Ken leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his coffee. "You know, Miranda, I always thought you'd be the type to keep things high-class and aloof, but you’re surprisingly approachable." He grinned, his casual demeanor making the conversation feel more like friendly banter than office talk. Emily Carter—known here as Miranda—smiled lightly as she powered up her laptop. "People tend to have all sorts of ideas about me." Ken, always one for curiosity, looked like he had a question brewing. "Hey, Miranda, can I ask you something?" Emily didn’t look up from her screen. "Sure, go ahead." Ken's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "So, yesterday…, when the boss locked you two in the office. What was that about?" Emily's hands stilled for a second but quickly resumed as she arranged some documents. "Nothing, really. We were just resolving some of the project's leftover issues. Since it’s a collaboration between two companies, Vincent didn't want any of the design plans leaking, so he closed the office door." Ken scratched his head, not entirely convinced. "I see… but why did he lock me out, then? I mean, if it’s about the luxury apartment project, why couldn't I be there?" Emily gave a half-smile, trying to brush it off. "It wasn’t intentional. There were a lot of people outside. It just wasn’t convenient at that moment." Ken was smart enough to realize she was deflecting, but he let it go. He chuckled awkwardly, sipping his coffee. "Right, right, no worries. I was just curious. After all, I did see you two leave together, and you both looked… well, not exactly thrilled. But hey, none of my business." Ken's suspicions weren’t entirely unfounded. He had noticed the tension between Emily and Vincent, their troubled expressions, and how Vincent had grabbed her hand as they left. Something about it felt too familiar, too personal. The way Vincent had acted didn’t seem like a mere business interaction. "By the way," Emily said, changing the subject, "Dylan asked me to tell you that Vincent won’t be coming to the office today. He’s handling some international projects, and Dylan’s tied up, so he needs you to take over." Ken blinked, a bit confused. "International projects? The only collaboration we’ve got going on is this one with Stardream. All the other projects are domestic." Emily frowned. "Is that so?" "Did Dylan really say that?" Ken asked, narrowing his eyes. "Did he call you?"Emily quickly responded, trying to cover for herself. "Yeah, maybe I misheard." She realized that Dylan had been trying to keep her at the hospital without causing a scene. Ken shrugged. "No biggie. The boss’s health has been shaky anyway. He’s probably at the hospital with Dylan, right? Don't worry, I’ll handle the rest." Emily nodded, thankful Ken was letting it drop. Ken sighed. "Man, ever since the boss’s wife passed, he’s never been the same. It’s like half of him died with her. I just don’t understand why life can be so unfair. After everything they went through, they deserved some peace. But no, fate had other plans. Good people never seem to catch a break, but bad guys can throw their weight around." Emily glanced up, her expression unreadable. "Who are you referring to?" Ken set his coffee cup down with a thud. "Who else? Cathy Miller, of course!" His face contorted with frustration. "That woman drives me nuts." Emily stifled a laugh. "What’s she done now?" "She just told me to let you know your ID card and access pass are ready. But instead of bringing them to you herself, she insists you go to the HR department to collect them. I mean, it’s a freaking ID card, Miranda. How heavy could it be? She’s just making you jump through hoops for no reason." Emily stood, her demeanor calm. "Alright, I’ll go get them." Ken called after her as she walked to the door. "Don't let her push you around, Miranda. That Cathy Miller needs to go, and I swear I’m gonna tell Vincent, ‘It’s either me or her.’ One of us has to leave, and it’s not going to be me." Emily smiled at his outburst. "She’s here for a reason, Ken. Vincent probably has his reasons for keeping her." "Oh, come on. Unless she can launch rockets, I don’t see what value she adds around here." Laughing softly, Emily headed out of the office and made her way to the HR department. Cathy Miller, as always, looked like she was stepping out of some glam magazine, though her style leaned more toward gaudy. A fur coat over a skimpy white top, flashy gold earrings, and red heels that clicked loudly against the tile floor. She barely glanced up when Emily arrived. "I’m here for my access pass and ID," Emily said politely. "Miranda, right?" Cathy asked, her tone indifferent."Yes, that’s me." Cathy tapped her fingers on the desk before speaking, her voice dripping with mock annoyance. "There’s a cost associated with making those. You'll need to pay up." Emily raised an eyebrow. "I have to pay for my company ID card?" This was unheard of in any professional setting. Companies don’t charge their employees for ID badges. "How much?" Emily asked, trying to keep her composure. "88,000 dollars," Cathy said, her tone flippant. Emily froze, her hand halfway to her wallet. She closed it slowly and looked Cathy in the eye. "Cathy, is there something I’ve done to offend you?" Cathy’s eyes narrowed, her voice growing cold. "Offend me? Don’t act innocent. You’ve barely been here a week, and already you’re cozying up to the boss. What are you really here for, Miranda? To work? Or to seduce Vincent?" Emily’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Are you his girlfriend?" Cathy sputtered, "What does that have to do with anything?" "Then why do you care so much about my relationship with him?" Emily’s voice was calm, but her words were sharp. "Why are you going out of your way to make things difficult for me?" Cathy slammed her hands on the desk, standing abruptly. "Don’t think just because you’re some fancy designer from Stardream that you can walk all over us. Vincent only respects you because of the collaboration. But if you try anything, I’ll personally make sure you’re thrown out of here." "Go ahead, throw me out then." Cathy seemed taken aback by Emily’s unexpected response. For a moment, she just stood there, her expression frozen in disbelief. "What did you just say?" Cathy demanded, her voice tinged with irritation. "I said," Emily's voice remained calm, her lips curling into a slight smirk, "Last night, the entire night, I was with Vincent." She raised her eyebrows, eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you have any more questions, Cathy? Or do you want me to go into specific details of how the night went?"