Still, out of habit–and thanks to the Whitmore and Fawkes families‘ marriage alliance–everyone just lumped the Whitmores in with the others when they talked about Serenity City’s elite.
Strictly speaking, though, there were only three true powerhouses.
Among them, the Fawkes and the Lockridge families were evenly matched. Their business interests overlapped so much that competition in Serenity City was fierce; everyone knew they were archrivals.
But rivalry was one thing–appearances had to be maintained.
So whenever either family hosted a gala or benefit, they’d send a token invitation to the other. The other side would always find an excuse to decline, or at best, send some distant cousin who barely mattered, just to save face.
No direct heir or family leader had ever attended in person.
Soren tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the desk, lost in his own head, when the office door swung open.
Poppy walked in, heels clicking on the wood floor, dressed in a deep burgundy suit. She was carrying an insulated lunchbox.
She offered a gentle smile as she approached the desk. “Soren, it’s getting late. You should eat something.”
“I heard from Macy you don’t care for the company cafeteria, so I made lunch at home and brought it with me. Give it a try.”
As she spoke, Poppy efficiently cleared a spot on the coffee table, unpacking the homemade dishes one by one.
Noticing Gregory was still there, she smiled at him as well. “Gregory, why don’t you have some too?”
“Huh? Oh, no, thank you,” Gregory stammered, startled. “I’m used to the cafeteria.” He quickly collected himself and turned to Soren. “Mr. Fawkes, I’ll get out of your way.”
Soren gave a brief nod, and Gregory offered Poppy a polite goodbye before making a hasty exit.
He fell a little out of sorts. When Evangeline used to bring lunch, she’d never just walk in like that. She’d always check with the assistant first, wait until Soren was
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free, and only come in after being told it was okay.
But Soren didn’t seem to mind Poppy’s directness, and as an assistant, Gregory knew it wasn’t his place to comment.
Once Gregory had left, Poppy said, “I heard what you and Gregory were discussing just now, and I might be able to help.”
Soren looked up. “What do you have in mind?”
She smiled. “I met Glenn once when I was overseas–he’s with UME’s investors, and that used to be my company.”
“If I talk to him about this, maybe he’ll do me a favor.”
Soren stood up, meeting her serious gaze. “That’s not necessary. I’ll handle it myself. You don’t need to get involved.”
He couldn’t see any reason to ask a woman to intervene in Fawkes family business. Before Poppy could say anything else, Soren sat down on the sofa, his eyes falling to the food. He changed the subject. “This all looks pretty good.”
Poppy smiled, handing him a plate and fork. She served him a portion with practiced care. “It tastes even better than it looks.”
The food was still steaming.
For a moment, Soren found himself thinking about how Evangeline used to bring him lunch. Sometimes he’d be caught up with work, and she’d wait in the lounge for half an hour or more. By the time he finally ate, the food was only lukewarm, the texture not quite right–yet somehow, the taste was always exactly what he liked.
But Evangeline hadn’t brought him lunch in a long time.
Remembering what had happened not long ago, a wave of irritation crept into his chest.
After the meal, Poppy tidied up and left, as considerate as ever.
Soren stepped out of his office just in time to overhear a group from the admin department chatting nearby.
They were talking about some TV drama. The male assistants were criticizing a female character, saying she acted like a lunatic.
One of the women spoke up quietly. “But I kind of understand her. She’s surrounded by all these brilliant people, but she’s trapped in her own family, unable to leave.
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She just keeps bottling things up, and when she can’t take it anymore, of course she explodes.”
The other women chimed in with their agreement.
Soren paused, her words echoing in his mind.
A flash of realization hit him–Evangeline had been acting strangely for weeks.
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
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