Ecstacy of the Heart

Lillian suddenly reacted and was stunned. Her original suspicions became even more pronounced. Was there really something secretive happening between Allison and Alexander that couldn't see the light of day? This thought flashed across her mind but was immediately dismissed by her.

How could Mr. Parker be attracted to this kind of woman? It must be her who was pestering him! Lillian slowly clenched her fists as she saw Allison walk away. Her heart was determined to expose this woman if she got her hands on any evidence.

"Achoo!" Allison sneezed as she felt a chill behind her as she entered the lift. Did someone miss her? She rubbed her nose but didn't think too much of it and exited the lift when it reached the HR department. As she walked into the common office area, a colleague walked over, "Ms. Gibson, Irene is waiting for you at her office."

Irene? Allison tensed up and composed herself. She thanked her colleague and walked towards the supervisor's office. Why did Irene look for her when it was almost the end of the workday? With knots in her stomach, Allison knocked on the door and entered the office.

Irene was at her desk and waved Allison in, "Come in, Allison."

"What's up, Irene?"

"I heard about it. Now that you had been promoted, you will take charge of the welfare gifts for this upcoming holiday. A lot of people are upset about your promotion. So, you need to handle this well to convince them of your abilities. Do you understand?"

What Irene said made Allison tense up and she nodded, "Yes Irene, I understand."

She could feel the change in the attitudes of her colleagues toward her. Therefore, this task was critical for her. She also wanted to prove herself with this task.

"It's good that you are aware of it." Irene nodded, "You are also clear of my temper. I won't hold back if you don't do well."

Allison nodded, "Rest assured that I won't disappoint you, Irene."

"I just wanted to bring this to your attention. Don't get too anxious. Okay, you may leave."

Allison took a deep breath and walked out of the office and pondered over what Irene said.

She was out for the entire day trying to make arrangements but not only did she not accomplish anything, but her feet were also blistered from all the walking. It looked like this matter wasn't as easy as she initially thought.

"Monica, how about we going for some barbeque tonight and postponing the hotpot to another day?"

"Okay, as you wish. We don't have to work overtime tonight anyway."

Allison raised her head when she heard the lively conversation and saw a few female colleagues at the pantry who gathered around Monica.

Allison's eyes lit up with an idea and walked towards them.

As she approached, the few of them became quiet, and Monica reacted coldly when she saw Allison approaching.

"Monica, are you free? I have something to consult you."

"Concerning work?" Monica heard and flashed a sarcastic look, "I shouldn't be the one giving you advice on work."

She stood straight and continued before Allison could reply, "It took me three years to work from an HR staff to an administrative assistant inclusive of the internship. You worked for two years after your graduation and were promoted by higher management outside our regular promotion cycle. This meant that you can achieve something that others can't! So, I should be the one to learn from you!"

The colleagues all laughed in unison as soon as she said these and they looked at Allison with disdain.

Allison stood in place while her face flushed warmly.

Although what Monica said wasn't wrong, anyone could hear the spite and hidden message. She clearly meant that Allison had obtained her promotion through immoral means.

Monica laughed when she saw that Allison didn't retort and said, "This coming holiday's welfare gift will be arranged by Allison and we're all eagerly awaiting it. We wonder if it will be better than last years' gift." Allison bit her lips and didn't say a word.

She initially thought that Monica was a nice person and at least she was pleasant to her. But she didn't expect it to be just an act!

Rather than standing there receiving her barrage of insults, she turned to walk away. Allison looked at Monica and clenched her fists before turning and walked briskly towards her office.

From the way things were, she had no choice but to rely on herself. She sighed and prepared what she needed for her document and quickly went back to the villa after work.

Back at the villa, Allison did not have any appetite for dinner. She quickly ate and went to her room to continue researching. Now her main task is to work within the budget allocated by the company to provide the best gift that her colleagues will like. It was difficult to satisfy everyone. What was the most important was to get the most out of the allocated amount.

Allison concentrated on her research and didn't notice that her door was gently opened by someone. Alexander stood by the door and could not detect any reaction from the woman who was seated at the desk.

He walked slowly in and went behind her. He saw her taking notes and scribbling with several colored pens like a student.

Alexander looked at her every movement, writing down notes, biting the pen as she pondered, but it didn't appear that she was making any progress.

Finally, he couldn't endure it any longer and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Allison was startled when she heard the voice from behind her and she jumped in fear, dropping what she had in her hands onto the floor.

She turned around in a hurry and saw that Alexander was standing behind her. She asked in surprise, "Why... why are you here!"☐☐☐☐☐