Sophia nodded while continuing her notes, her tone still calm.
“Oh, I understand. Offending Scott Corporation will be bad for me. Now, can you leave?”
“…”
After he left, Livinus, who had been nearby on business, walked over. For some reason, he had suddenly thought of Sophia and wanted to see what she was like while working.
To his surprise, he arrived just in time to see Scott Corporation’s secretary trying to throw his weight around.
Walking up to Sophia, he frowned. “What did he say just now?”
Sophia was momentarily surprised. “Why are you here?”
“Answer my question!”
Before Sophia could respond, a patient in the queue mimicked, “He said, ‘Offending Scott Corporation will do you no good!’”
Livinus’s face immediately darkened.
Livinus left without saying a word.
When he returned to the company, he ran into Isaac, who was coming back from outside.
Livinus’s gaze was indifferent, his expression cold as he stared at him.
Isaac froze and greeted nervously, “President Scott.”
“Secretary Isaac?”
Isaac was momentarily stunned, flattered. “President Scott.”
He hadn’t expected Livinus to recognize him, let alone remember his surname.
Livinus glanced at his wristwatch and curled his lips into a cold smirk. “During work hours, where has Secretary Isaac been?”
Isaac was taken aback. It wasn’t unusual for employees to leave the office during working hours. After all, sales and business staff were rarely at their desks, and no one had ever made an issue of it. Why was Livinus suddenly bringing this up? Had he unknowingly stepped on some taboo?
Cold sweat broke out on Isaac’s forehead as he hurriedly explained, “President Scott, I was running an errand for Mrs. Scott—Miss Olivia injured herself, and Mrs. Scott asked me to fetch a doctor.”
He implied that he was working for the Scott family, not slacking off.
Unexpectedly, Livinus’s tone turned even colder:
“Did I hire you at a high salary every month so you could act as someone’s lackey?”
The word “lackey” was harsh, and Isaac was terrified. “President Scott, I didn’t mean—”
“And who gave you the authority to throw around the Scott name and behave arrogantly?”
Isaac froze, completely unable to comprehend where this sudden anger was coming from. By the time Livinus walked away, Isaac still didn’t understand what had provoked the president. Could it be that assisting Scott Richard and his wife had upset him? But this had never been an issue before. Or was it because he had gone to see that doctor and said something wrong? No, it couldn’t be! He had looked into that doctor—an orphan without any backing, certainly not someone who would know someone of Livinus’s status.
Panicked, Isaac went up to the top floor and anxiously asked Joanna, “Joanna, please help me out. What did I do to offend President Scott?”
Joanna glanced at him indifferently. “You’ll have to figure that out yourself, Secretary Isaac.”
Isaac was stunned. “Figure it out myself?”
“Yes. Don’t think you can offend just anyone. Some people may seem insignificant, but they could be someone’s lifeline. As the saying goes, ‘In the rivers and lakes, carelessness leads to injury.’ If you don’t want to get hurt, stay humble!” Joanna sneered. “Take your time and think it over!”
Isaac froze. How was he supposed to figure it out?
Over the next few days, Isaac found himself the target of numerous small obstacles. If it wasn’t one mistake, it was another.
At first, he didn’t realize what was happening, but as the incidents piled up, he finally understood: he had truly offended the president.
The problem was, he still had no idea who the president’s “lifeline” was!
After a bout of rain, the coolness in the air became more pronounced. In the early winter mornings of , the mountain fog was thick. Whenever the sun emerged, Sophia’s flowers and plants would look even more vibrant, especially the succulents, which seemed almost unreal in their beauty, as if they were a different species altogether.
She didn’t understand it. She never paid much attention to these plants, yet they grew more beautiful by the day. It was strange.
The construction team was considerate enough to move all her plants aside to avoid stepping on them.
The designer even suggested building a sunroom in her yard so she could keep her greenery during the winter.
Sophia had no idea how the construction team was handling the renovations. She only knew that, despite a full day of work, she barely heard any noise. In the evening, she went to take a look and found the yard filled with building materials. Most of it didn’t look new, as if it had been taken from elsewhere.
The team worked efficiently. They had replaced an entire wall with glass, allowing sunlight to stream in. This greatly improved the lighting on both the first and second floors. The designer also added a terrace on the second floor, altering the house’s structure. Fortunately, she didn’t mind the changes since it was her own house.
