One day, Ayla was sitting in her office, continuously revising her designs. This week, she was really too busy to do anything else. She had sewn dozens of clothes herself. She only had a few hours of rest every day. The only good thing was that Brian had gone on a business trip, so she could at least have some free time. Linda walked in and saw the clothes on the mannequins. “Ayla, are you an idiot or something? Mr. Clark isn't here to look at what you've done! You don't have to do any of that to please. him. "https://novelebook. com/. Putting down the needle, Ayla said, "Linda, if you've got nothing better to do, just go away and stop bothering me. Whatever I. want to do, let alone who I want to please, it's none of your business. Wasn't it better if they just ignored each other? There was no need for Linda to come here just to mock her. "Don't pretend to be oblivious of your own deviousness The only reason you have what you have now is because you climbed. onto Mr. Clark's bed, didn't you? Do you think a newcomer like you, who hasn't even graduated, can be on an equal footing with. someone like me?". Linda walked to the sofa and made herself comfortable. She had been wanting to talk to Ayla to let her know her place in this. company. "I have no intention of competing with you, and I don't want anything to do with you, either. Whether Mr. Clark is the reason I have. what I have today or not, I don't give a damn. Ayla had never wanted any of these, nor did she want to stand in the limelight. All she wanted was for people to admire the clothes she designed. "So, you're aware of it. The fashion show, the cocktail party, and the media reports were all Mr. Clark's arrangement, and he did it. all for you. Don't forget who you really are. Listen to me, you're just a nobody!". Linda sneered before she walked out of the room. As she stared at the clothes in front of her, Ayla suddenly felt lost. If it weren't for that woman's remark, she would've been quite confident in her own abilities. And even though she didn't care about the reports, was true that the fashion show had positive responses. But if Brian was the one behind all of it, what did he want? For what purpose did he do all of that? Ayla sat on the sofa,. contemplating for a long time

By the time she stood up, it was already dark outside. She didn't turn the lights on, so she couldn't see anything. When she got up, she accidentally bumped into the table, leaving a bruise on her knee. However, she didn't feel any pain from it. She grabbed her handbag and went downstairs. As soon as she reached the first floor, she ran into Hank. "Miss Woodsen, it's already late. Why haven't you gone home yet? Would you like me to drive you home?". Before Brian left on his trip, he told Hank to watch over Ayla. However, she had been too busy at the office, and she hadn't gone to see any other man recently. For a while, she just stared at him in a daze, before she asked, "Mr. Cooper, can I talk to you about something?". Her word s surpri sed Hank. "Miss Woodsen, if the re's anything you nee d, just let me know. The two of them wen t to the coffee shop across the company. As soon as Ayla sat down, she asked, "Mr. Cooper, tell me, did Mr. Clark arrange the media reports for the last fashion show?" . "Miss Woodsen, why would you suddenly a sk such a question?" . Hank was surp rised to hear that from her. Only a handful of peop le were aware of what B rian had done for Ayla. Even she, herself, d idn't know. Who on ear th told her about it? . "Just tell m e. Did he do that for me?" . Ayla wante d to know the answer. If it was true that Brian arrange d everything behind her back, the n she would give up on her career. Hank kep t his mo uth shut. This questio n was difficu lt to answer. He didn't want to lie to Ayla, nor did he want to go against Brian's order. "I assume that your silence means Brian did it, didn't he?” . All of a sudden, desperation arose in Ayla's heart. Why did Brian do it? What go od would it bring him? and h ow would she benefit from it? . "Miss Wood sen, you're mistaken. Hank shook his head in denial. He didn 't want to cause a rift between Ayla and Brian due to something so trivial. It was true that Brian had personally tal ked to those reporters and invited them to the fashion show, but it was no big deal. However, n obody knew about this. How did Ayla find out? If she got mad at B rian because of this matter, it would be di fficult for Hank to explain this problem to . Brian upon his return

Ayla didn 't believe Hank. Judging by how hesitant he was, i t was true that Brian had gotten i n touch with the media in advance. Perhaps in other people 's point of view, it wa sn't that big of a deal. But to her, it was. Just as Hank was about to say something, Ayla got up and walked away. He was surprised t o know that she als o had a bad temper! . ‘I better tell Mr. Clark about this as soon as possible, ‘ he thought. Instead of going back to her apartment, Ay la went to a bar nearby. She sat alone at th e bar counter, ordering a glass of whiskey. The strong liquor burned her throat, causing tea rs to fall from her eyes. It turned out that she was still capabl e of shedding tears. The whiskey tasted salty and bitt er in her mouth, so she decided to order another glass on the rocks. ‘I can't understand what Br ian is thinking. Does he rea lly want to keep me or not?” . Meanwhile, Lucas entered the b ar and saw a familiar figure s itting in front of the counter. He initially thought he was m istaken, but upon a closer lo ok, he realized he was right. “Lala, ” he g reeted. The sound of his voic e made Ayla turn her h ead and look at Lucas. They had previously set u p a meeting, but they did n't get to see each other. To her surprise, the y accidentally met ea ch other at this bar. “Lucas, it's you! What a coincidence! Are you here alone?" said Ayla. "I am! I actually just wanted to have a dr ink. By the way, what are you doing here on your own? Did Brian do something to you?" . Lucas took the glass fr om her hand. "A glass of fruit w ine, please," he sa id to the bartender. "This whiskey is too strong for you , Lala. You shouldn't be drinking t his. You're going to get hammered. After saying that, he gave h er the glass of fruit wine, a nd drank the whiskey for her. Asmile app eared on A yla's lips. "Aren't you supposed to be with Miss Green right now, Lucas? She's pregnan t. You should be taking care of her!" . "So, you still remember all of that, huh? Are you still mad at me?" Lucas smiled bitterly. Even Tatum was now aware that Haley was pregnant, and because of that, abortion wasn't an option anymore. He couldn't shirk his re sponsibility. But what would happen to Lala? How could he let her face Brian on her own? If th at man was taking advantage of her, there . would be no one around to protect her. And since she came here to drink alone, something terrible must've happened to h er! Otherwise, she would never come here . alone just to drink