"Is there a meeting this morning?" Emily glanced over her schedule. There was no mention of any meetings, but she double-checked just in case. "Do I need to attend?" Ken blinked at her, then grinned. "Of course you do! You're the soul of the entire luxury apartment project. Without you, the whole thing would grind to a halt. Come on, let's head up together." Emily quickly gathered her notes and documents related to the luxury apartment project, holding them close to her chest as she followed Ken to the elevator. It was the busiest time of day, and the elevator stopped at nearly every floor, packed with employees rushing to start their day. Ken sighed in frustration. "Ever since our company merged with the Norman Group, the number of employees skyrocketed. This building feels smaller every day." Emily raised an eyebrow. "Have all of the Norman Group's employees moved here?" "Yep," Ken confirmed. "And get this—I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but our boss is the heir to the Norman Group empire." "You've mentioned it," Emily said, smiling slightly. "Oh, right! I always forget what I’ve already told you." Ken chuckled, then continued, "But seriously, our boss is incredible. He could have inherited millions but chose to build something on his own. When I first met him, he looked like a teenager. He said he wanted to build his own CBD, and in just three years, this area became a landmark, like he predicted. The government probably never thought this place would thrive like it has." Emily smiled faintly, politely humoring Ken’s admiration. "It sounds like you really admire him." "Admire him? No, I worship him!" Ken’s enthusiasm grew as he spoke. "The man is a genius! It’s a tragedy what happened to him—losing both his wife and child. I guess even someone as perfect as him had to have some flaw. The universe wouldn’t let him be that perfect." The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival. Ken’s face lit up. "Speak of the devil!" Standing in the elevator, looking as composed as ever, was Vincent Norman—Satan. He was impeccably dressed in his usual black suit, tall and commanding. "Hey, I was just telling Miranda about your amazing rise to success," Ken said enthusiastically, stepping aside to give way. "Come on in, Miranda," Ken urged, making room.Emily stood frozen for a moment, knowing Vincent had already noticed her. "Miranda?" Ken called again, wondering why she wasn’t moving. "Get in," Vincent said calmly, stepping back to give her more space. Reluctantly, Emily stepped into the elevator, Ken following closely behind her. The doors closed, and the elevator continued upward. In addition to Vincent, there were a few other employees inside the elevator, all strangers to Emily. They were discussing various business matters with him in low voices—she caught snippets like "financial report," "revenue strategy," and "stock performance." She glanced up at Vincent. He looked fine, though his face was still a bit pale. When he spoke, his voice was still rough, his throat clearly not fully healed. A wave of guilt washed over her. He was barely out of danger, yet here he was, dragging himself back to work already. Didn’t he care about his health at all? And why wasn’t Dylan stopping him? "Get the report to me by the end of the day," Vincent instructed, his voice gravelly. The employees nodded quickly, acknowledging the deadline. Another ding—this time, they reached the 33rd floor. Ken stepped out first, with Emily following closely. But to her surprise, Vincent also exited the elevator. Wasn't his office on the top floor? What was he doing getting off here? "Ken," Emily hurried to catch up, "Is today’s meeting just with the design department?" "Nope," Ken explained. "Today, everyone involved in the luxury apartment project is attending—except for the workers on-site. The meeting room is packed. I booked the large conference room on the 33rd floor. By the way, Miranda, since you’re the one who knows the project inside and out, I’ll need you to lead the discussion." Emily nodded. She had no issue presenting the project details, but she couldn’t help but wonder why Vincent had followed them out of the elevator. "Is Mr. Norman here for the meeting too?" she asked cautiously, feeling Vincent’s presence behind them. Ken chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. "Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s pretty easygoing, and besides, his throat’s in bad shape. He won’t say much. Just focus on your presentation." She knew Vincent’s throat was bad—because of her."One more thing," Ken added in a whisper. "The construction team can be a bit rough. They might ask some tough questions, especially because you’re a woman. If things get out of hand, I’ll step in, okay?" Emily smiled, appreciating his support. "Thanks, I’ll hold you to that." Ken pointed ahead. "Here we are, the conference room." It was massive, taking up three-quarters of the floor. Emily wondered how effective her presentation would be in such a large space. Could the people in the back even hear her? The room was already set up, with a projector ready and materials distributed on the long tables. Water and stationery were neatly arranged for the attendees. A young woman approached Emily. "Miranda, do you need help with the microphone?" Emily glanced at the woman’s name tag, recognizing her as part of the administrative team. "No, thank you, I can handle it." While Emily was setting up, a crowd began filtering into the room. Most of them were men, and several gave her dismissive looks when they realized she would be leading the meeting. Ken sidled up to her and whispered, "Don’t mind them. They’re great at construction, but they have no idea what the Pritzker Architecture Prize is." Emily nodded, showing she wasn’t bothered. "I understand." "And also," Ken hesitated before adding, "You’re... well, you’re just too good." Emily blinked, confused. "Excuse me?" Ken rubbed his nose, looking slightly embarrassed. "You’re the stunning woman the boss personally recruited. Of course, people are going to gossip. I mean, even I had some doubts when you first joined."