Chapter 5: Let Me Help You

Eve stared at Alex's cold blue eyes without batting an eye. She didn't want to look weak in front of this man, because she had been way too vulnerable in front of him before.

She told him everything about her life, and trusted him about all of her secrets, only for him to destroy her with so many lies. 

So, she kept the wall around her heart as tall as possible and replied sarcastically, "How amazing for the oh-so-cool Alexander Langford to care for me while I'm in distress. As if I am not the one he lied to for five years straight in our relationship."

Alex's gaze cooled down, he would be lying if he didn't feel guilty.

He knew he had wronged her in the past, but it was difficult to help her when she refused to open up even the slightest for him. 

"Stop playing around, Eve. I'm serious. Tell me in detail what happened, and let me help you."

"And I am dead serious. Why don't you get the hell out of my office? I can handle this all by myself," Eve insisted, putting on a brave face. 

"You—" Alex was about to say something but eventually sighed. He stood up straight and loosened his tie to ease the tension building up in his body. "Why don't you let go of your pride for a second and let me help? I have no other intention except to help you."

…

"Get out. You dirty lying bastard," Eve said in a harsh tone. 

"Well, you have always been a difficult woman to reach. So I guess it's fine for me," Alex raised his hands as if he was giving up before turning around to leave the CEO's office.

Eve watched as he left, and her previously straight and tight shoulders drooped like a withered flower. 

"Why can't he just leave me alone? We broke up two years ago anyway. Did he plan something heinous this time?" Eve pondered for a moment before she shook her head. "Okay, focus, Eve. You need to solve the problem with Pierre first. I should contact my lawyer. Maybe we can find a way to sue Pierre without getting his dad involved."

Evelyn recalled the face of that fat old man—Mr. Roger Dust, when they met for the first time.

He had Pierre's dumb smile, but his eyes were that of a predator, as he stared at Evelyn perversely. He only said one or two things, but his eyes made Evelyn uncomfortable.

She knew better not to get into trouble with Pierre's family—well, they were basically the Langford's extended family—which made them powerful, but not as powerful as Alex's.

"Damn, I hate these rich trust fund babies. Why do I keep getting entangled with them?" Eve murmured as she grabbed her phone and called her lawyer to ask for some legal advice first before she took this problem to court. 

*

Alex left the CEO's office and ruffled his hair out of frustration. He knew he had screwed up real bad back then, but he didn't expect her to still hold grudges even after two years of not speaking to each other. 

'And I thought she'd at least act cordial with me,' Alex thought. 'So, how am I supposed to know what happened?'

Alex contemplated for a few seconds before he noticed the shy secretary who sat on her desk. She was staring at the computer, but silently glancing at Alex a few times while smiling stupidly. 

An idea popped into his head. His lips curved up in an amicable smile as he walked towards the secretary's desk. 

"Your name is Andrea, right?"

Andrea gasped, "H-how did you know my name, Sir?"

'You have a name tag,' Alex wanted to say, but he needed to dig up some information so he instead replied, "Eve talked about you a few times. She said that you are such a capable secretary, so I recognize you easily."

"I-is that so? Did Miss Carpenter really say that?" Andrea asked, but she was already over the moon. First, she was recognized by a big movie star. Second, she was recognized for her work by her boss! It was truly a great day for her. However, when she remembered the disaster her boss currently faced, she got a little anxious. "Miss Carpenter rarely complimented me. B-but I know I did a good job because she never complained about my work."

"Right," Alex took the seat facing Andrea and asked, "But you and I know that she is not the type to open up, right?"

Andrea nodded, "Miss Carpenter is very strict and guarded, unfortunately…"

"That's why I can't get a word out of her," Alex sighed. He made sure to use his acting skill to look distressed, so it'd fish out Andrea's sympathy. "You're quite new here, aren't you? You probably have no idea about what happened between Eve and me, but I'm here to see what I can do to help, and I can't do anything when she refuses to talk. Can you help me by telling me what happened?"

The pitiful but handsome face that Alex made actually worked on her. She began to empathize with him. Of course, she had heard about the past relationship between Miss Carpenter and Alex Langford. She heard a lot of gossip about them from the older employees in the office. 

She knew that Eve and Alex had a bitter breakup, so bitter that Eve made sure that nobody affiliated with Alex would be in her office anymore. 

Thus, Andrea became unsure as she didn't know his true intention. 

"I-I don't know, Sir. I am not the one to talk about this problem," Andrea muttered. "Maybe you should talk directly to Miss Carpenter…"

"Did you not hear our conversation in the office before? She's too stubborn," Alex lamented. "I have a feeling that the problem is bigger than what she can handle. She needs help or else this agency will go down. Surely, you don't want to be the cause of her bankruptcy just because you refused to tell me the story, right?"

Andrea finally sensed the urgency of Alex's words.

She understood the urgency because Miss Carpenter's fiancé stole all the confidential documents about their clients' products, which would result in a million-dollar lawsuit if it was leaked to the public or given to their rival companies.

'Wouldn't I get fired if I told him about this? Miss Carpenter will be furious,' Andrea was considering it for a good minute before she finally decided to tell him. 'I have to be ready if I get fired because of this. I am partially to blame for allowing Pierre to enter the CEO's office. At least, even if I get fired, Miss Carpenter's company will be saved from bankruptcy…'

Thus, after gathering her courage, Andrea leaned forward and said in a low voice, scared that Miss Carpenter might overhear her.

"Alright, I will tell you everything, Sir."