Ch. 2711..2720

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2711-As Rita lay in bed and wrapped herself up completely in the blanket, she finally felt a hint of warmth.

"Come on, Rita. More challenges await you tomorrow," she mumbled to herself.

The next morning, Rita got up as if nothing happened. After all, she had become used to the way things were in the family after enduring it for so many years.

Moreover, not having to face those people day in and day out was already a rare joy.

However, her rare good mood did not last long. As soon as she arrived at the newspaper office, she was subjected to some embarrassing remarks from her nitpicking older colleagues.

"Oh wow, our little princess is here so early. But what's the point of that? She can't even manage to get an interview."

"That's where you don't understand. Even though she can't secure an interview, she still needs to show the right attitude. Otherwise, why would the higher-ups keep her around? Just because she's a princess?"

The two annoying male colleagues exchanged a smirk. Their voices alone made Rita want to puke. She took a deep breath and heavily dropped her bag.

"You're right. I didn't manage to secure an interview with Claire Bourne," she remarked casually, "but some people just have that much time to spend on me when they haven't even finished their articles. I should thank them for their concern. Well, I can only pray that these people won't get confused and just copy someone else's article."

The reporters in New Capital Times were hired based on their abilities. Rita was able to stay in the job, not because she was a Russell but mainly because she could write and interview with great empathy. As reporters, having empathy was not enough. The most important thing was to have rationality. Unfortunately, Rita's strengths were all overshadowed by her surname. Still, she firmly believed that as long as she could become strong enough, everyone would one day acknowledge her exceptional qualities.

"Who are you insinuating against?"

"Huh?" Rita widened her eyes innocently and turned. "Whoever feels targeted by my words, that's who I'm talking about. Don't tell me you think I'm talking about you. Ok come on, you wouldn't really do something like that, would you?

Tsk tsk you've been in this business for so long. How could you secretly use someone else's article? Oh, I get it. It's not called 'stealing' when it's something done by intellectuals. Isn't that right?"

"Hmph, I've explained myself regarding that matter. It's up to you whether to believe me or not!"

Rita felt a sense of satisfaction seeing her colleague so infuriated but unable to vent his frustration. Who said she had to swallow her pride? She refused to do so.

Since she had not received a response from Claire yet, she could only patiently wait for her reply. She knew Claire's personality was level-headed, and it might backfire if she contacted her out of the blue. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Rita anxiously waited, believing that this ambitious woman would definitely get in touch with her. To her colleagues, it seemed like Rita was sure of securing the interview, given how calm she looked.

A few seasoned male colleagues could not help but gather and gossip amongst themselves.

"Don't tell me she's capable of

securing the interview with Claire?

Chase, Claire didn't even respond to you even though you tried fo contact.

her several times before. That stupid Rita will brag to us if she manages to contact her!"

Chase Crawford scoffed. "It's just like you said. I've tried to contact Claire several times, but she didn't even bother to respond. Do you เอน

really think she'll bother with a lowly intern then? live been in this industry for so many years white she's only been in for a few months. You're underestimating me.

Moreover, you've all heard of Claire's reputation. Every reporter is tired of her. No matter how much we fried, she refused to let any of us interview her. I've tried every trick in the book, but if she says no, she means no."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2712-Other reporters also nodded. "Yeah, I don't understand what she and her PR team are thinking. If she accepts our interview, coupled with her reputation, wouldn't she become famous in the country overnight? know she's made a name for herself internationally, but back here, no one else knows her besides her die-hard fans and people in the industry."

"It's just one of those mysteries. Maybe artists are just different from ordinary people like us. It doesn't seem like Claire cares about making a lot of money.

She just wants to dance her own dance."

"I still don't get it. It's not like she can't dance well after getting interviewed by us."

"I've already told you. How can we mere ordinary people understand the thinking of an artist?"

Rita waited all day until the end of the workday without receiving any message from Claire. She was very frustrated. Was her approach wrong after all?

However, after watching a lot of Claire's videos, the only conclusion she drew was that this woman was not content with her success thus far. It was obvious Claire wanted to become the top contemporary dancer in the country.

'Claire is neither here nor there right now. How could she be content with just being an unknown dancer?' thought Rita.

She could not understand. 'If Claire wants to be famous, she should just accept my interview.' However, Claire still had not contacted her. It had been three days since their last communication, and Rita was starting to lose confidence in her approach.

Just as she was preparing to face the ridicule from her colleagues, she suddenly received a message from an unknown number.

[Rita, are you still up for what you said last time? I'm interested in your proposal.] Rita was ecstatic. Her hands were shaking as she typed out her reply. After taking several deep breaths, she finally sent a seemingly calm message in response.

[Of course. If you're interested, why don't we find some free time to sit and have a good chat? It's not just for the interview but also for your future development in the country.] [Okay, I'll come meet with you tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the cafe next to your workplace.] [Great, I'll be there on time.] "Yes!" With victory in hand, Rita could not believe she had managed to secure an interview with the person all the other veteran reporters could not. Being still young, she could not hide her joy. After grabbing her things, she quickly left work.

The other colleagues gathered together again.

"No way! Did you see how happy she looked just now? She really got that interyiew with cfaire. Now I'm

confused. Are there unspoken communication skills beenel.net"

women that we men don't know about?"

Chase did not hold back on belittling Claire. "What communication skills could women possibly have? They only know how to talk about o m shopping, beauty, land other stiperficial topics. Maybe Claire is just basic and likes talking about those things as well. That's why Rita was able to hook her by bringing up those topics. No wonder those two can get along. They say she's an artist, but she's as basic as they come."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2713-The other reporters did not join in with Chase's remarks. After all, Chase had tried several times without success, yet a newcomer had struck gold. They could not help but feel unhappy about it.

However, they knew better than to belittle their interview subject. If those words reached Claire's ears, it might jeopardize any future dealings with her. All the same, they could not help but feel curious. How did Rita manage to secure the interview when everyone else failed?

Back at home, Rita did not waste any time either. She knew her colleagues would gossip about her, but she had grown accustomed to such idle talk. Her study at home had become her office, with information about Claire covering an entire wall.

After learning about Claire's relationship with Sherman, she also looked into Sherman's background. The more she learned about this man, the more amazed she was at his achievements. She had not expected someone so young to have such capabilities.

'No wonder even Dad tried to get on Sherman's good side. Heck, I bet Dad wishes nothing more than for me to marry him. It's just a pity we didn't really get off to a good start on our first meeting,' thought Rita. However, after their last meeting, Rita did find some merits In Sherman. In fact, she did not even mind being friends with him.

However, after thinking about it, Rita chuckled self-deprecatingly at how arrogant she had become.

After all, they were not from the same social class. Even if her family had some money, it was but a drop in the bucket when compared to Sherman's vast fortune.

Rita sighed again, wondering when she would finally make a name for herself as a reporter.

"Oh, what am I thinking? I'm meeting Claire tomorrow! I should get ready for it,"

Rita muttered to herself before burying herself in her books.

She never went into an interview unprepared. She was determined to do her best in any interview. She wanted Claire to know that refusing her interview before had been a mistake. She absolutely had to make Claire feel that accepting her interview would greatly benefit her career and not feel any regret.

Rita had confidence in this. She knew how much her father was against the idea of her being a reporter. She also anticipated how people outside would perceive her, but she never regretted it. When she was barely in her teens and first saw a war correspondent reporting news on television, she was deeply moved by that reporter's image. Since then, a seed of becoming a reporter had been planted in her heart.

Even though she was only an intern, she believed she was progressing on the right path. She also believed that one day she would become a reporter that others also aspired to be.

Rita had hardly slept a wink that night. She spent all her time trying to organize concise yet engaging questions. It was quite challenging, especially for someone like Claire, who had never been interviewed before.

Rita did not know where Claire's trigger points were. As Claire was a woman, Rita hoped to conduct her first-ever interview comfortably for everyone involved! She also hoped that after the interview, Claire would completely shake off any negative feelings towards being interviewed.

Otherwise, Rita could not

understand why Claire was so resistant to being interviewed.

Of course, Rita also hoped to delve into the relationship between Claire and Sherman during the interview She wonde her toe to Ate al.

the relationship between the young dancer and the young company president was an excellent topic. Rita believed that once published, it would surely attract a lot of attention.

Of course, Rita also hoped to delve into the relationship between Claire and Sherman during the interview She wonde her toe to Ate al.

the relationship between the young dancer and the young company president was an excellent topic. Rita believed that once published, it would surely attract a lot of Rita paced around her home office to pep herself up. The next morning, Rita was still full of energy. Despite only sleeping for three hours the night before, she only needed a cup of strong coffee before she was ready to go.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2714-At the newspaper agency, the other colleagues could not help but ask Rita a few questions when they saw her so cheerful. However, Rita was good at keeping secrets, so not a single word leaked out of her lips.

"Hmph, let's just see how long you can remain this cocky. It's just securing a small interview. If you don't do well, this interview might as well have been given to someone else earlier," Chase remarked.

Rita disregarded Chase's words. "Chase, why not focus on writing your own article instead? Then again, I understand if you can't do it well. After all, Claire has rejected you many times. I can't help but wonder if she doesn't like you.

You'll definitely mess up the interview if I let you do it. Chase, can't you just focus on writing your piece? I'm going to attend to my work now."

With that, she grabbed her bag and walked into the coffee shop where she had arranged to meet Claire. She was earlier by nearly an hour as she wanted to go over her questions once more.

Half an hour later, Claire appeared at the coffee shop. They exchanged smiles.

"I thought I was early. It seems like you've arrived even earlier," said Claire.

"We reporters are used to coming early to scout the location. It helps us understand the environment better and makes our interviews more convenient. I didn't expect you to arrive so early," Rita replied.

"We dancers also find it helpful to familiarize ourselves with the environment. It ensures smooth performances."

"What do you mean by familiarizing yourself with the environment, Miss Claire?"

Rita inquired.

Claire chuckled softly, realizing that the interview had already begun. Rita was different from others she had met.

"You might find it hard to imagine, but there's a lot of rivalry in the dance world. It's not uncommon for someone to sprinkle broken glass or place a few thumbtacks on the performance stage. That's whyl only work with a team I completely trust even after coming back from abroad. It's crucial to ensure the floor is clear before the performance begins," Claire explained.

Rita nodded in understanding. "Young dancers like you are indeed rare. I can see why you'll stir up a lot of jealousy from the other dancers. Those younger than you see you as a target to surpass, while those older than you often carry a sense of superiority and are resentful."

Rita's words struck a chord with Claire. As someone slightly older yet still young in the dance world, Claire was in an exact position as Rita had described.

However, Claire could not openly confront those people. Otherwise, she wished nothing more than to tear into them and ask, "What gives you the right to behave like this toward me? If you think you're better than me, then why don't we have a dance-off? Otherwise, stop resorting to such underhanded tactics behind my back!"

"Have you had such challenges with those more senior in your line of work?"

asked Claire.

'Good. She's showing interest in my work. This means she's starting to open up to me,' thought Rita.

"To be honest, my colleagues have been subtly undermining me ever since I was assigned to interview you. They all thought I wouldn't be able to complete this task. Even after you've agreed to let me interview you, they spoke with a tone of mixed praise and criticism. But I'm used to it by now. I believe that their displeasure won't matter as long as I deliver the results. After all, the results speak for themselves," Rita remarked confidently.

Claire nodded. "Do you know why you've managed to pique my interest?"

"Because I believe you're much more than what meets the eye," Rita replied.

Rita's words gave Claire a great deal of encouragement. Ever untilthen, she still gatpassionate when speaking about it.

"Exactly. Many people think that I refuse to be interviewed because I'm above everyone else. But it's quite the opposite. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to leverage my existing strength, to the fullest!

The publiconight still misunderstand mé and consider me too

released. But I believe that artistic performances, especially dance.

performances, wonx last long if we can capture audiences outside of our circle. In other words, we can't afford to stay in our ivory tower."

materialistic after this interview is .

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2715-"We need the public to be involved in our art form. Artists don't create just for themselves to admire their own art," said Claire, showcasing such deep insights at such a young age, which surprised Rita. "I didn't expect that it was from such pure intention that you've accepted my interview. I thought…" Rita trailed off.

Claire smiled lightly. "You thought what? That I just wanted to become more famous? Well, that's one of my goals. If I become more famous, wouldn't it also mean that more audiences get to know about contemporary dance? My fame and dance are definitely complementary."

Claire's straightforwardness was in stark contrast to the impression she had left on Rita during their first encounter. Rita was deeply impressed by Claire's charm, and the interview proceeded in a very relaxed

manner.

"One last question. It's about your personal life, and you don't have to answer if you're not comfortable with it," said Rita.

"Oh, don't worry about it. As a dancer, I'm also a public figure, and if my audience wants to know, I'm willing to share. Unfortunately, I'm single at the moment," Claire replied.

"Oh?" Rita chuckled. "Then may I ask, do you have a type for men?"

Claire smiled coyly and lowered her head. "I like successful men who are responsible."

"I'm sure you'll have many people courting you after this interview is published,"

Rita commented calmly, but inside, she was ecstatic.

'Successful and responsible! Isn't she describing Sherman? She's basically confessing her feelings to Sherman in public,' thought Rita.

She wondered what Sherman's reaction would be when he heard about this. Their relationship was not entirely clear to her. It seemed strange to her that they were not together at this point when they already knew each other.

"Well, that's all for today. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Claire, and I am honored to be the first reporter to interview you," Rita said, extending her hand to shake Claire's. Claire also shook Rita's hand. "It's a win-win situation for both of us. Thank you for your hard work."

"Then the interview is officially over. I'll email your agent the interview draft once it's ready, and after you've confirmed there's no mistake, I'll forward it to our editor-in-chief for publication scheduling," Rita explained.

"Alright, goodbye, Rita."

Claire maintained a faint smile on her face throughout the

conversation, appearing much more relaxed than on stage However as spon as she stepped into her car, her expression changed.

"I'm exhausted. Don't schedule interviews like this for me again," She interviews like this for me again, i She took out her makeup mirror to touch up her makeup. She still had to make a visit to Sherman's place later.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2716-Serena opened a bottle of mineral water and inserted a straw before handing it to Claire's lips. "Listening to you talk with that reporter just now, I thought you were the kind of young person who stands up for the entire dance industry.

Even I, a cold-hearted woman, wanted to applaud you."

Claire glanced at her indifferently. "What? Are you saying that my acting was too fake?"

"No, I'm praising you. But I'm still curious, why did you choose an unknown reporter? I mean, there were so many reputable reporters fighting to interview you, yet you turned them all down, saying you were waiting for a more opportune time. The way I see it, Rita is a newcomer in the industry. She doesn't

even have much influence in New Capital Times. Aren't you lowering your standards by letting her interview you?"

Claire touched up her lipstick and smirked disdainfully. "It's true that Rita doesn't have much influence to interview me, and her status doesn't quite match mine.

But she is a Russell, which makes her have the highest status among the reporters who wanted to interview me. Believe me when I say she'll do her best to publish the interview today. And the way she got excited about what I said just now, she'll definitely put a lot of effort into following my news. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone? We won't even need to worry about how to promote me after this."

Serena nodded thoughtfully. "But what about your last answer about your criteria for choosing a partner? Won't Mister Sherman be angry if he hears about it?"

Mentioning Sherman finally brought a different expression to Claire's face, beyond her usual aloofness. She coquettishly whined, "That's exactly my plan! I want to make him jealous so that he won't think I don' have any other choice than him. Plenty of other men want to date me."

"But no matter how outstanding those men are, you only have eyes for Mister Sherman." Serena chuckled. "Actually, asking Mister Sherman to help with your publicity should be a piece of cake for him."

"You don't understand. It's better for things to be straightforward between us. At least until I've completely won his heart over. I can ask for his help, but I cannot let him I think I'm the type of woman who is with him for fame and fortune. I'm different from those other women out there."

Claire's expression visibly soured at the thought of so many women vying for Sherman's attention.

"You mentioned that Sherman attended the Russells' dinner party last time.

When did he leave?"

"Hmm… Mister Sherman didn't stay long. He left after about an hour. But we all know the nature of dinner parties like that. Who in the circle doesn't want to curry favor with Mister Sherman? Those with daughters would do anything to marry them off to him! So you better hurry up."

Clair had arranged for people to keep.

an eye on Sherman's movements)

ever singe a long time ago. She had to ensure that every move Sherman made was within her control.

"You don't know him. He'd never consider those women."

Claire was confident of that. After all, in all these years, he had never been close to any other wornan besídes herself. Otherwise, she would not dare to waste time and play around with him.

Claire had two reasons to accept Rita's interview. One, Rita was hen best chigg at that moment, and two, she Wanted to shake Sherman's sense of security.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2717-Then, Claire would naturally announce her relationship with Sherman in her next interviews with other reporters. She wanted the other women to know that Sherman had her beside him, so that they would think twice before trying to get close to him.

"Have you bought the pastries I asked for?" asked Claire.

Serena handed her an exquisite basket. "Yup! You said they were hard to get, so I lined up before dawn. Luckily, I went early because it didn't take long for them to sell out as soon as the store opened."

Claire looked at the exquisite pastries in the basket with a faint smile. "He likes sweets. Seems quite contradictory to his appearance, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it's quite contradictory indeed…"

As they talked, they arrived at the entrance of the Parr Group building. To avoid attracting attention, they both took the underground passage.

Claire looked at the dimly lit underground parking lot. As they walked toward the elevator, she envisioned a day when everyone would see her walk openly through the main entrance of Parr Group and into Sherman's office.

When she arrived, Sherman was absorbed in his work. He did not even lift his head to glance at her.

"Lucy, who let you in? Have you forgotten the most basic manners? Why didn't you even knock…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he looked up to see Claire's smiling face.

He was somewhat surprised. "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be doing an interview?"

"I finished the interview and came to find you!" Claire handed him the pastries.

"Look what I brought you!"

Sherman took the basket of pastries and smiled ruefully. "I'm not a child anymore. Why are you bringing me these?"

"Just because you're not a child doesn't mean you can't enjoy sweets! Where did you get that stereotype from?

Scientists say eating moderate amounts of sweets can help you maintain a positive mood throughout the day, sot brought this out of consideration for you.

Look how irritable you were just now. I bet you would've scolded Lucy if it was really her who came in."

Just as she wished, Sherman opened the basket and casually grabbed a piece of the pastries to taste. After chewing for a moment, he replied, "If Lucy dared to barge into my office without knocking, she'll be walking out of the building the next second."

Claire took Sherman's remark to be basically implying that she was special, causing her to blush and smile shyly.

"Alright, I know you work hard, but you shouldn't be so grumpy all the time.

You're already light years ahead of anyone else, so why not spend a little more time on enjoying yourself?"

Claire pushed Sherman onto the sofa. She then stood behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders as if she were going to massage him.

Sherman stiffened for a moment, then abruptly stood up. He turned to face her.

"Don't you have other work to do?"

"I've finished all my work for today, so I thought I'd come and spend some time with you. Don't you want me here?" Claire blinked and locked gaze with Sherman.

In the end, he sighed helplessly. "Fine, you can stay and rest here. I have to go back to the documents."

However, Sherman had not even taken a few steps when Claire rushed up from bhind and hugged him tightly.

"Don't treat me like this! I can't stand you this vere one ago back to Sherman remained silent, one hand holding the pastries while the other clenched into a fist. "You know very well that's all in the past. Isn't it better for us to maintain the status que now?"

A flash of pain surged through Sherman's heart. He was truly atla lass on tow to deal with Claire.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2718-Sherman had no intention of taking their relationship any further. No matter what reasons Claire might have, he could not accept her doing such a thing.

"No! I don't want us to become like strangers. We could've been the most loving couple, yet you refused to forgive me for my momentary lapse of judgment. But I know, deep down, you still love me, right? Who else can get as close to you as I can? Who else can be as intimate with you?"

Claire anxiously sought confirmation of her special spot from Sherman's eyes.

However, he coldly pried her fingers away from his waist.

"Claire, you are special to me, but I have a long life ahead of me, and you're not the only one who can fill it. You know? I didn't have any unusual reaction either

the last time Rita got close to me."

Claire could not maintain her smile anymore when she saw how serious Sherman was. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying you want to be with that woman instead? You only met her once at my performance, and she was unreasonable. Have you forgotten all about it?"

Sherman shook his head. "Didn't you just say the interview was pleasant?"

"Yeah, but I was just trying to lighten the mood for you." Claire struggled to control her emotions. It took all of her willpower to stop herself from trembling.

"You still haven't answered my question. Are you planning to be with that woman?"

"Huh. Am I just some fickle person in your eyes? I'll have you know that not everyone who gets to know me will suit me. Besides you, there's another woman, and in the future, there might be others as well."

Claire staggered back out of shock.

"You jerk. I came back from abroad for you. I had a thriving career there, but I chose to start from scratch here just to be closer to you. And now you're telling me that I'm not your one and only, that there are other women besides me? Is this your way of taking revenge against me? Huh? I must've been blind to not see how immature you are, Sherman!"

Sherman simply stood there and allowed her to vent; his expression gradually became consumed by indifference.

"Don't you find it tiresome to say the same thing as you did two years ago? If I'm so immature, why are you clinging to me? Plus, did you even ask for my opinion when you tom decided to come back? No ne You decided to come back without telling me, and now you're pushing all the blame onto me? Is this really the behavior of an adult, Claire?

"'ve said before that I've forgotten about what happened before not do I want to remember it. Everything between us ends right here right

now! If you need help with your net career, you can contact Lucy.

definitely do what I can to help. But as for anything else yey can just!"

forget about it!"

Claire was genuinely afraid of how cold Sherman was behaving toward her. She knew that they were on the verge of having a falling out and it was hen own fault for missing out on such a perfect man. She regretted going abroad. She had a hidden agenda for wanting to return so quickly. She wanted to catch Sherman off-guard so that she could find out if there had been another woman by his side.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2719-Fortunately, after investigating, she found out that Sherman never had any other woman and was faithful over the years.

Claire was confident that she, and only she, had been in his heart all those years. Still, whenever Claire wanted to take the relationship further, Sherman always pushed her away indifferently. Claire understood that he wanted to punish her, but had it not been long enough?

Another argument ended between them, leaving Claire exhausted. She took a step back in surrender and said, "Fine, fine, fine. Let's leave it at that. I know it's my fault. I wanted to make you happy today, but i turned out to be the opposite. I won't say anything more. I'll go back now. There's a charity event this Sunday.

I'll save you your usual seat."

Sherman remained silent. It was not until she was about to leave that he asked, "The seat you saved for me last time-was it really number 008?"

"What?" Claire turned sharply, thinking Sherman had found out about the mistake the staff made last time. She forced a smile and said, "Of course. I wouldn't make such a trivial mistake."

Sherman frowned. "Maybe your staff made a mistake but didn't tell you. Rita isn't the type to lie about this kind of thing."

Claire's face darkened instantly. "Are you questioning me for the sake of a woman you just met a few days ago? Have I ever made a mistake in all the times I saved you that seat? I can't believe you're questioning me just because that woman bought a ticket from a scalper so she could sit next to you!

Sherman, we've known each other for so many years. When have you ever seen me make a mistake when it comes to dance?"

Sherman decided to drop the topic, given how forceful Claire was being. He could only nod vaguely and say, "Got it. You should go back now."

Sherman had complete trust in Rita for some reason. Perhaps it had something to do with her profession.

Seeing his unwillingness to continue the conversation, Claire sighed and had no choice but to leave. It was only when she walked past Luey's office that she put on a bright smile again.

"Lucy, thank you for your hard work. Here, I got you some pastries."

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just doing my job, but thank you, Miss Claire," Lucy replied.

Lucy did not have any other reaction other than that. After all, she knew Claire would soon start probing into Sherman's personal life again. As Sherman's secretary, she knew what erall, to and what not to say. After all, Sherman was the one paying her salary.

"Yeah… I'm not sure about that. I'm just a secretary, so I don't know where Mister Sherman goes after work," replied Lucy.

Claire gritted her teeth as she pressed on. "Can't you smell if there's another woman's perfume on him?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Claire, but I don't get

as close to Mister Sherman as you might think. If you want to know, you can smell him, for yourself. That might be faster than asking me Lucy replied, maintaining a professional smile despite her impatience.

'Is this woman really going to be Mister Sherman's wife? She seems rather neurotic. she definitely won't make a suitable match to Mister Sherman, thought Lucy.

Over the years, she had grown accustomed to the constant o m tug-of-war between Sherman and Claire. However, she still had no idea what Sherman's intentions were.

After several minutes of fruitless questioning, Claire tossed her hair and arrogantly left the Sherman's office.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. Being the secretary to the company president was no easy task, thus she did not feel guilty about being paid a high salary.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2720-Rita returned to the office with the interview recordings and notes, only to be summoned by the boss as soon as she entered. "I heard you've clashed with some of the senior colleagues in the office again," the boss said without looking up from his work.

Rita looked puzzled. "What do you mean, 'again'? It's so obvious they're the ones causing trouble for me! You gave me this almost impossible task, but I managed to secure the interviewee. Isn't that impressive? Yet, instead of praising me, I'm getting scolded for standing up for myself against all the ridicule? It's because I'm a newcomer, isn't it?"

"Just look at yourself. I haven't even said anything, and you've given me this whole essay! I'm not saying you should silently endure their ridicule, but those

people are your seniors. You should at least show them some respect. Don't you know how to give some surface pleasantries? Why do you insist on talking back to them? To make matters worse, they came to me to complain about you. They even have a recording of you mocking them! How do you expect me to deal with this?"

Rita was so angry at her sly male colleagues that she laughed bitterly. Indeed, reporters always had their voice recorders handy, ready to capture anything at any time. It was a pity she did not record their ugly behavior at that time.

"So, what do you want me to do? Don't tell me you want me to apologize to those people?" asked Rita.

"Is this how you talk to your boss? I wouldn't be in this predicament now if you hadn't let your temper run wild."

Rita scoffed and crossed her arms. "Am I the problem here? Those colleagues of mine have been bullying me just because I'm a newcomer. They took advantage of their seniority, and you did nothing about it. But now that they've recorded me fighting back, you're suddenly concerned. Boss, you really disappoint me."

Rita had thought her boss, who had helped her before, would stick up for her to the end. However, he turned out to be spineless through and through.

The boss' face darkened at Rita's criticism. "In any case, you don't need to follow up on this interview anymore. Let them handle the subsequent work."

"Why not? No, I don't agree with this. I was the one who secured the interview.

Has Claire ever responded to any of their invitations? No! So why should I hand over my work to someone else? That's simply ridiculous!"

"Hmph, it doesn't matter whether you agree to it or not. I'm the one who says who does what! It's enough that I've given such an important task to a newcomer like you. You still have plenty of other tasks to do. Now, if you have nothing else, you can leave. There's a meeting later. Don't forget to send the materials to your colleagues before that."

Rita remained standing in place for a long time until the boss glanced at her as if to say, 'Why are you still here?' Only then did she exhale deeply. "Boss, you're going to regret this."

"What do I have to regret-"

Rita maintained a proud, upright posture as she walked out of the office. After all, she was the noble Miss Russell, and nothing could force her to bow. As soon as she stepped out, she walked over to the male colleague who had provoked her earlier and slammed the stack of materials she had collected onto his desk.

"You really lived up to your reputation as a veteran reporter. I can't win against your underhanded tactics at all. Are you afraid I'd

recorded our argument? Well get surpass you? Is that why you you don't need to worry. Consider this?

interview a gift from me. However, I won't be so accommodating next time,"