Chapter 158
Edana had not expected Baldwin to ask so straightforwardly, and her face instantly turned pale.
She could not utter a coherent sentence for a long while. “Mia and I are just colleagues… I saw she had nowhere to go… Actually, we are not very familiar… This is just a coincidence…”
Serena smiled and picked up her liquor glass. “Mr. Connor, Edana is my cousin. She has no guile and sees everyone as a good person.” After saying this, she looked at Audrey as if indicating that Audrey framed Edana.
Audrey was arranging her napkin. Regardless of Serena’s sarcasm, she did not respond, as if the words were targeting someone else.
Guided by Serena, Edana also looked at Audrey. She believed it was Audrey who had spread rumors about her in front of Baldwin–otherwise, how would he have known her relationship with Mia? Although Audrey did not engage, Edana deliberately wanted to cause her trouble.
“Ms. Henderson, when you first joined the company, I could tell you were different. After all, not many people can spot errors in contract data on their first day of work, unless…” She intentionally stopped halfway, leaving the rest for everyone to guess,
Her implication was that unless Audrey had known the inside story from the start, such a coincidence was impossible.
Since Audrey had exposed Edana’s secrets in front of Baldwin, Edana wanted Audrey to taste what it felt like to be misunderstood by him.
As Serena expected, Baldwin’s hand holding the appetizer liquor paused, and then he sized up Audrey with a sidelong glance. He had heard she was an orphan from out of town with no powerful family background.
To enter the core of Stride Commerce’s trading business, establish herself so quickly, and gain Paul’s trust, she must have exceptional abilities.
But Baldwin had not yet figured out whether her strengths lay in professional skills or other aspects. He quickly appraised Audrey and indeed acknowledged her beauty.
When she smiled, there was a touch of playfulness that made people lower their guard, yet when serious, she exuded absolute confidence and determination. Her aura perfectly blended innocence and sweetness with assertiveness and pride.
Just as Baldwin retracted his gaze, he looked at Audrey’s wrist again, feeling that shining emerald bracelet seemed familiar. Moreover, even Paul might not be able to afford a bracelet of such quality, yet it was on the wrist of an ordinary secretary.
There was a moment of silence in the private room, with everyone harboring their own thoughts.
Paul leaned back in his chair and stared at Edana. “Take this as a lesson. If you make similar mistakes again, don’t blame me for not showing past favor. You should drink two glasses as punishment.”
He wanted to liven up the atmosphere, but Edana was unwilling. If this continued, she would definitely get drunk.
“Mr. Connor, you won’t hold this against me, right?” Edana tried to muddle through and raised her glass to clink with aldwin’s.
Just as they were about to cheer, Baldwin picked up his glass and turned to look at Audrey. “Ms. Henderson, for the cooperation between our two companies in the future, I hope you can take charge personally.”
He meant that he only trusted Audrey and sidelined/everyone else.
The flattering smile on Edana’s face almost collapsed. She had bent and curtsied for so long but had not received a single direct glance from Baldwin, who had instead entrusted her work entirely to Audrey.
Audrey smiled, raised her glass, and said, “Thank you for your appreciation. I will definitely not let you down.”
She clinked glasses with Baldwin and finished the tequila in one gulp.
Baldwin was slightly taken aback, not expecting Audrey to be so straightforward and bold. He instantly broke into a smile and drank the tequila in his
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Chapter 158
glass as well, though not completely–some remained at the bottom.
“Mr. Connor, why don’t you drink all of the liquor?” Miguel held the liquor bottle and prepared to pour, shouting as he held Baldwin’s glass.
Baldwin felt awkward and chided, “Weren’t you seeing double before? Why can you see so clearly now?”
He pretended to finish the remaining liquor, but Audrey stopped him by pressing his arm. “Mr. Connor, the remaining liquor symbolizes that you wilf always handle business with ease.”
Baldwin and Miguel looked at each other and burst into laughter. Audrey was humorous, not only smoothing over the awkwardness but also delivering a compliment. Both liked making friends with smart people.
Seeing the atmosphere finally lighten, Paul also raised his glass to propose a toast, subtly driving Edana back to her seat.
Sitting beside Serena, Edana felt extremely aggrieved and couldn’t help blaming Serena for bringing Audrey along without consulting her.
Later, everyone became slightly intoxicated, including Audrey. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edana approaching her. Edana said, “Ms. Henderson, sorry for offending you before.”
She filled Audrey’s glass and raised her own to toast Audrey.
Audrey reacted slowly, pausing for a moment before asking, “Is that liquor or water in your glass?” Her question made everyone look at Edana.
“Of course it’s tequila.” Edana reluctantly held her glass in front of Audrey. “Smell it.”
“Let’s swap glasses.” Audrey reached out to take Edana’s glass.
Edana was shocked and quickly pulled back–an action that clearly suggested something was wrong with the liquor.
Pale–faced, Edana turned to Serena. “Serena, take a sip and see if it’s water or liquor in my glass.”
Serena took a sip and nodded firmly. “It’s really liquor. Ms. Henderson, Edana wouldn’t do something so unpleasant.”
Audrey showed no mercy for Edana. “You’re sisters. Who knows if you’re covering for her?”
Now Serena was also annoyed and decided to ask Paul to be the witness.
Audrey rested her chin in one hand and tilted her head to look at Edana. “Either swap drinks with me, or don’t offer me a toast.”
Paul’s hand was about to rise but then dropped as he joked, “If you want to clink with Ms. Henderson, follow her rules. I won’t be the mediator and risk getting scolded.”
Edana looked at Serena for help. Serena seemed torn–with everyone a “Just swap glasses with Ms. Henderson.”
the table watching, she couldn’t keep shielding Edana and could only agree,
“Serena!” Edana pulled Serena’s clothes under the table but was slapped away and received a warning glare.
With blurry, tipsy eyes, Audrey smiled as she watched their dispute. Their apology to Baldwin was clearly not sincere. Although Audrey had chatted warmly with Baldwin, she had kept an eye on the sisters the entire time.
Clutching her glass tightly, Edana forced a flattering smile at Baldwin. “Mr. Connor, I toast to you. Thank you for giving me a chance to correct my mistakes. I’ll dry the liquor, so Ms. Henderson won’t suspect my liquor is problematic.”
She tilted her head and drained the glass, choking midway and nearly unable to swallow, as tequila is extremely strong.
Edana turned the empty glass upside down to show she had into Edana’s glass.
finished, then reached for the liquor bottle. Audrey quickly poured half of her own liquor
“Ms. Edana Conan has shown full sincerity, and I’ve also made mistakes. Let’s share this liquor and forget our dispute,” said Audrey
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
