Chapter 33 Took The Initiative
A beam of sunlight fell on J''s face. She winced and rubbed her bleary eyes, realizing that it was
already morning.
Her throat was dry, and there was a dull pounding at her temples. It appeared that she had been
drunk the previous night.
J scratched at her messy hair and padded to the bathroom in a daze, intending to freshen
herself up.
When she faced the mirror, however, she was horrified to find her neck and chest dotted with red
marks, which were decidedly not insect bites. "Ethan Lester!" J screamed at the top of her
lungs, her face burning.
"You called for your husband?" Ethan said as he sauntered into the bathroom.
A thin sheen of sweat covered his sculpted face, and his gray shirt was damp at the chest. He must
have gone running.
"What did you do to mest night?" J demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the hickeys around her neck. "You''re seriously
asking me what I did to you? Shouldn''t you be asking what you did to me? You started it all. You
clung to me and kept touching my body, rubbing my—"
"Stop it!"
J closed her eyes and put her hands up. "Did you think I would believe all these nonsense
you''re spouting?"
There was no way she would do those things to him!
With a helpless look on his face, Ethan walked away and came back with a crumpled shirt in his
hand. "This is the evidence. My chest was also pinched red by youst night. Do you want to have a
look?"
Then he intended to take off his clothes.
"No!" J turned away in a panic.
She tried to recall everything that had transpired, but only vague, hazy shes surfaced in her mind.
If she wasn''t mistaken... She had, indeed, taken the initiative to kiss Ethan in the car.
Great! She had well and truly ruined her image. J had never expected that she would lose all
common sense after a few sses of wine.
She bit her lower lip and covered her face with her hands, wishing that a hole would open up below
her and swallow her into an abyss.
"All right, I didn''t do anything, okay?" Ethan said behind her, his voice deep and husky. "Here, drink
this." He handed her a paper cup.
J took a sniff of the drink and realized that it was honey water.
After drinking it, her stomach finally settled down. The bitter taste of hangover had also disappeared
from her tongue.
Unfortunately, her mortification remained. J decided to ignore Ethan altogether and proceeded
to freshen up for the day. She changed into a turtle-neck dress and rushed out to work.
Ethan watched her the entire time, a small smile ying on his lips.
As soon as she arrived at the Larson Group, J was called into the conference room.
"We have reviewed all the designs you submit for the autumn and winter series," Ike said. "We''ve
come to the unanimous decision to use Lind''s designs." He held up a portfolio as his gaze swept
down the long table to where J was sitting.
"Thank you for this great honor," she gushed. "I''m new here, and I know that I still have much to
learn. Please guide me as I move forward. I will value any advice you give me." J had never
imagined she wouldnd such a big project so soon. She had been working here for less than a
month, after all.
Besides, as a neer, she didn''t think it was a good thing to show off her abilities before
establishing good rapport with her colleagues.
"There''s no need for that. Your designs are excellent as they are. Oh, but if you have any questions,
then feel free to ask your seniors." Ike looked through her portfolio as he spoke, his pride and
admiration evident in his eyes.
J only smiled in response. She knew that the other designers present in the meeting likely
disagreed with Ike.
"I think those designs are pretty ordinary," Pam Daly muttered under her breath.
She had joined the Larson Group a few years prior to J, and had been fully expecting that her
designs would be selected this time around. Naturally, she wasn''t happy with this development.
"Keep your voice down," one of Pam''s friends reprimanded her softly. "She''s right in front of
you."
"But I didn''t say anything wrong, did I?" Pam retorted.
J pretended not to hear their exchange and focused on sorting out the folders she had brought
with her.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
"Okay, everyone. That''s all for the meeting." Ike stood and gathered a stack of documents before
smiling kindly at J. "I''m going to need you in my office, Lind."
J obediently followed him to the other room.
Ike tossed the documents on his desk, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and leaned back against his chair.
"There''s a cozy vibe to your designs, you know," he remarked. "Your style is unique and
memorable, but not in an overpowering way. I see a lot of potential in you, but you do need further
training. If you do well with your projects, I will give you more chances to cultivate your skills in the
future."
Ike''s gaze had turned sharp as it fell on J''s face. There was nothing particrly special about
her features, but she was undoubtedly gorgeous.
J fidgeted under his stare. She understood what he was implying, and immediately felt
disgusted. Even so, she mustered a light smile. "Thank you, Mr. Lyman. I still have some drafts to
finish, so if there''s nothing else, I''ll be taking my leave now."
Ike grinned and said nothing more. On top of her good looks, this woman also had a strong
personality.
He did like it when they were feisty; it brought some spice to the game of pursuit. She would end up
taking off her clothes in front of him, anyway. He could wait.
"Go ahead."
J felt sick and outraged as she made her way back to her desk. She didn''t notice Pam, who
had been following close behind her.
"It''s no wonder Ike favors you," Pam thought as she sneered at J''s back. "You''re just another
shameless vixen who seduces her way up thedder."
Just now, she had stopped by Ike''s office on purpose and eavesdropped at the door. The man had
made his intentions toward J perfectly clear.