Chapter 52
Cordelia froze. Once she heard Jesse's voice now, everything in her
automatically shifted to fight mode. She looked at him in alert.
Jesse could not help chuckling when he came close and saw her like this. He
turned to Annie. “You can go back. Cordelia stays.”
Annie could only leave first, but she kept turning back to check on Cordelia,
worried. Everyone knew about Jesse's ulterior thoughts regarding Cordelia. Was
he up to something by retaining her alone?
Annie stopped when she got to the company exit.
Before she and Cordelia went on the business trip together previously, the
company regulation stated that each employee had to leave an emergency
contact with both the company and their partner. She remembered that Cordelia
had saved her husband, Marcus, as the contact.
Annie searched for Marcus’ number from her phone contacts and sent him a text
after a moment of hesitation.
Jesse smirked at Cordelia in the office.
“What a capable junior I have.” He looked her up and down. “The company
hasn't been able to score Centrolis’ Bayers for years, but you managed to push
the sales proposal in right away! Amazing, amazing!”
Cordelia’s expression was impassive. “Is this why you've asked me to stay
back?”
“Of course not.” Jesse cleared his throat. “There’s a business dinner tonight.
Come along!”
Cordelia looked at him loathingly, but he only grinned with nonchalance.
Jesse knew that Cordelia hated events like this the most and intentionally
annoyed her with it. Since he could not have her, she could become his stepping
stone and give him a boost.
“Sigh, I didn’t actually want to ask you.” Jesse smirked darkly. “But you're the
only pretty one in the company. Sometimes, it's troublesome when a woman's
too pretty!”
“Sorry, I can't make it,” Cordelia rejected coldly. “My husband's waiting for me at
home. I have to—"
“Go back and make him dinner?” Jesse scoffed. “What? Your husband can't take
care of himself?”
“Jesse Ford, watch your words.” Cordelia glared at him. “It's none of your
business whether my husband can take care of himself or not, but if you dare
provoke me again, he'll beat you up, so you won't be able to take care of
yourself!”
Jesse glowered and stopped the topic.
“Anyway, Mr. Johnson specifically asked for you. I'm only a messenger. If you
refuse to go and offend the client, forget about staying in the company!”
He left with a swing of his arm after that, leaving Cordelia to gnash her teeth at
his back.
Her job was at stake here. She could only give in even if she was unwilling to
attend the dinner.
Cordelia texted Marcus and dragged her feet to the Eterous Hotel. The moment
she stepped into the room, she saw a handsome man sitting in the main seat,
almost like a celebrity. She froze.
She had not looked carefully back when she was at the Bayer Group's building,
but now that she was seeing from such a close distance, Annie was right—the
man was better looking than his photos.
Josiah did not expect Cordelia to be here either. He was surprised when he saw
her enter before he felt chills down his spine. When he came in just now, Michael
and Jesse hurried to pander to him and told him mysteriously that a beautiful girl
would accompany him tonight.
“If Z were to find out about this...’ Josiah sucked in a cold breath and sprang up,
his eyes trained on Cordelia.
“Mr. Bayer?” Cordelia nodded. “I'm Cordelia Jenner, from the sales department.”
“Oh, oh.” Josiah nodded stiffly.
Michael and Jesse smirked inwardly. It seemed that no matter how successful a
man was, he would barely pass up on a beautiful woman. Josiah would definitely
be put in Cordelia’s hands!
“Cordelia, stop standing there!” Michael gave her a look. “Pour Mr. Bayer some
wine!”
Cordelia approached Josiah weakly. Just as she was about to pour him wine, the
latter anxiously stopped her. “No, no! Don't... You don’t have to be so
courteous...”
The two men were stunned.
Josiah chuckled awkwardly while fat droplets of sweat dotted his forehead, and
he had no idea where to place his hands.
Jesse looked at Cordelia. “Propose a toast to Mr. Bayer!”
Cordelia could only pour herself a glass of wine and empty it as a courtesy.
Josiah felt chills to his core. How would he dare let his sister-in-law give him a
toast? He poured a full glass for himself and guzzled it down thrice.
“Don't just keep drinking!” Michael said again, “Hah, Cordelia, help Mr. Bayer with
the dishes!”
Before Cordelia could pick up anything, Josiah was quick to cry, “I'll do it myself! I
wouldn't dare trouble si— Ms. Jenner!”
Michael frowned, finding the situation not right, but he could not point out what
exactly.
It was said that Josiah Bayer was a womanizer and had seen plenty of women.
Even if he did like Cordelia, there was no way he should get nervous to this
extent.
As Michael observed Josiah with a squint, however, this young and rich heir
seemed to act like a cowardly mouse in front of Cordelia.
He met eyes with Jesse, and they left the room with the excuse of getting a
smoke.
As for Cordelia, she had a low alcohol tolerance and had drunk too fast, so she
was dizzy now that the alcohol had started running in her system. She looked
apologetically at Josiah. “Mr. Bayer, excuse me.”
“Mm, please feel free.”
Cordelia smiled, stumbling a little as she walked out.
She had wanted to catch some air at the hotel entrance, but she heard two
people talking to each other in a hushed tone just as she turned the corner of the
lobby hallway.