Ch. 891..900

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 891-Bowen smiled and said, "Don't worry, Miss Francine. Ma'am has brought back your bag and instructed one of the maids to put it in your coatroom."

Francine sighed in relief and stared at Corinne with a frown. "You're playing tricks on me again, Corinne!"

Corinne casually ate and asked, "What time did you come home after distributing flyers with Chester yesterday?"

Francine blushed upon hearing Chester's name and responded shyly, ■ Umm, some time past eight, I think?"

Corinne pursed her lips. "There probably aren't a lot of students at the school gate by six, right? Where did the two of you go after that?"

"We didn't go anywhere. We just took a stroll!" Francine lowered his head shyly and continued eating.

Bowen came over with a water bottle to fill Corinne's glass. As he did that, he whispered to her, "Ma'am, the bodyguards saw her eating at a roadside shack with a boy. The boy even kept her company until they reached home!"

'No wonder Francine is this cheery. Things are going very well between them!' Corinne was not too surprised to hearthat. Her junior, Chester, had been raised well enough by his family, and he would never let a girl go home alone.

A sudden thought then occurred to Francine as she said, "By the way, Corinne, my grandparents will be coming home in another two days."

"I see," Corinne responded curtly and showed little reaction as she ate.

She had met Pamela before, so she knew that the old lady was very kind. On the other hand, she had not met Greg yet. Rumor had it that he bargained to only undergo an operation if Jeremy got married.

Francine frowned and said, "Grandma likes you a lot, but Grandpa has very high standards. He might not be entirely satisfied with you as his granddaughter-inlaw! You need to be mentally prepared."

"Thanks for the reminder." Corinne was still busy eating and remained somewhat absent-minded.

'How am I supposed to be mentally prepared? I can't even be sure that we will end up becoming a family in the future! Ugh, I'll just roll with it.' At that moment, a servant walked in and said, "Ma'am, someone who claims to be your schoolmate is asking to see you."

This alerted Francine before Corinne could explain the situation. "Is it a man or a woman?"

The servant said truthfully. "It's a man."

Francine frowned. "What's going on, Corinne? How could you invite a man over when my brother isn't home?"

Corinne raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Why do you sound even more jealous than your brother? Can't I be friends with someone of the opposite gender?"

Francine blinked uneasily. She raised her chin and snorted arrogantly. "Teh! No one's jealous of you! You're overthinking!"

Corinne merely turned and said to the servant, "I called him here. Let him in."

"Understood." The servant dutifully went and invited the person in.

After a while, the servant came back with none other than Chester.

As soon as Francine saw that the guest was Chester, she immediately realized that she could not meet him in pajamas and bed hair. In a split second, she jumped up and ran upstairs like the wind.

Chester had just stepped into the dining hall when he saw a figure disappearing upstairs. "What's up with her?"

Corinne smiled faintly and said, "Oh, she just went back to her room to get her phone! You're here pretty early, though. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Chester had a disappointed expression as he looked at Corinne, but he tried his best to act naturally. "I have, thanks."

Corinne raised her hand and gestured toward the chair. "Well, in that case, take a seat."

The servant stepped forward and pulled a chair for Chester, who walked over and sat down. "Whose homework do you want me to help with? Are there any children at your home?" he asked.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 886-Corinne turned to face Jeremy. “Can’t you tell your sister has a huge crush on Chester? I’m just making more opportunities for her to bond with him.” Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t he the type of guy you used to like?” “The type of guy I used to like? Mister, how did you know which type of guy I used to like?” asked Corinne quizzically. “You told me yourself: you like men younger than you and who’ll listen to you. Have you forgotten?” scoffed Jeremy.

Corinne nodded in realization. “Ah, I did tell you that! I do still like men who are younger than me and who’ll listen to me.” Jeremy thought she would try to explain herself or spin some story to make him feel better, so he was

understandably surprised to hear her admitting to it swiftly. His eyes dimmed, and his jaw tensed.

“Hmph! No wonder you treat me as if I’m invisible sometimes,” he said coldly.

Corinne lifted a piece of steak near Jeremy’s mouth. “Mister, I know you’re jealous, but who doesn’t have a type when it comes to their dream person? In fact, I’m willing to bet I wasn’t your type at the start, so we adults must accept whatever reality gives us.” ‘What reality gives us?’ Jeremy scoffed. ‘She really knows how to make it sound like she’s settling for me, huh?” Jeremy did not eat the piece of steak Corinne was feeding him and turned his head away unhappily. Corinne did not force him and simply popped the piece of steak into her mouth.

Jeremy refused to speak from then on, which was how the usually mature man started the ‘silent war’ treatment. This stumped Corinne, but she decided to coax Jeremy since he went out of his way to pick her up after work “Mister, you might not be young, but I like that you’re very handsome!” Jeremy looked askance at her. “Like? That’s all?” Corinne frowned. “Isn’t it enough?” Jeremy turned back around and lifted her chin. “No. It should be love!” Their interaction caught the attention of all the diners in the restaurant. Corinne knew how much Jeremy loved to kiss her, but she did not want so many people in for the free show, so she moved her face away.

“Mister, hurry and eat your food! I’ve ordered so much for you.” Jeremy did not force her. He simply picked away all the spicy herbs from her food to stop her from eating so much spicy food.

Half an hour later, they walked out of the restaurant. Corinne rubbed her protruding belly and said, “Phew! I’m super full. Mister, can we walk back home instead of taking the car?” To that, Jeremy would, of course, agree.

He held her hand, and the two of them slowly made their way out of the mall.

Once outside, he steered her into the quieter alleys that had less traffic and exhaust fumes-more suitable for walking.

The two of them chatted while walking, and they came to an elementary school.

It was after school hours, and Chester along with Francine were passing out flyers to the parents who came to fetch their kids.

Francine, being the spoiled brat she was, had never done such a menial job before. Thus, her face immediately reddened with anger when any of the parents, not wanting to take the flyers, waved her away rudely. She forced herself to calm down after each incident, though she looked rightly miserable.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 892-Corinne was almost done eating, so she sipped her water. “It’s not a child. It’s Francine.” A little surprised, Chester frowned. “Francine is a university student. I can only teach elementary and middle school students.” “Can’t you just treat her as an elementary school student?” “Uh… How am I supposed to do that? Isn’t it weird that I have to tutor a university student in elementary school subjects?”

Corinne said earnestly, “She’s never put in any effort in her studies since she was a child, and she has terrible basic knowledge. I don’t need to elaborate, do I? I’m sure you know how poor her grades are in university.” I Chester kept quiet. Francine’s grades were indeed horrible, and she failed all her subjects every time.

Corinne then said, “Her privileged life means that she doesn’t need to be smart to earn a living, but I still hope that she has some bit of general knowledge that she could use in her daily life. Do you think you could do that?” “Sorry, but I don’t think it’s appropriate.” Chester recalled having rejected Francine’s confession once, and he felt as if he needed to avoid her as much as possible. He only brought Francine to distribute flyers the previous day because Corinne wanted his help to keep Francine occupied.

Upon seeing his reluctance, Corinne added, “We can pay you a higher wage.

Didn’t you want to work and study at the same time? I remembered you saying that you wanted to save some money to start a business before your graduation?” Although Chester was not from a wealthy family, his family’s financial background was not all that bad. He only came out to work to become independent as soon as possible.

When it came to the prospect of gaining capital to start a business, Chester was beginning to feel persuaded as he knew he needed the money.

After considering Corinne’s proposal, Chester nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it. May I ask to what extent would you like me to tutor her?” Corinne smiled. “Until you feel you have enough money to start a business!” Chester thought for a while and said, “Alright! I’ll do my best to try and meet your demands.” After that was settled, Corinne turned and ordered, “Bowen, could you get the servants to clear one of the guest rooms and replace the bed with a large desk?

I want our new tutor to have a proper study room to tutor Francine.” Bowen was a little surprised that Corinne would be so considerate about Francine’s studies, so he hurriedly sent someone to do as she instructed.

When Francine ran downstairs to get fruits and drinks for Chester, she made a point to stop in front of Corinne. She called out in a rather harsh tone, “Hey, Corinne!” Corinne snapped back to her senses., “You called?” Francine had a stifled expression before she finally said, “Thanks.” Corinne smiled. “For what?” “You know the answer to that!” Francine cocked her chin arrogantly and went back upstairs with the food to receive counseling from her sweetheart.

Corinne watched on as Francine ran back upstairs. She spoke to Bowen for a while and then went out alone.

Over at the Crescent Building’s construction site, the plot of land Jeremy bought for the construction of the new office building was not a vacant lot but a dilapidated residential area in the city center. The original buildings had been demolished before the construction started, and work on the foundation was finally beginning.

The foundation was very important as it was linked to the building’s safety for many years to come.

Corinne wore a helmet and checked the construction site.

Aaron followed nervously beside her and supported her from time to time in case she hurt herself. He was extremely cautious and said to her, “You shouldn’t even be here, boss. The air is dusty!” As soon as Corinne confirmed that the building’s foundation was to her satisfaction, she said to Aaron stringently, “This is a very large project, and our company’s reputation is at stake. I need to supervise everything carefully and ensure that no one cuts any corners!”

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 893-Aaron would often sport a playful smile, but he traded that playfulness with sternness whenever he was at work. “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll send someone over to keep watch every day.” Corinne fully trusted Aaron’s capabilities, but she felt a little uneasy if she did not visit the place and check it herself.

When Aaron saw her meticulousness compared to previous projects, he jokingly said, “You seem to care about Mister Jeremy a lot, boss. You’re pretty invested in his future workplace!”

Corinne frowned. “My concern is whether or not the end product can satisfy our client. I can redraw the design, but I won’t be able to demolish the building and rebuild it if something goes wrong.” Aaron smiled knowingly and handed her an uncapped bottle of mineral water.

“Alright, alright! I’ll keep an eye on things over here so you don’t need to come here all the time. You’re pregnant, for heavens’ sake! Pregnant women can’t go to construction sites.” Corinne took the mineral water Aaron handed to her and was about to drink it, but she spotted a familiar figure from the corner of her eye.

A tall man dressed in a suit with a slicked-backed hairstyle was approaching from a distance. Several subordinates were with the man, and the leader of the engineering team brought them around the construction site.

It was Jeremy!

Corinne turned around almost reflexively and quickly hid behind a nearby truck.

Aaron squatted with her, too.

At the far end, Jeremy halted his footsteps as if he noticed something. His sharp eyes stared at the nearby truck. “Do you have female workers on your engineering team?” The leader was taken aback by the question and scratched his head. “No, not at all! Women are neither capable nor willing to do such a laborious, dirty job!” Jeremy narrowed his eyes, averted his gaze, and followed the engineering team leader to the other end.

When he walked off, Aaron poked his head out to look at Jeremy’s back. “Why are you hiding, boss? Isn’t he your husband? Why are you afraid of being seen by your husband?” Corinne leaned lazily against the truck. “All he knows is that I have shares in Newmoon Group, but that’s all. I don’t want him to know my true position in the company, at least not now. I also don’t want him to find out that I’m Moon, or that I did the design for the Holden Group’s building.” Aaron was puzzled. “Didn’t you say the other day that you wanted your relationship with him to be built on honesty and trust?

“1 Corinne drank a big sip of water and said, “Trust and honesty must go both ways. Only an idiot would show trust and honesty without receiving the same in return!” Aaron could sense that something was amiss. “Did you argue with him?” Corinne had an unimpressed expression. “No.” “Then why-” Aaron’s sentence was interrupted by his blaring ringtone.

“Hold on a sec while I answer this call.” Aaron took out his phone, walked a few steps away, and answered, “I’m at the construction site now. What’s up? No, I’m not hungry. You can go ahead and eat without me! Fine, just put it on my desk.

I’ll eat it once I’m back at the office. Okay, focus on your work.” After ending the call, Aaron turned around and said, “Where was I?” Corinne ignored his question and asked instead, “Who was it?” Aaron shrugged and confessed, “Some clerk who wants to hit on me. She’s been bringing me all sorts of delicious food recently, and I’m putting on so much weight that my abs are going to turn into a lump of fat!” Corinne frowned. “Don’t you dare hit on her.” Aaron’s eyes glimmered. “You know her?”

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 894-Corinne answered, “She’s my niece.” Aaron smiled knowingly. “You and I grew up together in the countryside, and I know you don’t have a niece! I’m guessing she must be Mister Jeremy’s niece.Is your relationship with Mister Jeremy so serious now that you’re even treating his niece as one of your own?” Corinne rolled her eyes at him. “Just don’t mess around with her, okay? She’s a good girl. I’ll smack you if you play with her feelings.” Afraid of being beaten up by his superior, he pouted and said, “Hey! Just because she’s a good girl doesn’t mean I’m automatically a bad person, right?” Corinne knew his character well. They were childhood friends, after all.She could not stand the sight of Aaron putting on an act. She stood up and walked and walked away. “I’m leaving!” Aaron chased after her. “Wait! My car is over there. Come with me. I’ll drive you back!” Corinne waved without looking back. “No, thanks. I’ll take a taxi!” Aaron shrugged helplessly as he watched Corinne walk away. She tended to keep a low profile and did not even drive a car.Hearing his phone ring twice, he lowered his head to look at his phone.It was a picture that Annie sent him. There were four different dishes along with one soup. [ Here’s your lunch for today!] Aaron replied to her with a ‘greedy’ emoji. ‘So, this woman is Jeremy’s niece?Why would she get a job at Newmoon Group?’ he thought.He put away his phone and walked out from the back of the truck. All of a sudden, he saw Jeremy standing there with his hands in his trouser pockets, staring unemotively at him.Aaron was startled at first, but he calmed himself in an instant. He smiled at Jeremy and asked, “Are you here to inspect our work, Mister Jeremy?” A car stopped right beside Corinne as soon as she left the construction site. She glanced over and saw the rear window being lowered slowly.Anya’s innocent-looking face poked out. She smiled brightly at Corinne, and there was no trace of the embarrassment she suffered when her ruse was exposed at the hospital a few days ago. “It’s a coincidence to meet you here!!!Corinne nodded. “That it is.” “Where are you going?” Anya asked. “Would you like me to give you a ride?” Corinne was in no mood to talk to her. “Thanks, but no thanks.” She then walked forward and ignored Anya.Anya told the driver to drive slower so she could follow Corinne.“Just get in the car and let me give you a ride, Corinne! It’s been a few days since we last saw each other, and I’ve missed you loads!” ‘Doesn’t Anya feel disgusted at herself when she spits out all these hypocritical statements?’ Corinne knew Anya’s character. She would never believe that Anya would miss her.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 895-Anya would never be kind to Corinne, especially not after what happened.

Corinne stared at the road ahead and replied calmly, "I'm not going that way, though."

Anya smiled enthusiastically and said, "I can always make a detour for you!

We're on good terms with each other now, right? It's not a big deal for me to send you there!"

"You don't need to trouble yourself."

’You’re not afraid of me, are you?’

Corinne chuckled. "Why should I be afraid of you?"

Anya continued to smile innocently. "Maybe you're worried that I'll retaliate against you for what you did? Relax, Corinne! Even if I wanted to retaliate, I wouldn't have chosen to do it at this time. Besides, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you in my car! I'd be giving myself away then! I'm not that stupid. I don't do things that work against my favor!"

Corinne glanced at her. "What do you want, then?"

Anya then pleaded, "I just want to have a nice conversation with you. Is that too much to ask?"

Although Corinne knew that Anya's offer was not sincere, she decided to get into the car anyway. It would be difficult for Corinne to get a taxi if Anya kept following her.

Corinne yawned tiredly after getting into the car. "Could you send me back to the Holdens' estate, please?"

Anya then answered a little awkwardly, "I'm going to deliver lunch to Lucas right now, though. Can I send you back afterward?"

Corinne frowned slightly. She already guessed that Anya was not heading the same way as her. "Okay."

Anya patted the lunch box in her hand and smiled sweetly. "My brother loves the food from this restaurant. He finishes them all the time."

Corinne did not even bother to look up and replied drily, "Is that so?"

She knew that Anya had nothing better to talk about.

Anya's smile faded when she saw Corinne's nonchalant expression. She had a slightly disgusted look on her face, but that soon turned into a smile. "I've already accepted that Jeremy isn't going to be with me anymore, but I want to know how you managed to change Lucas' view of me."

Corinne shrugged. "I'm a bit confused by your question, Miss Anya. Has his view of you changed? It doesn't look like that to me."

Anya frowned and tried to keep smiling. "Don't try to act confused. Lucas hated you in the beginning, but it's pretty obvious that his attitude toward you has changed."

Corinne answered, "Your brother never really liked me, but he doesn't really hate me either. Isn't it because of your scheming that he had such a bad impression of me? Now that everything's been resolved, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he'd treat me slightly better. After all, he already knows that it was all a misunderstanding!"

Anya could not contain her emotions and let out a sneer. "Slightly better? It's more than just 'slightly', okay? He's being overly nice to you! It's just plain weird!

What's your deal with him, anyway?"

Anya's probing questions made Corinne raise her guard. Anya and her mother, Phoebe, have been sending people to investigate her origins in the countryside.

Though Corinne had tasked Aaron with sending people over to deal with them, there was still every possibility that Anya's people might dig up some clues.

For the time being, at least, Corinne must ensure that neither Anya nor Pheobe were able to discover her blood relationship with the Riveras. After all, her investigation into what happened to her mother would go south if those two ever found out.

After a few seconds of silence, Corinne glanced up and chuckled. "Are you jealous, then? Is it so unbearable to see your beloved brother show the occasional kindness to another girl?"

Anya was triggered by that remark. She gritted her teeth subtly and smiled even more. "Why would I be jealous? Lucas has lots of female friends. I have no reason to be jealous of them! In Lucas' eyes, those women can never compare to me. I'm just weirded out because girls like you were never his type!"

Corinne smiled in response. "Then why don't you ask your brother why his attitude toward me has changed so drastically? I'm sure he'll tell you since he loves you so much!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 896-Corinne's remark made Anya's face frown. She could no longer maintain the demure smile on her face.

She only asked Corinne because Lucas did not divulge anything to Anya.

However, Corinne seemed to be insinuating that Anya had fallen out of favor with Lucas.

Anya did not want to let Corinne get away with mocking her, so she replied calmly, "Yeah, you're right. I'll ask Lucas later!"

Anya looked out the car window and gritted her teeth with a vicious expression.

'We've arrived, Corinne. I'm going up to deliver food to my brother now. Do you want to come with me?"

Corinne leaned back lazily and closed her eyes disinterestedly. "No, I can wait here for you until you're done. But you should hurry up because I'm not feeling very patient today."

Anya did not insist. She was just offering out of politeness, anyway. "Okay. Wait here for me, and don't go anywhere! I have something else to tell you later. It's about Jeremy!"

Corinne answered insipidly and showed little interest.

Anya glared at her casually before getting out of the car. She carried her lunch box and made her way to the Rivera Group building.

At the door of the president's office, Edmund stopped Anya and said, "Why are you here, Miss Anya? Didn't Mister Lucas tell you not to go to so much trouble to bring him food?"

"It's no trouble!" Anya shook her head. "I don't have much to do at home, and Lucas is always so busy with work. I'm worried that he doesn't eat his meals on time. Could you go in and tell him that I brought him his favorite stir-fries today?

It'd be great if he could eat them while they're still warm!"

Edmund frowned and reached out for the lunch box. "I'll help you pass it to him once he's done with work.” Anya was not prepared to just hand it over like that. She looked at Edmund with a bright yet innocent look and said, "Is he so busy that he doesn't even have time for me? He hasn't been home for several days now, and I miss him terribly…"

Edmund felt conflicted. Apart from going to the hospital to visit Sunny, Lucas spent most of his time at the company instead of going home.

Lucas did so mainly to avoid Anya as he was not interested to hear her explanations.

"Mister Lucas is unfortunately very busy at work these past couple of days. He has to clock in extra hours quite frequently. But you don't have to worry about him, though. I'll make sure to remind him to eat on time. Just pass the food to me."

Anya felt like crying; she did not believe Edmund one bit. "I know it was wrong for me to lie to Lucas before, and I also know that I've crossed the line when I schemed against Corinne to win Jeremy's heart. I've turned over a new leaf, I promise! I even politely invited Corinne into the car when I came across her on the road earlier. I planned to give her a ride, and I even told the driver to send her home! I'm making an effort to correct my mistakes! Why is Lucas still so reluctant to see me?"

Edmund's expression changed subtly. "Are you saying that Miss Corinne is here, too?"

Anya wanted to prove to Edmund that she had reflected on her mistakes and was actively trying to correct them. Through that, she hoped that Edmund would put in a good word to her brother.

That was partly why she mentioned her 'kindness' in sending Corinne back home.

Edmund, however, seemed to have focused on another thing completely. He seemed more interested to confirm that Corinne was there!

Anya felt a little suspicious, but she nodded anyway. "Yes. I saw her walking on the side of the road earlier, so I invited her to hop in so I could give her a ride.

Please let me meet Lucas, Edmund. I'll leave as soon as I meet him. Corinne is waiting for me to send her home!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 897-Edmund thought for a moment before saying, "Wait here. I'll go in and talk to him."

Anya smiled mischievously. She felt as though she had achieved success. As long as Edmund went in and told him that she had turned over a new leaf, Lucas would not be so harsh on her anymore!

As expected, Lucas came out to meet her in person.

"Lucas! I brought your favorite stir-fries!’ Anya rushed toward Lucas like she always did and acted coquettishly.

However, Lucas pushed her away coldly and glanced around. "Where's Corinne? Isn't she with you?"

Anya was taken aback. 'Why is he asking about Corinne?!' ’Umm… Corinne is waiting for me in the car downstairs! I'm on good terms with her now. If she's willing to get in the same car with me, it means she's willing to forgive me! I know I was wrong, so please don't stay angry at me, okay?"

Anya then wanted to throw herself into Lucas' embrace again.

Lucas placed one hand on her shoulder. He exerted a bit of force to stop her from coming any closer. He then asked, "Why didn't she come up here?’ Anya frowned subtly. She could sense that Lucas was showing a little too much concern for Corinne, but she did not dare to show her dissatisfaction with him at that moment.

’I invited Corinne up, but she didn't want to. She said she would wait for me in the car, so I didn't force her."

Lucas looked downcast. "She refused your invitation to come up?"

Anya nodded.

Lucas felt helpless. Corinne probably refused because she did not want to see her sorry excuse of a brother.

Edmund knew what was on Lucas' mind, so he stepped forward and asked, "Shall I invite Miss Corinne up?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes. Ask her nicely to come up here and have lunch."

"Understood!’ Edmund immediately turned so he could do as he was told.

Lucas looked on uneasily as Edmund left. He was a little worried that Edmund might not be able to convince Corinne to come up, so he thought of going over to meet her himself. Then again, he felt that doing so would make him look a little too suspicious.

For the first time, Anya could see the uneasiness on Lucas' face. She wondered if Corinne was the cause.

She was infinitely curious as to why Lucas cared so much about Corinne.

"Why does Corinne seem so important to you? Must you ask Edmund to invite her over?" she blurted that question as curiosity got the better of her.

Lucas snapped back to his senses and looked calmly at Anya. "She is Grandpa's savior, but our family has never treated her well before. You, especially, should know better than anyone what you've done to her in the past.

Don't you think our family should right those wrongs and be nicer to her?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 898-Anya frowned innocently. "I know that I was wrong when I didn't treat Corinne well in the past, but I don't think you should treat her that well. Corinne is Jeremy’s wife, so she's considered a member of the Holdens, too. The Riveras haven't been on good terms with the Holdens for quite some time. If you treat her too nicely, others might think that we're weak…"

Lucas frowned. "Corinne and the Holdens are two separate entities! Why do you think we shouldn't treat her well? It should be you, of all people, who are supposed to be more polite to her!"

Anya was a little afraid when she heard Lucas' tone. She said hurriedly, "I treat her with the utmost respect, Lucas! I even offered to give her a ride today!

You've never been mean to her, so I just think you shouldn't lower yourself for her. I feel heartbroken when I see you like that…"

Lucas glared coldly at her. "You don’t need to feel that way for me."

He then turned around and went back into the office.

Since Edmund was not around to stop Anya from following him, she bit her lip begrudgingly and followed Lucas in with her lunch box.

Outside the building, Corinne closed her eyes when someone knocked on the glass window and woke her up.

"Miss Corinne!" Edmund called softly.

Corinne woke up from her nap. She lowered the car window and said lazily, "Oh, it's you, Edmund. What's up?"

Edmund quite liked it when Corinne spoke to him in a less-formal tone. He was never very friendly with her because of Lucas, yet she never held it against him and treated him politely nonetheless.

"As you're already here, Mister Lucas invited you to come up and have a meal."

Corinne waved her hand to reject the offer. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'll be fine on my own."

Edmund was not surprised. He already expected her to reject the offer, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Corinne had never been treated well during her time at the company, so it should not be surprising she would not be keen on going upstairs.

Edmund thought for a moment and asked once more, "It just so happens to be lunch hour. If I recall, you quite enjoy our cafeteria's food. Just think of it as a restaurant and have lunch there. At least you would've gotten something out of coming here."

Corinne did enjoy the food served there, and she particularly enjoyed one of the pork dishes there. Although it had been a while since she worked there, she remembered how delicious that particular dish was.

Edmund had been instructed by Lucas to watch her every move, so it was not surprising he would know what kind of food she ate at the cafeteria.

Corinne glanced at him. She had been swayed by the possibility of having lunch there. "Isn't it exclusively for the company's employees?"

Edmund nodded respectfully. "It won't be an issue if it was you."

Corinne asked again. "Should I pay for the meal, then?"

"Not at all!" Edmund replied. "Mister Lucas will never allow it! Just eat whatever you like to your heart's content!"

Corinne's expression soured, and she immediately lost interest. "Forget about it, then. I'm not the kind of person who likes freeloading."

Edmund frowned. "Okay, okay! You can pay for your lunch then!"

Corinne got out of the car. She decided to head upstairs for lunch before going back home. There was nothing for her to do at home, anyway.

Before she walked into the building, Corinne saw a queue at the ice cream kiosk of a fast-food restaurant just opposite. She craved some ice cream, so she said to Edmund, "You can go on ahead. I'll catch up. I'm going to get an ice cream before heading up."

 

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 899-Edmund looked at the ice cream kiosk and said, "How about you head up first?

I'll get the ice cream for you. Just let me know which flavor you'd like!' "Vanilla, please." Corinne took out a banknote and handed it to him. 'Here's the money for the ice cream!"

Edmund was about to wave his hand and refuse when he saw the frown on Corinne's face. She seemed to be warning him that she would not go up if he did not take the money from her.

Edmund had no choice but to accept the money before waiting in line.

Since she had someone to help buy the ice cream, Corinne immediately made her way into the company.

Unexpectedly, she ran into an acquaintance soon as she entered the elevator.

A beautifully dressed woman with red lips was startled to see Corinne enter the elevator. She remarked in an odd tone, "Well, if it isn't Corinne! You were formerly Mister Lucas' secretary and was later promoted to the sales manager role, right?"

Corinne recognized her as one of the staff members.

After Lucas transferred her to the sales department, the same female employee replaced her as Lucas' secretary. However, she could not remember the woman's name at that time.

Corinne tended not to concern herself with unimportant people, and she simply nodded with a smile. "Long time no see."

The female employee purposely moved closer to Corinne and said teasingly, 'I heard that you were fired by Mister Lucas! Why are you here today?"

Corinne replied lazily. "For lunch."

The female employee frowned and sneered. "Lunch? Do you think our company is a restaurant that you can come to whenever you want? Don't be so silly!"

Corinne yawned and glanced up to see how many floors she had passed. 'I find it silly, too."

The female staff member felt that Corinne was merely brushing her off with that remark. She did not believe that Corinne was just there for lunch, so she began to pry, "Hey, be honest, will you? Why are you here, Corinne? Are you going to get yourself rehired?"

Corinne glanced at her. "Why are you so curious about me?"

The female employee rolled her eyes in disgust. "We're ex-colleagues, right?

Can't I show concern for an ex-colleague?"

She was not just purely curious, of course. Anya had tasked her to keep an eye on Corinne's every move and relay anything of note back to her.

However, Anya later ignored her after Corinne was fired by Lucas.

Since Corinne had reappeared back at the company, she felt that she could use the opportunity to inquire about Corinne and report any findings to Anya. That way, she could establish a better relationship with Anya so she could put in a good word for her.

Alas, Corinne ignored her.

The female employee continued to pester Corinne and became upset when she did not answer.

'Hey! Corinne! I'm asking you a question!

"How can you be so arrogant and ignore me?!

"What's with that act, huh? You only worked a couple of days at the sales department, and Mister Lucas fired you in the end, too!

"If you're trying to get yourself rehired, I'll have you know that a highly- educated person who is several times more competent than you has been appointed to that position already. You'll never get the job back!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 900-Corinne kept quiet and did not even look at the woman. Instead, she raised her hand and used her pinky to dig into her ear as if she had heard some noise.

Corinne's calmness irked the woman. She grabbed Corinne angrily. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? Why aren't you answering me? Have you no manners, you b*tch?!’ The elevator doors opened with a ding.

Lucas was about to enter the elevator. His expression darkened when he saw what was happening inside.

Time seemed to pass very slowly after he knew Corinne was just outside the building. He was a little anxious in waiting for Edmund to come up with her, and he was also worried that Edmund would not be able to persuade her to come up. Fearing that Corinne might leave, he decided to head downstairs and fetch her. However, he was surprised when he saw the scene in the elevator.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asked sternly.

The female employee was taken aback when she turned and saw her boss just outside the elevator. She felt a little awkward, so she quickly tried to explain herself, "Mister Lucas, do you remember her? You fired her some time ago, and she's back today for some unknown reason! I asked her what business she was here for, but she just kept quiet! She's so suspicious! I have a hunch that she's here to steal our business secrets, so I just-"

"Let her go," Lucas interjected.

The employee was startled by his frigid expression. She released Corinne right away.

Lucas strode into the elevator and gently grabbed Corinne's hand to check if she was okay.

His expression soured as soon as he noticed that her wrists were red. He turned around and asked coldly, "Which department are you in?"

The female employee could not understand what was happening, and she was a little overwhelmed by everything. At the same time, she also felt somewhat disappointed that she had not left an impression on him." Umm… Mister Lucas, I used to be your secretary, but I was transferred to the marketing department.

Don't you remember me?"

"Pack your bags and get lost. You're fired," Lucas informed without a second thought.

The female employee was stunned, and her eyes widened in shock. "Mister Lucas? I…"

"Get out!" Lucas lost his patience and did not want to listen to the woman's nonsense.

He then turned to look at Corinne and said in a soft tone, "Why did it take you so long to come up? Have you had lunch yet?"

Corinne shook off Lucas' hand in disgust and said indifferently, "Not yet. I'm here for lunch."

Lucas did not get angry at her after being rejected. He smiled gently and said, "Right. You couldn't have come up here to see me. Anyway, let's go. I'll bring you to lunch."

Corinne frowned. She did not want to go to the cafeteria with Lucas. However, she knew she could not get rid of him as she was on his turf. She thus decided to go along with him and avoid any unnecessary trouble.

The female employee stood frozen in confoundment. 'Did he just fire me? Why?

Just because I grabbed Corinne's hand? Didn't he use to hate Corinne a lot before and even go so far as to fire her? What in the world is going on? Mister Lucas even spoke in such a gentle tone to Corinne as if he was afraid of making her unhappy!’ Amid her confusion, a gloomy-faced Anya walked up to her slowly.

Anya narrowed her eyes as she looked in the direction Lucas and Corinne headed. Doubt and resentment began to fill her heart