the team's marvelous work with Lemon, and Alice felt quite proud, exchanging smug looks with Lily. Then she noticed Jenny's gaze and quickly composed herself, sitting properly until the meeting ended.

After the meeting, she asked the head of the administrative department for a day off due to recent overwork and overexertion.

The head sighed and gave her two days off--thankfully, the Lemon work was wrapping up, and there wasn't much else to do--Alice was over the moon, thanking him very much, and suddenly felt full of energy.

In Lemon's executive dining room, Jack wouldn't let John off the hook during the brief lunch break, chattering away about how a CEO shouldn't arbitrarily change plans.

John fell silent for a long time, finally speaking up, "Did I tell you the board is very satisfied with this event?"

"Twice--but did I tell you I'm a perfectionist?" Jack retorted confidently.

John fell silent again.

"Will there be more collaborations with Roosevelt in the future?" Jack asked, sounding hopeful. "It's quite strange without someone constantly challenging me."

John seemed to perk up, looking through the glass window, he was just like in a roller coaster these days.

The sunlight danced and sparkled, making him think of the eyes that glittered like diamonds--so he asked with a faint smile, "Who dares to challenge you?"

"Alice does. That girl is quite special," said Jack, the marketing director, well-versed in consumer psychology and a master at reading people's minds. "Mr. Williams, you know which one, right? I've met a lot of people, she definitely has some psychological issues." He stood up, "Never mind, you don't care about all these trivial things, I need to go now."

"Jack, I said I'd treat everyone to a meal. Make the arrangements," John called after him, deep in thought.

"Sure, I'll invite the staff from Roosevelt," Jack, who loved a lively scene, agreed readily. "Should I invite your junior?"

John smiled faintly, "No need." The meaning was clear--he didn't want to continue this topic. Jack acknowledged with a "Hmm," immediately turning playful, "Are you interested in her? That's not like you, Mr. Williams."

Surprisingly, John didn't deny it, just frowned, "You talk too much."

"Oh. Got it--I'll try to invite as many as I can, Mr. Williams, so you won't be disappointed."

It was a long time since she'd woken up so comfortably at ease. Alice still lazily leaned against the thick, fluffy pillow, her long hair tousled like silk, until she felt hungry, then she reluctantly got out of bed.

She was actually quite a slow person. When people asked her why she could work so well, she always said, "Of course, I work and study efficiently. It's because I don't enjoy those things, so I get them done quickly! Putting it off just makes me nervous."

So she had good reason to spend loads of time at the bakery cafe, watching the sunset slowly paint the city with rich, vivid colors, as if it could banish the winter chill--Alice murmured softly, "Look, it gets dark".

Sarah watched Alice with a knowing smirk, "Alice, do you have psychological barriers?"

Alice nonchalantly replied, "Never--many gentlemen want to fall in love with me. Don't worry about it, I'm young and beautiful but not dating because I just don't fancy regular folks."

This response was used many times, causing Sarah to burst into laughter. She gestured towards the window, where an expensive white sports car was passing by, "Your Mr. Right would at least have such a car to catch your eye, right?"

Alice snorted with a laugh, "Am I that shallow? My guy would have to be erudite, profound, and noble, living a simple life, because I've never been a snob…"

Before she could finish, the phone rang. After a moment, she mumbled a few words, then hung up reluctantly, still lingering to look at the cozy café. "Dinner party, have to attend."

Sarah sighed, "Who holds dinner party? So prestigious, even you can't get out of it?"

"You're very smart, people with power and status--I've never dared to offend them," Alice said with a frown.

She arrived at Roosevelt's largest private dining room, looked at her watch, and realized she was already fifteen minutes late.

She pushed open the door, and the cacophony of voices almost took her breath away.

The place was filled with good-looking men and women--Roosevelt was known for its beautiful people, and Lemon's young men were handsome and refined--the atmosphere was bound to be lively.

Immediately, someone greeted her, "Hello, Miss Smith."

Jack pulled at her arm, looking dissatisfied, "Late again, Alice--took a while to find you!"

Alice smiled apologetically, "I'm on leave today."

Jack pulled her to his table and poured her a glass of wine, laughing, "No way you can refuse that."

She had to take it, downing it in one gulp--today's gathering was quite large, with several well-known beauties from Roosevelt and many young elites from Lemon, so she breathed a sigh of relief when Jack moved on to talk to someone else, leaving her temporarily free.

She idly surveyed the table laden with delicacies, and that's when she noticed the man across from her--she knew he was the one who had invited her, but she thought he was just picking up the tab. Turns out, he was actually there.

John was dressed in a white shirt, and his gaze never left her from the moment she walked in, exuding an unspoken emotion.

When their eyes met, he smiled, and Alice's heart beat quickly, her expression stiffening. She seemed to have forgotten how to smile and simply lowered her head to pick up some food.

Next to her, Lily couldn't help but snort, "Look at Jenny." That was good, she shifted her attention around the room.

Jenny was always at ease in such situations. Alice saw that he seemed quite inexperienced with alcohol, getting red-faced after several glasses, for reasons unknown--perhaps the booze, or something else.

Roosevelt had many beautiful women, and Lemon had many young talents, so this dinner was bound to lead to many matches.

She couldn't help but let her mind wander, oblivious to the fact that the seat next to her had already been taken by someone else.

She squinted her eyes, looking around in annoyance, only to realize that the only empty seat left was right next to John.

Jack squeezed next to Alice, "Come on, Miss Smith, have another drink."

She smiled and took a sip, excused softly, "Let me go to the restroom." As she stood up, she caught a glimpse of Lily, sipping her wine with a slightly emotional expression.

Standing at the door, she took a big breath of fresh air, suddenly not wanting to go back. The cool air instantly dispelled the warm flush on her face. She felt a sudden sense of freedom.

When she returned, she found her seat and Jack's seat had both been taken, and she looked around, annoyed to find that the only empty seat was right next to John.

She really wanted to leave--but he had already caught her eyes.

She had to walk over slowly, trying her best to sit down naturally. She thought he knew she'd spoken her mind that day, so it was hard to start a conversation now.

Oh well, I might as well just sit there. And that's when she noticed John. She hadn't noticed him before, but under the lighting, he looked exactly like a certain silhouette from her memory.

She couldn't help but sneak a glance at the unfamiliar man--he had an aura so familiar to her, perhaps a scholarly air--it was that long-lost, addictive feeling she hadn't encountered in ages.

But after a moment, she snapped back to reality, realizing that they were two completely unrelated people.

She found it strange, though--with all the surrounding noise, why did it seem like so quiet between the two of them, with no one else daring to break it?

Alice couldn't take it anymore and tried to make conversation, smiling at him, "Mr. Williams, are you on a diet?"

John looked slightly surprised, as if trying to suppress a smile, "I am not on a diet. I took enough since you arrived"

"Really?" She could only smile, silence again.

"Miss Smith, I want to explain my behavior that day," he said gently and composedly, forcing Alice to look into his eyes.

John started to speak slowly, "I was in an awkward situation that day, you know, with Miss Brown and I…" He paused to think, "It's not appropriate for us to be alone, so I followed you and said a few words."

He was being cryptic with his words, "It's not appropriate for us to be alone"—so he used her as a shield, which she could understand. Alice gave a slight smile.

She was trying to hide her attitude, but John could still see a trace of it--of course, she didn't care about his love affairs. In fact, she had no interest in getting involved with them.

Yet he still smiled warmly, "My attitude was a bit abrupt, just related to my mood.

If I did anything inappropriate, please forget and forgive." He was telling her it was because she was accidently there that day, but not because she was Alice.

Alice let out a sigh of relief and genuinely smiled, "Not at all, Mr. Williams. Feel free to contact me about work anytime. How could it be inappropriate?"

John relaxed when she spoke so breezily, finally at ease. Since he'd arrived, her demeanor had been guarded.

He hadn't deceived her, but he couldn't help but assume this posture, which was really unavoidable.

Alice seemed to relax the most when everything was unrelated to her. In this way, she could protect herself. It also seemed John could only explain in such a way to reevaluate their relationship.