Actually, part of the reason Lilian wanted to go work for Morrison was simply to have an easier way to see him. But another part, like she said, was about her pride.
Growing up always living in the shadow of her academically brilliant and capable older brother, Lilian felt pretty ordinary.
She didn't want to graduate and immediately join Washington Co., where if she didn't perform well, people would definitely gossip and make fun — saying things like, "Look at how capable Dave is, but his sister is just holding everyone back."
Going to Morrison's company was different. There, she could keep her identity under wraps and just be treated as a regular, ordinary employee.
Besides, if she didn't do well at MOS Corp., the only one people would tease would be Morrison for bringing her in — not her brother.
Morrison had extended the invitation, she agreed, and Dave didn't object. He just reminded her to work hard once she got there, and Lilian nodded repeatedly.
Before hanging up, Dave still wasn't quite at ease and warned her one more time,
"When you're at MOS Corp., apart from work, keep your distance from Morrison. He's not someone you can afford to mess with!"
Lilian wanted to cry on the other end of the line — but how could she? She already had messed with him!
Dave noticed her silence and raised his voice,
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Lilian chuckled softly,
"No, no, I'm seriously listening to your earnest advice."
"Alright then, hang up and focus on your thesis," Dave said before ending the call.
Lilian held the phone and let out a small wail. What should she do? She'd already stirred things up — should she break up now while she still can?
So troublesome, so troublesome.
Two weeks later, Lilian successfully passed her thesis defense. Graduation was officially counting down, and there were endless farewell dinners to attend.
Youthful and carefree, and without any lingering thoughts of romance—or even of that certain someone—the young lady got so busy and caught up in the festivities that she completely forgot about that man.
They had agreed to meet after the defense was over, but Lilian hadn't called Morrison even once—let alone met up with him.
Morrison found out about her passing the defense from Dave, who mentioned that Lilian had used the excuse to get him to buy a coveted little handbag as a graduation gift.
Hearing this, Morrison's heart churned with an unidentifiable feeling—like he'd been abandoned and utterly forgotten.
Doesn't she have a boyfriend? Isn't this the kind of thing she should be asking her boyfriend for?
Angry and hurt, Morrison didn't want to contact her at all. He'd made up his mind. He wanted to see how long it would take for that girl to remember him.
That night, Morrison had a dinner engagement. After it ended, the group walked out of the restaurant together.
Morrison was dining with a female CEO named Monna, who was from Burg Eltz. She was the owner of a well-known beauty salon chain and, at thirty-two years old, was about the same age as Morrison. She had built her empire from scratch, starting as a humble beautician and now nearly monopolizing the entire beauty industry in Burg Eltz.
Everyone in the Burg Eltz business circle knew Monna had a crush on Morrison, but Morrison was completely uninterested in her.
Monna was bold and fiery, frequently expressing her affection for him at various events.
However, she wasn't the type to pester or resort to underhanded tactics behind his back. Since it was her expressing her feelings, Morrison's ignoring her didn't bother her. She was straightforward. This time, they were dining together because they had to collaborate on a government project, and it was precisely because of Monna's frankness that Morrison finally agreed to cooperate.
Morrison didn't know why he felt nothing for Monna. Most of the women he had been involved with had some spark that made him want to continue the relationship. Monna was attractive, had a good figure, and carried herself well, but he simply had no desire to pursue anything romantic with her.
Monna had been drinking a little too much, and as they walked side by side, she kept leaning on him, using the alcohol as an excuse. At first, Morrison tried to avoid her, but eventually, he just pulled her into his arms, squinting his eyes with a smile.
"Monna, do you want me to hold you like this so badly?"
She lifted her head in his arms, eyes full of longing.
"Yes, and I want to sleep with you too, but you don't even glance my way."
Morrison was momentarily speechless. This woman was really bold.
Then he glanced up and saw a group of students coming out of a nearby restaurant — and among them was the young lady he hadn't seen in twenty days. Coincidentally, she was looking right toward them.
Suddenly, Morrison felt like he'd been set on fire. He immediately shoved Monna into Norton's arms behind him.
Morrison's move to toss Monna out was too quick and forceful. Neither Monna nor Norton was prepared for it. Norton barely caught the fleeting figure of Monna as she stumbled into his arms, almost sending him flying backward from the sudden impact.
Luckily, Norton was strong and steady enough to hold onto the pale and shocked Monna.
"Whoa! What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed, trying to steady himself amidst the unexpected chaos.
Meanwhile, Morrison, walking ahead without looking back, ordered coolly, "I've got something to handle. Take Monna home."
With that, he strode straight toward the parking lot.
Following Morrison's gaze, Norton saw a group of students leaving the nearby restaurant. It was graduation season, so it was common for seniors to rent out private rooms or the whole restaurant to hold farewell parties.
But to Norton, they looked like ordinary graduates — some boys and girls were visibly tipsy, helping each other walk, while others remained sober, standing on the roadside hailing cabs.
From their conversations, it seemed they weren't planning to go back to campus but were headed to a karaoke bar to continue celebrating.
In Norton's view, the group piled into several taxis and left in a convoy. Soon after, his boss's car rolled out of the parking lot, following behind the taxis.
Monna, still dizzy, climbed out of Norton's arms. Spotting Morrison's brisk retreat, she shouted angrily, "Morrison! You bastard!"
How dare he toss her out so roughly — she was a respectable woman with a reputation and status!