Ch. 1001..1010

Chapter 1001

Genevieve checked the time on her phone and looked at Armand beside her. "It's late. You should get going," she muttered, shooing him away.

"Rosa isn't coming back tonight," Armand said. "Aren't you scared to be alone at home?"

Genevieve retorted, "This house is worth tens of millions. Its sheer worth would frighten away even the most vengeful of ghosts. Why should I be scared?"

Armand could not help but laugh, finding his Mrs. Faulkner far too adorable.

He was thoroughly enchanted by her narcissism, sense of superiority, and cheeriness.

Worried he would disgust her by pushing her too quickly, Armand grabbed his car keys from the coffee table.

Before he left, he said to Genevieve, "You probably know about Ms. Briggs' transfer to Feston by now. I need to appoint someone from your office as my new assistant." Genevieve mumbled her acknowledgment, still clueless about what he was getting at.

Armand promptly cut to the chase. "I had Ms. Briggs put your name on the list of candidates. The person who assumes this role will need to keep a close eye on current affairs and have a decent understanding of foreign languages. That happens to be your forte."

"No thanks!" Genevieve's rejection was swift. "You need plenty of experience to become a good assistant, and I've been in the Department of Public Information for barely a month. You have no idea how all the women in my department-married or not- have set their sights on you. If I become your assistant, everyone will be gossiping about how I slept my way into the position."

She still had no idea how she even got a job at a government institution.

Smiling, Armand parried, "You're right that experience is important in this role, but sometimes, rules are meant to be broken. We can always make an exception for a talented candidate."

Still, Genevieve shook her head. "My beauty is for others to praise and admire, not fodder for others' slander."

"If you aren't working beside me, how can we date? How would I convince you to fall in love with me?" Armand brushed her jaw with his fingers. "I'll have to ask someone to send lunch and snacks to your office every day. That'll keep the rumor mill running!"

He ended his argument by saying, "If you share an office with me, they can't gossip about my gifts. Isn't that more comfortable?"

Genevieve mulled over his words as Armand added, "You'll have more freedom in a private office too."

That reminded Genevieve of how Cassandra had made faces at her in the office yesterday. She did not enjoy sharing an office with women who scrutinized her every action.

If Cassandra wants to take over Ms. Briggs' position so much, I'll do everything I can to stop her!

"Okay, deal," Genevieve agreed.

"You should go to bed soon. Don't spend too much time scrolling Twitter or TikTok." Armand leaned down and moved his face closer to Genevieve's. "Give me a good night kiss, Genev." Genevieve stared at him for several seconds before darting inside the house for safety and slamming the door shut. "Goodbye, Sir!"

Armand smiled to himself and left.

The next day, Genevieve reported to work at the government office as usual. At ten in the morning, Cali Briggs arrived at Genevieve's department and summoned several people for an examination. When Cassandra heard Genevieve's name, she immediately complained, "Genevieve has barely been here for a month."

Cali replied professionally, "Genevieve has excellent foreign language skills. Her experience is secondary. We will consider all talented candidates for this role without discriminating against their age and experience."

Five people were chosen for the examination, which took place in the conference room.

Armand's assistant would be in charge of disseminating his instructions and reporting the latest news to him promptly. Said person would need to be exceptionally careful in their work.

The examination not only tested the candidates' knowledge of current affairs but also their problem-solving skills in different scenarios.

During her month-long tenure in the office, Genevieve's work in news translation and proofreading had equipped her well for the examination. She answered the questions flawlessly and displayed excellent public relations skills.

Armand knew Genevieve did not have the prerequisite experience for the role, so he had cooked up an excuse to invite the institution head's secretary to interview Genevieve.

The secretary was pleased with Genevieve's performance despite the latter's young age.

After the examination, the secretary followed Armand to his office and commented, "I thought Cassandra and Genevieve did pretty well out of the five candidates. Cassandra has been with us for two years, hasn't she?"

"If you're going to look at years of tenure, I probably don't deserve my current position," replied Armand teasingly.

Chapter 1002

"While Cassandra has been with the office longer, her foreign language skills are poor, as are her public relations skills. Genevieve, on the other hand, graduated from the Mallowbrook Institute of Translation and Interpretation. She's fluent in Ustranasion and many other languages," Armand added.

Surprised, the secretary asked, "If she's so talented in foreign languages, why didn't she apply to the Department of Foreign Affairs?"

Armand merely smiled and replied, "Perhaps she wanted to remain in Jadeborough."

Meanwhile, Cassandra was heading back to the conference room upstairs to retrieve her staff pass, which she had accidentally left behind. As she exited the stairwell, she overheard Armand's conversation with the secretary.

She was initially delighted when she began eavesdropping, confident that she would become Cali's successor. To her dismay, the conversation suddenly took a turn, and even the secretary now believed Genevieve to be more capable of taking over Cali's position.

Cassandra pursed her lips, fuming with jealousy.

I've had to beat out so many people to get into this department. Why should Genevieve get the job out of nepotism when I had to work my head off to make it here? That's so unfair!

She waited several minutes after Armand and the secretary left the conference room before entering the room to grab her staff pass on the table, her expression dark with fury. As she left the conference room, she ran into a female colleague from a different department.

"Ah, Hudson." The female colleague handed a stack of papers to Cassandra. "Here are the health checkup reports for your department. Please help me pass them out."

The government gave its staff annual health checkups, and Genevieve joined the department just in time to qualify for a checkup.

"Sure." Cassandra received the reports with a smile.

She flipped through her health checkup report while heading downstairs. The entire department's reports had been bundled together in a manila folder instead of individual envelopes. After reading her report, Cassandra flipped through the documents and located Genevieve's report.

She snooped around the document and discovered Genevieve had a rare blood type.

Less than ten people in the world shared her blood type. In the event of excessive blood loss, Genevieve would be as good as dead.

After filing that information in her head about her rival, Cassandra was about to return the report to the pile when her gaze snagged on a row of words at the bottom of the document. She froze, an indecipherable emotion flashing through her eyes.

Several minutes later, Cassandra finally returned to her department office. She declared to her colleagues, "Everyone's health checkup reports are out. Come and collect your report." Genevieve stood up and retrieved her health checkup report.

Satisfied after skimming through the report, she tossed it into her drawer and gave in to the temptation to text Armand: What's for lunch?

Armand had made a beef casserole for breakfast that morning but kept mum about the lunch menu.

Genevieve was already starving.

Some time later, Armand replied: I put in extra effort to prepare lunch for you. Don't I deserve a sweet message for that?

Biting her lip, Genevieve replied: Thank you, Sir.

Right then, someone knocked on the office door of their department. The cleaning lady who had delivered things to Genevieve in the restroom yesterday came in and handed her a lunchbox. "A delivery for you, Ms. Rachford."

Outsiders were not allowed to enter government offices. If someone ordered a food delivery, it would be dropped off at the security guard's, and someone else would bring it up to the relevant department office "Thank you," Genevieve said to the cleaning lady before receiving the lunchbox. She promptly tore off the wrapper at lightning speed.

Armand had prepared shakshuka for lunch. The deep red color of the stew and its spicy scent made Genevieve's mouth water.

Thankfully, contrary to the color of the dish, Armand had adjusted the spiciness of the shakshuka so Genevieve would not sweat her way through lunch.

Her colleagues who did not go to the cafeteria for lunch were instantly attracted by the delicious aroma of Genevieve's lunch. Someone asked, "Where did you order this, Genevieve? It looks amazing." Genevieve considered making up a shop name but was worried that her colleague would ask for an actual address. In the end, she said, "My boyfriend cooked this and had it delivered to me." "You have a boyfriend?" Her colleague was surprised. "Why hasn't he ever come by to fetch you after work?"

Genevieve thought wryly to herself, Well, I just got myself a boyfriend two nights ago.

Thanks to her gossipmonger of a colleague, everyone in Genevieve's department learned of her boyfriend within half an hour. Even the employees upstairs knew about it.

Genevieve was heading to the restroom with a sanitary pad and her phone when she saw a text from Armand.

It read: Mrs. Faulkner, are you making our relationship public now?

Chapter 1003

Genevieve pursed her lips at Armand's reply and typed: No! A colleague saw my lunch, and I was worried she would ask for an address if I told her I ordered delivery, so I just said it came from my boyfriend. If I'd known she was such a gossip, I would've told her my brother sent me to lunch.

Armand: Good thing you didn't. Anyway, everything's done. Hand over your work in the next couple of days before you move to the office upstairs.

Genevieve: That's fast.

They had just finished their examination in the morning, and the results were out after lunch.

Armand replied: All thanks to our talented Mrs. Faulkner.

Genevieve arched her brows as she read his message, clearly flattered by his praise. However, something in his text soon niggled at her mind.

She asked: We're just dating. I feel like an old, married woman when you call me Mrs. Faulkner.

She arrived at the restroom and kept her phone.

Genevieve was about to push open the door when she saw a sign at the entrance saying the toilet was out of use because of a faulty pipe. She shrugged and headed upstairs.

It was her time of the month, and the first day of the cycle always exhausted her, likely because of blood loss. She typically spent the entire day feeling drained. After using the restroom upstairs, Genevieve checked her phone.

Armand's text was waiting for her. Should I call you Darling, then? Or I could just call you mine.

Genevieve was grudgingly impressed by his wittiness.

Smirking, she was about to reply to his message when another text came in: I had masala chai delivered to your table. Make sure you finish it.

Damn that masala chai!

Genevieve's mood was ruined. She sent him an emoji of someone vomiting. Just as she was keeping her phone, she suddenly slipped and fell down the stairs.

There was a panel of glass at the end of the stairwell, and Genevieve rammed right into it. Glass shards flew everywhere.

She was wearing a midi dress that day, and a glass shard pierced her calf, immediately drawing blood.

Genevieve winced and gasped in pain.

Fortunately, a cleaning lady was heading upstairs to clean the restroom and came upon a bleeding Genevieve sitting in a pool of glass shards. The cleaning lady shrieked in surprise and quickly called for an ambulance.

Meanwhile, Armand had just sent away the institution head's secretary. On his way back to the office, he noticed employees crowding the stairwell and caught a glimpse of Genevieve.

His gaze darkened, and he immediately pushed his way through the crowd.

Genevieve sat on the ground, her arms littered with tiny cuts. Her left calf, however, was bleeding profusely after being sliced by a large glass shard, and the bandage around her wound failed to stem the blood flow.

Aware of Genevieve's coagulation disorder, Armand quickly scooped her into his arms and ran downstairs.

He settled her in his car and ordered the driver to drive as quickly as he could. With a government vehicle and an emergency to boot, the driver ran every red light along the way and got them to General Hospital in about five minutes.

The doctor at the hospital also knew of Genevieve's condition. They promptly dispatched medical staff to administer emergency treatment.

Armand stood outside the ward screen and waited, his hands and shirt covered in Genevieve's blood. Worried that Genevieve would require a blood transfusion, he asked the staff to retrieve the entire stock of Genevieve's blood type from the blood bank.

A nurse soon showed up with several bags of blood.

She told Armand, "Mr. Faulkner, we're only left with three bags of blood. You must think of a way to store more, or the next time Ms. Rachford is injured..." She trailed off, the unspoken meaning in her words loud and clear.

Armand massaged his temples and smiled bitterly.

He wanted that more than anything in the world, yet after Marilyn's sudden death from gastrointestinal bleeding, he had failed to find another person who shared Genevieve's rare blood type.

Genevieve had been raised like a princess, and in Armand's opinion, she deserved nothing but the best in life. Alas, she had suffered immensely in recent times.

Armand called Cali and instructed her, "No one is allowed to access the surveillance camera footage or anything in that stairwell.

How could a glass panel suddenly appear in the stairwell?

 

Chapter 1004

Fortunately, it only took a short while before Genevieve's wound stopped bleeding. Since she did not lose much blood, the three bags of blood remained unused. However, her face was as pale as a sheet, and Armand's heart ached when he saw her looking like that.

He brought her some warm water so that she could take her medicine, then took her to the ward.

Genevieve gazed down at her leg wrapped in thick bandages and said to him, "I've never really suffered any injuries while growing up. But I got kidnapped previously, and now my calf is wounded..."

After a brief pause, she continued in a confused tone, "Why can't I seem to catch a break?"

"You look pale and need to rest," Armand replied, changing the subject. "Lie down and take a nap. I'll make you something delicious and bring it over tonight."

Genevieve shook her head. "My leg hurts. I can't sleep. I wasn't looking at my phone while going down the stairs, nor did I miss a step. But the steps felt slippery as though there was something on it. That's why I tumbled down and crashed into the glass."

Armand's gaze darkened, but his tone was gentle as he replied, "Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of it."

Genevieve was relieved when she learned she had been placed on leave. She stayed in the ward without fuss.

Armand stayed with her until four o'clock. After returning to the government building, he checked the stairs immediately but did not find anything suspicious.

However, upon closer inspection, he noticed drops of oil on the steps that seemed to be olive oil.

Since the faulty piping in the restroom downstairs was getting fixed, those from the lower floors would also use the restroom upstairs. There was no way to track down who had spilled olive oil on the stairs.

As for the pane of glass, he found that it was for the Department of Public Information. There had been some strong gales some time ago, causing the glass in one of their office windows to break. They had placed an order for a new pane of glass, and it had only arrived that day.

After taking the freight elevator to the wrong floor, the workers had left the glass there temporarily, planning to go and find out what floor they were supposed to go to before moving it away. None of them had expected such an incident to happen.

Armand was taken aback by how cunning the perpetrator was to come up with such a plan.

It was clear that the person wanted Genevieve to get hurt.

Nonetheless, he did not act rashly. He waited until everyone got off work, then turned off all the surveillance cameras inside the building and headed to the Department of Public Information. He went through the documents, sticky notes, and water bottles on the desks.

When he got to the fourth desk, he detected the faint smell of olive oil on a pen on the table.

He flipped through the documents and glanced at the name of the person who sat at that desk.

Over at the hospital, Genevieve was lying comfortably on her side on the hospital bed, engrossed in a variety show featuring female socialites getting into catfights.

When Armand walked in carrying a food jar, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Genevieve threw away the nuts in her hand, then slowly sat up in bed. "I've been starving for ages. I ordered fried chicken after you left, but it didn't taste good."

Armand's face clouded over. "How could you eat junk like that? I won't tolerate it if you do that again."

Regardless of whether it was during their first meeting or just that morning, Armand had always been good-natured and soft-spoken toward her. However, at that moment, he was angry, and his tone was solemn.

Somewhat taken aback, she mumbled, "I only took one bite. Look!"

She quickly picked up the takeout box on the table. Inside lay a dry-looking chicken drumstick, and someone had taken a small bite.

Armand's expression finally relaxed, and he opened the food jar. Inside was some pork bone broth and a serving of stir-fry with celery.

Genevieve frowned at the sight of the celery. Nonetheless, she knew he was a good cook and that he could probably turn tree leaves into a delicious dish. She picked up her fork and began to eat. The broth was especially tasty with no unpleasant smell.

Armand got up to stack two more pillows behind her and adjust the bed higher so she could lean back comfortably.

As she ate, she asked, "Did you find out anything?"

"Someone deliberately left the pane of glass in the stairway and spilled olive oil on the stairs," Armand replied. "The culprit is Cassandra from the Department of Public Information. She probably heard from someone that you would be taking over Ms.

Briggs' position and was unhappy about it."

Cassandra and Genevieve were around the same age, and the former had worked in the Department of Public Information for a long time. It was unsurprising that she felt upset over having her chance at a promotion snatched away by someone who had just joined the company not too long ago.

Chapter 1005

Genevieve had thought Cassandra had her quirks, but she had never imagined the latter would resort to such dirty tactics. "Cassandra was the one who sent over our department's medical reports in the morning. They weren't in sealed envelopes, so she must've read mine before entering the office and learned I have a coagulation disorder. That's why she hatched such a plan. That b*tch! She's much more capable than me, and many are way more capable than her. Why doesn't she just be emo about it instead of taking it out on me? Is it a crime to be beautiful?"

My, my. She's quite vain indeed.

Suppressing a smile, he asked, "What does 'emo' mean?"

"It's a popular internet slang word for crying and being upset," Genevieve explained, having just recently discovered the word on Twitter.

After eating to her heart's content, she drank the probiotics Armand handed her to help with digestion.

"I want to return to work tomorrow morning," she said.

Noticing that she still looked pale, Armand could not help feeling worried. "Why don't you stay here for one more day? I'll deal with Cassandra tomorrow."

Genevieve waved her hand dismissively. "She's picking on me, so how can I ask a guy to take care of it? I'll go to work tomorrow and make sure that b*tch never dares to cross me again!" Seeing how determined she was, Armand had no choice but to relent.

At around nine o'clock that night, Genevieve wanted to go to the bathroom to wash up and change into pajamas. She had planned to walk there herself, but Armand carried her into the bathroom at once. After putting her down, he squeezed out some toothpaste on her toothbrush, then hung her towel on a hook within her reach.

Worried that she would slip on the bathroom tiles, he suggested, "Why don't I stay and accompany you?"

Genevieve was utterly stunned by his actions.

She placed her hands against the washbasin and gazed at him with a dubious look. "Are you sure your ex-wife was really merely a substitute? From the looks of it, you seem to have lived with her." Her expression turned cold as she continued, "Did you... do it with her?"

I can't help suspecting I've had the wool pulled over my eyes.

For a moment, Armand was bereft of words. Judging by the look on her face, I'll land myself in big trouble if I answer "yes." Besides, while we were eating the other day, I swore I never touched other women. This situation will be the death of me!

After a few seconds, he finally answered nonchalantly, "Nope. I'm no caring soul, but seeing that you're injured, I should help you with everything."

In the end, Genevieve still believed him and waved for him to leave the bathroom.

She felt much better after removing her makeup. When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw Armand placing several bottles on the table.

Hearing some movement, he turned around and glanced at her, then went and carried her to the bed.

He rummaged through the bottles for a small one. "I brought a rose-scented mask for you. Do you want to put it on now?"

"Okay," Genevieve replied, lying on the pillow.

When Armand leaned in to help her apply the facial mask, she furrowed her brows suddenly. "How do you know about facial masks and how to put them on? Where did you learn all this from?" Howjealous can she get? She makes a big deal over every little thing I do! But I suppose that's a good thing. It means she still loves me.

Armand took his phone from the table and gave it to Genevieve. She saw he had an app about beauty opened on his phone, and he had been looking up nighttime skincare routines for women. "That's smart of you to look that up," she murmured. Then she closed her eyes. "Go on, then."

Armand used a small spatula to scoop out the jelly-like facial mask. Little by little, he applied an even layer to Genevieve's face. Soon, the faint scent of roses permeated the air.

Her skincare products were all customized and came with sky-high price tags.

Armand applied an even layer of the facial mask on her face. It did not look heavy or greasy at all. Instead, it made her skin look soft, smooth, and radiant.

Restraining the urge to kiss Genevieve, he took out a lip mask and helped her to apply it.

Perhaps it was because his movements were so light and gentle that Genevieve dozed off while she had her eyes closed. Armand pulled the covers over her, then went into the washroom to wash up.

Chapter 1006

The next morning, Armand brought breakfast over and completed her discharge paperwork when she was done eating.

At nine-twenty in the morning, Cassandra and her colleagues arrived at the government building.

Upon entering the place, her colleagues whispered, "I heard that Genevieve had a serious leg injury and had to be hospitalized for quite some time. Ms. Briggs will be transferred tomorrow. Since Mr. Faulkner can't work without an assistant, you'll probably be promoted today."

Cassandra smiled. "That's hard to say. There were five people who took the examination. Besides, I'm not sure if Mr. Faulkner is pleased with me."

"Of course he is! Among the five candidates, you're the only one who's as outstanding as Genevieve."

Cassandra said nothing, but she knew she was the next most suitable candidate. Now that Genevieve was injured, Cali was certain that the position would fall into her hand.

I wonder when Ms. Briggs will come and look for me.

Feeling great, Cassandra stepped out of the elevator and made her way to the office, only to find a slender figure sitting by the cabinet. She almost turned pale from shock. Genevieve seemed to have realized something and turned toward the door.

"Good morning, Cassandra!" Genevieve raised her thermos and took a sip of the chamomile tea.

Thank goodness Armand didn't give me masala chai again. This is nice.

Genevieve took a few more sips of her tea. Seeing that Cassandra was still standing by the door, she asked, "Why aren't you coming in?"

Cassandra forced a smile and walked to her desk.

Glancing at Genevieve across the desk, Cassandra could not help but ask, "Genevieve, didn't your calf bleed a lot? Don't you need to stay in the hospital for a few more days?"

A smile appeared on Genevieve's face. “The glass only caused a little scratch. It's no big deal. Even the doctor told me to get discharged and not waste money on staying in the hospital. Besides, Ms. Briggs is leaving tomorrow. I've got to hand over my job properly today so I can move upstairs to work tomorrow."

Her words made Cassandra's face distort slightly in fury as she slumped into her seat.

If I'd known, I would've hurt her even more.

Around ten o'clock in the morning, Cali went to the Department of Public Information and asked for Genevieve, saying she had something to hand over to the latter. It made Cassandra's blood boil. That position was supposed to be mine.

She uncapped her thermos and took a few sips of the floral tea she had made upon arriving at the office.

The moment she placed her thermos on the table, she felt an extreme itch on her face. Then, her heart started pumping rapidly, and she began to have difficulty breathing.

It was at that moment that Cassandra knew her allergy had been triggered.

Before she could take out her pills from her bag, her strong allergic reaction sent her into shock.

When the surrounding colleagues noticed that something was amiss, they quickly helped her to lie flat on the ground and administered first aid for ten minutes, which saved her life.

It was already two in the afternoon by the time she woke up in the hospital.

One of the colleagues, who was watching over Cassandra, hurried over after seeing she had opened her eyes. "Cassandra, are you okay? Don't you know you have allergies? You gave us such a scare." "I'm only allergic to strawberries," Cassandra murmured. In fact, a tiny bite of strawberry could cost Cassandra her life.

"Then why did you eat them?"

"I didn't," Cassandra responded. She would always check carefully when eating from a fruit bar for fear of her boss placing strawberries in them. "I only made myself a cup of floral tea when I arrived at the office..."

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she hissed, "It must be Genevieve. She knows I'm allergic to strawberries and tried to harm me."

"She doesn't have any grudge against you. Why would she want to harm you? Besides, she never visited your desk. She was summoned by Ms. Briggs at ten-thirty, remember?" said her colleague. Feeling agitated, Cassandra parted her lips to say something but quickly decided against it.

I would never eat a strawberry by mistake. It must be Genevieve. I don't know how she did it, but she must've placed it in my thermos. I couldn't even smell it when I drank from it. Cassandra gritted her teeth in anger. Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and a man entered.

He seemed to be a patient in the same hospital because he was dressed in a blue and white hospital gown. He was tall, burly, and handsome-looking, his sharp eyes hidden behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses.

Chapter 1007

Cassandra's colleague was stunned by the man's appearance in the ward. She asked, "Is he your friend?"

Before Cassandra could even answer, Cooper smiled. "Yes. Could you please step out for a few minutes? I'd like to speak to her in private." Hearing that, the colleague left without hesitation.

Cassandra watched as he approached her bed. I think I've seen him somewhere, but I can't really remember. I don't even know him.

"Who are you?" Cassandra asked in puzzlement.

Cooper pulled up a chair, sat down, and answered nonchalantly, "I'm Genevieve's brother, Cooper."

Cooper... I remember him now! He's the current head of Specter Corporation. I've seen him on the news before.

Right, Genevieve's the Rachford family's only daughter, and Cooper was adopted by her family.

Noticing Cassandra's pale face, Cooper adjusted his glasses and asked gently, "Do you know why I'm here today?"

His intimidating aura made Cassandra shudder. She pursed her lips and remained silent.

"My sister said someone bullied her."

"No one bullied her. S-She just accidentally tripped and fell onto some glass. It was an accident. Why are you here anyway?" Cooper's lips curled into a smile. "Do you know olive oil has a strong smell? Even a book and a pen can be stained with the smell." Cassandra froze as she suddenly recalled something, which made her pale even more.

Not wanting to waste his breath on her, Cooper unlocked his phone and handed it to Cassandra. It was a piece of news that was released at around nine o'clock in the morning. Mason Jellis from the Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources had been arrested for bribery.

Most importantly, Mason was Cassandra's uncle.

The smile on Cooper's face slowly faded, and his voice was cold as he said, "This is only a warning for you. Understand this, there are people whom you can or cannot bully, and my sister belongs to the latter. Do you know what you should do at work tomorrow?"

The man had on a gentle expression, yet his eyes behind his glasses were gleaming with hostility. Looking at him sent chills down Cassandra's spine. "Y-Yes."

"Very well. I shall not bother you anymore." Cooper put away his phone and left.

As soon as the door was shut, Cassandra took in deep breaths as if she had just been rescued from drowning in the sea.

Cassandra knew Genevieve had entered the government institution by pulling strings, but she had never expected her brother to be so scary that he had found out about all that.

Soon, Cooper returned to the ward and found the clothes Bertilla had brought over. After getting changed, he left with Bertilla, who had been completing the discharge procedures downstairs.

To make things easier for Cooper, Bertilla had parked the car in the open-air parking lot near the south entrance of the hospital.

Coincidentally, Sally had gone to the hospital that afternoon to see Cooper. Just as she arrived at the hospital, she recognized the plate number of a Bentley and blocked its path.

Bertilla glanced at Cooper through the rearview mirror. "Mr. Sutton, it's Ms. Loake."

Upon rolling down the window, Cooper spotted Sally's car getting in their way. His face fell. "Pull over."

Once Bertilla parked the car, Cooper opened the door and got out.

Seeing that, Sally quickly reversed, parked her car by the side of the road, and rushed to Cooper. Her gaze fell on his long legs. He was wearing a pair of grey pants, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with his gait.

Sally frowned and looked up at his face. "You've just started rehabilitation. Why are you discharged already? I'll take you to the military hospital."

Cooper responded plainly, "If I can walk, then neither General Hospital nor the military hospital can make me stay."

"But your legs will have problems if you don't do enough exercises," Sally said unhappily.

"That's my problem. You don't have to worry about it." Cooper glanced at his watch impatiently. "I'm in a hurry to deal with some matters in the office. What do you want?"

Chapter 1008

Sally's expression turned cold. "You need to go to the military hospital to recuperate."

Cooper could not be bothered to waste his time talking to her about the same topic. He turned around to return to his car.

Seeing that, Sally grabbed his hand and pulled him to her car.

Although she looked lean on the outside, she was skilled in fighting. In fact, her arm was covered in muscles. If Cooper was not a man who cared about his dignity, she would have lifted and thrown him into he

car.

With an expression as black as thunder, Cooper grabbed her arms behind her back and pinned her to the car door.

He leaned over and spat, "I've had enough of you, Sally! We had a deal. I'm not even holding you accountable for almost killing Genev. So why did you come to see me over and over again? Are you testing my patience?"

If not for the Zane family's unique relationship with the Loake family, he would have made a move on Sally long ago.

He curled his fist and punched the window beside her ear.

Sally glanced up at him and explained flatly, "I told you I didn't fire that shot. But it's still my fault for not going to the hospital that day. It's my fault that you got kidnapped and injured."

"I'm no fool, Sally. I know all about your plans. There's no point acting as if you want to make up for your mistakes," Cooper sneered.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he lowered his head to meet Sally's cold eyes. He narrowed his eyes and laughed. "Is it because you think I'm similar to Ethan? No wonder you keep visiting the hospital and pestering me. You're unbelievable, Sally."

He lifted his hand to pat Sally's face.

Sally hated others touching her face. Just as Cooper raised his hand, she grabbed it and stated, "I know Genevieve has a special blood type and the hospital is running out of them. She'll be dead meat if there's no blood supply when she gets into another accident in the future."

Knowing her identity, Cooper was not surprised about her discovery. His gaze dimmed. "Are you saying you can find someone who shares Genev's blood type?"

"You and Armand may not be able to find the person, but I definitely can." Sally's voice sounded cold as ever.

Cooper had found out about Genevieve's accident when Armand had brought the latter to the hospital yesterday. That was also when Cooper found out there were only three blood bags left for her. Genev almost died once. What's going to happen to her kids if she gets into another accident?

Fixing his gaze on Sally, Cooper questioned, "How long do you need?"

"The world population adds up to billions. It's not that easy to find someone who shares the same blood type, so I can't give you a deadline," answered Sally.

Cooper removed his hand from her grip, scoffing, "You've just given me hope, and now you can't give me a deadline. If that's the case, I might as well spend more money to hire people to help me. That way, I might have more chances of finding that person."

"I can't give you a deadline, but would you believe me if I say I can find that person before they do?"

Cooper's face fell when he realized what she meant-neither Cooper nor Armand would find that person as long as Sally kept quiet about it if she had truly found the person.

Most importantly, she had the power to do so.

The two looked at each other for a long time, and it was Cooper who broke the silence. "What kind of deal are you trying to strike with me?"

Sally grabbed his collar and pulled him forward, fixing her icy, yet approving, gaze on him. In a low voice, she said, "You've always been a smart one. I'm sure you can guess it without me telling you."

Chapter 1009

Cooper was forced to bend down and get close to Sally. She had a faint white tea fragrance, which suited her well, lonely and cold.

Her thin lips were beautiful, releasing warm breaths that fell on his face.

Cooper rubbed her lips, which reddened instantly like the color of roses because of how thin they were, with his thumb. The sight made his heart skip a beat.

Immediately, he let go and bent down to kiss her.

Bertilla, who was standing by the Bentley, did not expect to see that scene as they were arguing just a while ago.

He turned around silently to give them some privacy.

Both Cooper and Sally did not care that they were kissing in front of the hospital. Sally moved her arms from Cooper's collar to his shoulders and continued kissing him passionately.

Suddenly, Sally sensed something amiss. She placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into her embrace.

In the next second, a buckshot came flying, grazing the top of the car and finally embedding into the back of the car so deep that it could not be seen. One could only imagine how powerful that shot was. There was even a long mark on top of Sally's car where the buckshot had grazed.

Sally looked across the street and saw a young figure move and disappear from her sight the second she blinked. It was as though she had seen an illusion.

With his head buried in her arms, Cooper's body reacted slightly when he felt that soft body part of hers and smelled her fragrance.

After composing himself, he let Sally go.

There were marks left by his glasses on his nose bridge. He removed his glasses, rubbed his nose bridge, and asked with a frown, "What happened just now?"

"I just wanted to hug you." Sally hugged him around the waist and turned him around to prevent him from seeing the mark on her car. "I'll go to the office with you. We can have a meal together once you're done working."

Cooper was one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, while Sally was one hundred and seventy centimeters tall. He could not help but feel uncomfortable with her arms around his waist.

Removing her arms, he uttered coldly, "There's still a lot of time until dinner. I'll call you when I'm done."

Hearing that, Sally retracted her arms, opened the car door, and got in.

Cooper was rendered speechless.

When she saw him still standing outside, she poked her head out of the window and said, "Someone will drive my car away later. Get in. I'll go to the office with you."

Cooper pinched the space between his brows. He had no choice but to tamp down his temper.

The next morning, Genevieve was moving all her documents and personal items upstairs when Cassandra arrived.

Cassandra's attitude was drastically different from the past. She treated Genevieve extremely well and even helped her to bring some small boxes to Armand's office upstairs.

When they were done moving Genevieve's things, Cassandra said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Genevieve. I've applied for a transfer to another department and will transfer the latest by this afternoon. I'll never appear in front of you again. Please forgive me."

Genevieve figured Cooper had taught Cassandra a serious lesson. She uttered plainly, "There are too many people here who are more outstanding than you. What's the point of being envious of others? I don't like bullying others, but I'll never let people bully me. Since you've transferred to another department, then we're even. Just don't pull any more tricks in the future."

Cassandra nodded in response.

No matter what, she would not dare to bully Genevieve in the future.

The minister's personal office was over sixty square meters. There was a mahogany desk facing the door, a tiny guest area on the right side of the room, and a cabinet filled with files on the left side of the door. The assistant's desk was right beside the cabinet.

The desk was rather small, but it was, after all, a private office. She would be alone in the office if Armand went on a business trip.

Chapter 1010

Genevieve moved all the documents from the desk to the shelf. It was ten o'clock by the time she was done, but Armand had yet to arrive.

She had hopped out of the car by the roadside at ten minutes past nine and seen Armand's vehicle emerge while entering the building, and yet he still hadn't reached his office. She had also asked Cali for his weekly schedule and taken a close look at it yesterday.

He doesn't have any morning meetings today.

Genevieve grabbed her phone from the desk, and just as she contemplated sending Armand a text message, a knock came on the door.

She instinctively turned in the direction of the door, only to see a slender figure.

Standing there was a tall woman who appeared to be in her twenties. She looked especially beautiful in a white floral shirt and jeans, her black hair cascading down her shoulders.

The woman seemed surprised as Genevieve glanced at her. "Where's Ms. Briggs?" she asked with a glint in her eyes.

She had a gentle, pleasing voice too.

"Ms. Briggs has been relocated to Feston. I'm Genevieve Rachford, Mr. Faulkner's new assistant," Genevieve answered while walking out of the room. She has to be a somebody to be able to walk in like this. The woman smiled faintly. "You're so young and pretty, Ms. Rachford. I'd be head over heels for you if I were a guy."

"Thank you." Genevieve nodded politely. "My mother was one of the most beautiful women in Jadeborough. I got all my looks from her. You look really pretty too. I'm captivated even as a woman." "Thank you," the woman responded with her lips curled slightly.

The two continued to chat, but there seemed to spark setting off amid what looked like a friendly atmosphere.

The woman was Eurydice Gaudette. Although she didn't mention her background, Genevieve could tell based on her mannerisms that she had to be the daughter of one of the top leaders.

Since Armand wasn't around, Eurydice didn't want to spend too much time talking to Genevieve.

She left whatever she had brought on the mahogany table facing the door and said, "Please let Mr. Faulkner know I was here when he comes over."

"I will." Genevieve nodded and saw her off personally.

Upon returning to the office, she took out her phone to glance at herself in the camera, feeling relieved only after making sure she looked better than Eurydice did.

That girl looks really elegant, but the way she talks is just so cynical. It's as if an assistant can only be one of the two: a man, or a woman who's capable but doesn't have the looks. Why did she seem so threatened just because I look good?

Feeling a warmth between her legs, Genevieve recalled it was the time of the month, so she took a sanitary pad from her purse and headed to the restroom.

As soon as she entered one of the cubicles and sat down, a series of footsteps came her way.

The two women seemed to have come in just to touch up their makeup or gossip. "I just bumped into Ms. Gaudette upstairs. She's so gorgeous and classy."

"Some people really have it better, huh? She's so lucky to have a father like that."

The woman with a slightly raspy voice took a deep breath. "Who knows how many women are pining after Mr. Faulkner? But it looks like none of them stand a chance except for Eurydice Gaudette." "You're totally right," the other woman responded. "Judging from how she's been dropping by every now and then, she's obviously into Mr. Faulkner."

"Mr. Faulkner is Mr. Robert Zane's godson. Not only that, but he and the Loake family seem to get along well. He's handsome, single, and capable! Who wouldn't want their daughter to marry someone like him?"

"I heard General Loake is really fond of Mr. Faulkner, but Ms. Loake isn't into him.”

"Ms. Loake and Ms. Gaudette are way too different in terms of their background. If Mr. Faulkner were to end up with Ms.

Gaudette, then..." The woman stopped talking.

Genevieve paid attention to every word they said.

I knew she was definitely a somebody, but I didn't think she'd be that formidable. And there's even another woman called Ms. Loake? You're a popular one, huh, Armand? All the girls who like you come from far-beyond-average families.