Chapter 33 Chapter 33 "Mr. Grant, there's a crowd outside. If you go out now to check on her, your relationship won't stay hidden for long. William said, speaking calmly.
him, but he couldn't ignore the reality of the situation. After all, the secret marriage had been Joycelyn's He didn't stop h request.
Ellison didn't seem to care. He strode into the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor with determination. William quickly followed and stood behind him, maintaining a calm demeanor.
As the elevator descended, Ellison stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression as cold as ever. The sharp, handslines of his face were shadowed by an ominous air.
The tension around him seemed to pulse, as if it could shatter the elevator at any moment. William, stealing glances at him. kept his mouth shut, sensing that any word might make the situation worse.
Joycelyn, on the other hand, felt heavy-hearted. From the scandal about the roses this morning to the mess with her family just now, she knew the office would be buzzing with rumors about her before long.
Aurelia and Selene stayed by her side, offering words of comfort.
"Joycelyn, you handled that beautifully just now. I always thought your mom was a bit soft, but now I see-it's not softness, it's just ignorance. How could she hit her own daughter?" Aurelia said, clearly upset.
She had been around long enough to recognize the kind of person Joycelyn was. They'd worked together for two years, and in that time, Aurelia had seen Joycelyn's diligence and integrity firsthand. She was hard-working and responsible.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAs a person, she was kind, considerate, and loyal to her family. Despite being young and attractive, she'd never shown any desire to flaunt it. She'd always put her family first, even sacrificing personal luxuries.
To think that someone like Joycelyn-who had never even dated-was being slandered for having an affair with an older man. It made Aurelia furious.
Joycelyn, now processing the events, realized how brave she had been in standing up for herself for the first time. After all these years, she had finally fought back. Still, the aftermath was hard to shake.
"Your stepsister is obviously a schemer, a classic bitch type. She's not someone you want to underestimate. Joycelyn, you should move out. You make enough money to support yourself, Selene encouraged.
"I've already moved out." Joycelyn sighed softly, looking at the descending numbers in the elevator. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"They tried to forceinto an arrang marriage because the guy promised a huge sum of money. I didn't like him, so I ended things with them," Joycelyn added.
She looked at the numbers flicking by as the elevator went down, feeling a deep sense of loss. She had cut ties with them, no matter how much she tried to break free, they kept pulling her back in..
but She thought, "What should I do if they don't stop?" The image of Mercer family's hostile faces lingered in her mind, and she felt a knot in her stomach.
Selene clenched her fists. "They probably thought you were beautiful and obedient, so they wanted to sell you off for a good price." Chapter 33 Aurelia's tone was stern. "Don't let them manipulate you. As women, if we want to stand on our own, we have to be tough "Cut out the toxic people, and don't let anyone drain you. Sometimes, family can be even more dangerous than strangers" "Yeah, I know." Joycelyn nodded, her tone quiet. Just then, the elevator doors opened As Joycelyn stepped forward, she almost collided with Ellison, who was in a hurry to leave the elevator. Their eyes met, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade.
He was looking at her with deep concern, and for a brief second, Joycelyn thought she was imagining it. She instinctively lowered her head, letting her hair fall to cover the side of her face that had been slapped.
Ellison, who had been about to step out, paused when he saw her. His eyes immediately locked onto the swollen half of her face, and the pain in his chest surged. His anger was palpable, but so was his tenderness.
"Mr. Grant," Joycelyn greeted him politely, her voice a little shaky.
Aurelia and Selene, following behind, were momentarily stunned when they saw Ellison in the elevator. They quickly nodded and greeted him. "Mr. Grant” Ellison gave a brief nod, stepping back to allow them to enter the elevator.
Aurelia and Selene exchanged a glance, both confused, thinking. Wasn't the elevator coming down? Why is Mr. Grant staying inside? "Is everything alright? I heard there was strouble outside." Ellison's voice, calm yet steady, broke the silence in the elevator.
Although he addressed all three of them, his gaze was fixed on Joycelyn, who was still standing there with her head lowered. clearly upset.
Joycelyn replied softly, “I'm fine. I just worry it might cause snegative attention for the company." "The company always supports its employees, Ellison said, his voice firm. T'll get to the bottom of this.” Aurelia and Selene exchanged a quick glance at each other when they heard his words.
"Mr. Grant is amazing! We're so lucky to work for someone as powerful and charismatic as you," Selene said enthusiastically, giving him a thumbs-up.
"If you've been wronged, take the afternoon off. I'm approving it," Ellison added, his concern evident as he noticed the distress in Joycelyn's demeanor.
"I'm fine, really, I don't need to rest," Joycelyn quickly refused, not wanting to seem weak.
"Con, Joycelyn, this is a special perk from Mr. Grant," Selene insisted with a bright smile, trying to cheer her up. "You've had a tough ttoday. Take a break, maybe get ssleep" "Yeah, and you're not even living at hanymore, right? Where are you staying? We should hang out this weekend-go shopping or see a movie," Selene continued, doing her best to take Joycelyn's mind off things.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBut Joycelyn wasn't sure how to respond. "T... L.” She hesitated, trailing off as she nervously swallowed. Tm staying with a good friend for now. Maybe we can plan something this weekend." Joycelyn wasn't the type to talk much, and she wasn't good at lying. After saying that, she felt awkward, not knowing where to look.
17:07 Ke, 11 Feb Chapter 34 Ellison, observing her discomfort, gave her a brief, subtle glance. When the elevator doors opened, he pressed the button to keep them open, his voice quiet yet firm. "We've arrived" Aurelia and Selene, startled by his action, quickly ushered Joycelyn out of the elevator.
Back at her desk, Joycelyn had barely taken a sip of water when Aurelia and Selene started packing up her bag. "You should head hand rest, Aurelia suggested kindly.
"Okay," Joycelyn said softly, nodding in agreement. "You two go ahead. I'll be fine on my own.
She took her bag from them, reassuring them that she would be okay. As they returned to their own desks, Joycelyn's phone buzzed with a new message.
Ellison: [I've arranged for the driver to take you hat the second basement level.] Joycelyn: [Okay.] Ellison: [Does your face still hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?]
Seeing his concerned message, Joycelyn bit her lip, her long fingers quickly typing a response: [I'm fine.
Just feeling a bit drained. But if they keep showing up like this, I'm not sure what to do.] She had hesitated for a while, then decided to reach out for help.
Ellison responded almost immediately. [I'll have security increase their patrols. Don't worry. This is still my company.1 Joycelyn: [Thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you.].
She couldn't help but feel like this whole situation might becoffice gossip and potentially hurt the m company's image. Ellison stared at her polite response, his brow furrowing slightly. [If you really think it's a hassle, find another way to thank me] Joycelyn: [What way?] Ellison, holding his phone, lightly tapped the screen with his fingers, his expression calm but expectant as he waited for Joycelyn to figure it out on her own.
After waiting a while and receiving no further reply, Joycelyn hesitated before typing. [How about I cook you dinner tonight to thank you?] Ellison glanced at her response and replied with a simple, [No need.]
He then set his phone aside and spoke to William, his voice sharp and cold, "Have the entire security lear team replaced. Make sure this doesn't spread any further within the company." William nodded respectfully. "Understood, sir." "And one more thing." Ellison called out to William, his tone even colder. "Find a way to send Ronny out of the office. Don't let him anywhere near her." Ellison thought, 'Ronny, if you are trying to date Joycelyn, you are asking for trouble.
Chapter 34