The Wrong Woman

In the morning, they visited the event site. The team was busy setting up and decorating, and the basic framework of the venue
was almost complete.
After working there for a while, they had to head to the branch office for a meeting.
The meeting started at 11:00 am and went on until 1:00 pm.
Candice sat in the corner, her stomach growling and she yawned frequently. She rubbed her tired neck, swaying gently in her
seat.
When her gaze inadvertently met Elio's, she immediately straightened up, adopting a posture of utmost attention, even holding
her breath. Anxious waves crashed over her.
Candice worried that Elio might have noticed her small fidgeting actions and found it absurd. She mentally scolded herself for
being so careless.
As the meeting carried on, Sean appeared suddenly and whispered in Candice's ear. "Ms. Candice, please come with me."
Swiftly gathering her notebook, Candice inquired cautiously, "Is something wrong?"
With a gesture, Sean beckoned her to follow. She had no choice but to follow him out.
Once outside the office, they walked one after the other into a lounge area. Candice was stunned to find a table laid out with
lunch and juice, accompanied by a solitary bed.
"Ms. Candice, please enjoy your meal. After lunch, you can rest on the lounge chair. Mr. Hoffis will come for you once he's done,"
Sean informed her.
Intrigued, Candice asked, "Are Ms. Lloyd and the others having lunch as well?"
"Don't worry about them," Sean replied before leaving the room.
As Candice savored her lunch, her mind inevitably drifted to thoughts of Elio. After finishing her meal, she rested for an hour.
Upon awakening, she realized that Sadie and Emerson had already left. Strangely enough, Candice found herself instructed to
stay by Elio's side. He was engrossed in an unending string of meetings.
The drone of tedious data reports and strategic discussions acted as a lullaby, lulling Candice into a state of drowsiness.

Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket, breaking the monotony. Hastily retrieving it, she saw Mervyn's name flashing on
screen. A smile tugged at her lips as she answered the call, muffling her voice with her hand. "Merv."
Though her voice was barely a whisper , her joyful expression gave away. She hunched down like a thief, sneaking toward the
door.
Every move she made, every smile and frown, was noticed by Elio.
His typically impassive demeanor turned icy, anger spreading across his eyes, drawing his attention away from the meeting.
Slowly, he clenched his fist around his pen, his demeanor was icy as it seemed that a chilly atmosphere settled over the room.
The others in the meeting remained clueless as to what had angered the CEO, their unease palpable.
Outside the meeting room, Candice whispered, "Merv, what's up?"
"Where are you? Let's grab dinner together. I'll pick you up," Mervyn suggested.
Candice pouted, lamenting, "I'm still stuck at work."
"What? It's already late. Why aren't you off yet?"
She nodded sadly. "Yeah, I know."
"Who's the heartless boss keeping you at the office without dinner? It's already 6:00 pm."
Candice softly replied, "It's Elio."
Mervyn paused, then exclaimed in shock, "You mean your cousin's uncle, Elio? The one who's only good for his money and
looks?" Candice gave an awkward smile. "He's not completely useless, you know."