The fact that Ellis's office was cleared out last week indicated a lapse on the part of the administrative department, but Easton's dark expression made Jackson feel as though he had made a mistake. Feeling like he was on the brink of a disaster, he swallowed nervously, "Uh, Mr. Hudson, about Ms. Harper..." Should I blame the administrative department? They might have failed to coordinate with the cleaning crew to clear Ellis's office. Or should I blame the cleaning supervisor? It’s the cleaning supervisor who brought up Ellis's old office, but it’s hard to shift the blame since the supervisor just follows orders. After mulling it over, Jackson realized shifting the blame wasn't going to work. For the first time, he deeply felt that being Easton's assistant was no easy task. Easton's thoughts were increasingly hard to predict, especially since he’d never shown interest in Ellis’s office before. Weighing his options, Jackson reluctantly admitted his fault, "Mr. Hudson, last week the cleaning supervisor asked me if we should clear out Ms. Harper's office. Considering she had left a while ago and someone might need to use the office, I just..." "If you can't retrieve her things for the company, don’t bother coming back either," Easton said coolly, his lips barely moving. "Also, bring the cleaning supervisor up here; I want my stuff found as well." Home felt normal again, but the office didn’t—though familiar, it now felt strange, as if a thorn was stuck in his heart, adding to his irritation today. Perhaps it was due to a sleepless night, or maybe because more than nine hours had passed and Ellis should have woken up by now, but he still hadn’t received a reply from her. In the past, he never had to wait for a response. Ellis would bombard him with a slew of WhatsApp messages and texts. If he ignored her, she’d find other ways to get his attention. Easton's words hit like tons of bricks, leaving Jackson stunned and trembling, "Mr. Hudson, the things were cleared out last week, they're probably at the landfill by now..." "My office stuff might be lost, but if Ellis's things can’t be recovered, write your resignation. You'll get your severance." Having Jackson as his assistant for years, Easton valued his competence and careful nature; he hadn’t made any major mistakes until now. Although this wasn’t a major error, considering Easton’s first long bout of insomnia, it felt monumental. Faced with unexpected unemployment, Jackson felt his legs weaken, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He wiped his brow frantically, near tears, "Mr. Hudson, please wait, I'll get the cleaning supervisor and we’ll go look for it right away." With that, Jackson hurried downstairs, praying over and over for a miracle. Please, let the inefficiency at the landfill work in my favor this time, so I can retrieve something from Ellis's office. Having benefitted from his position at Hudson Group, a business titan, Jackson had seen substantial career advancement. He wasn’t ready to lose his job now. Even firing Jackson on the spot wouldn’t alleviate his foul mood. Easton checked his phone again, impulsively hitting the call button. "The number you have dialed is not available, please try again later." Hearing the mechanical voice, Easton realized something. Was he not receiving a response from Ellis because she had blocked him? Was he now a regular on her blacklist? Just last week, she had called him, urging him to go to the Civil Affairs Department! Frustrated, he threw his phone down on the desk. His irritation surged anew. He hadn’t actually expected Ellis to move cities just because he passed by her neighborhood and impulsively sent that text. Rubbing his sore, tired eyes, Easton decided to end his all-nighter, choosing to go home to rest and calm the turbulent emotions disrupting his usual composure. It was never a quiet day at the office for Ellis. As soon as she arrived at her desk, she was efficiently busy. At noon, Lois sent her several documents via the company’s internal communication software, all concerning Nexus Group. Thinking of what Morty had said last night, her temples began to throb. Couldn’t annoying and petty people just vanish? Reluctant to liaise with Morty, she went straight into Lois’s office and said, "Madam Lois, not to keep it from you, but Morty told me last night that his company and ours are collaborating, and he has specifically requested that I liaise with him. However, I must tell you something." Before she could continue, Morty had already spoken up first. Lois motioned for Ellis to go on. "I have a bad relationship with him; he’s intentionally making things difficult for me." Ellis paused thoughtfully for a few seconds. "I’m afraid that because of me, the collaboration might not go smoothly, potentially causing losses for the company." "Isn’t he Mr. Hudson's childhood friend?" Lois asked, puzzled. Normally, even if one didn’t get along with a partner’s friends or relatives, they would maintain a facade of civility. It was rare for such conflicts to escalate to one party actively causing difficulties for the other, making Ellis's candid admission quite unexpected.