Chapter 34

Wesley, though visibly irked, swallowed his frustration with Loretta. He forced out a measured response."Grandma, there are company rules. You'll need to schedule an appointment to see me, no exceptions."

Loretta wouldn't let it go. Her tone sharpened with disapproval. "Fiona's your friend. Why on earth would she need to book an appointment?" Her voice climbed another notch,fraught with indignation."Tell me,are you saying I'd have to make an appointment just to see my own grandson?"

Determined not to provoke her, Wesley softened his reply. "No, of course not..."

"Good, that's what I thought. And you'd better look after Fiona while she's there." Before Wesley could offer another word, Loretta ended the call with a decisive click.

Left staring at the silent phone, he mulled over his next move, still scrambling for a way to keep Fiona out of his office.

Gabriela knocked politely, then entered the office. "Mr. Moss, there's a woman outside-she says you two are close and insists on seeing you."

Wesley hadn't expected Fiona to show up so soon. His fingers drummed a restless beat on the desk before he forced his voice steady. "Tell her I've got a video meeting. Take her to the lounge for now."

"Got it."

With a composed nod, Gabriela led Fiona down the hall, quietly mentioning that Wesley was currently tied up with work.

Fiona, wrapped in a chic, delicate dress that barely shielded her from the biting wind, had made her way to Apex Group determined. Unexpected, she was greeted by a striking young woman-Gabriela-whose beauty needed no help from cosmetics, her complexion luminous and unblemished.

Confronted by such effortless elegance, Fiona felt a pang of insecurity twist through her chest.

Gabriela found herself under Fiona's sharp, appraising stare. With a tone dripping arrogance, Fiona ordered,"Go make me a coffee. And make it just the way Wesley likes it."

Caught off guard by Fiona's easy command, Gabriela managed a polite, practiced smile. "Of course.Please wait a moment."

She hurried off, brewing the coffee exactly to Wesley's tastes before carefully setting the cup in front of Fiona.

But as soon as Fiona took a sip, her face twisted in disgust. Without warning, she spat the coffee directly onto Gabriela.

Hot liquid splatteredacross Gabriela's pristine white dress, soaking the fabric and blooming into a bold, ugly stain. She didn't cry out-years of enduring worse back in school had taught her restraint. Instead, she calmly took a step back, her face unreadable even as her immaculate appearance was ruined.

"Trying to scald me on purpose, are you?" Fiona pounced on Gabriela before she could react, voice dripping with contempt. "Unbelievable. You're this clumsy, yet you landed a spot in the executive office? What dirty tricks did you pull to get hired?"

Gabriela,having survived yearsof Phyllis's schemes, recognized animosity when she sawit.

But what had she done to provoke Fiona? For crying out loud! They'd never crossed paths before.

Although irritation simmered beneath her calm exterior, Gabriela kept her tone steady. "I was assigned heréthrough proper channels and all the standard procedures. If you're that curious, Ms. Dewitt, feel free to check with HR."

Fiona's gaze narrowed, laced with biting contempt. "Who said you could open your mouth? Don't think a pretty face and a little support from above can cover up how useless you are."

Just then, Billy strode in, his brows knitting together as he took in Gabriela's stained dress. "What's going on here?"

Before Gabriela could answer, Fiona lunged forward. "Mr. Clarke, is the executive office in the habit of hiring based on looks? She's unbelievable-she nearly dumped coffee all over me on purpose! I suggest you fire her immediately, or I'll take this straight to Wesley."

Billy ignored Fiona's accusations, simply offering her a courteous nod before turning to Gabriela. "Come with me."

Gabriela trailed behind Billy to the CEO's office. Wesley ended his call and set the phone aside, his gaze sharpening as Billy quietly summarized the situation.

Wesley's face clouded with displeasure. "Get her a clean set of clothes."

"Understood." Billy immediately strode out to take care of it himself.

With the office empty, Wesley's attention landed on Gabriela. "Well? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

Gabriela's shoulders stiffened as she met his eyes, refusing to answer. She pressed her lips together in silence.

What was there to say? Fiona's accusations were nothing but thinly veiled malice, and Gabriela had only swallowed her pride for the sake of her paycheck.

Wesley fixed her with a look of quiet reproach. "You're my personal secretary. If you let someone walk all over you, it reflects poorly on me."

A flicker of embarrassment crept into her cheeks at his words.

But Fiona's overly familiar tone when addressing Wesley suggested that they were close. With such a dynamic, how was Gabriela, a secretary, supposed to stand her ground?

Without another word, Wesley retrieved an official-looking document from his desk and handed it to Gabriela.

She took the document without hesitation, eyes scanning the bold print at the top.

It was a company-wide mandate urging all departments to cut back on water and electricity use.

Wesley spoke with crisp authority. "I'Il set the standard-starting with the CEO's office. Go turn off the heat. Make sure every department gets the message, and tell them I expect full cooperation."

"Yes,sir."

Gabriela gathered herself and strode out, still thrown by the sudden assignment.

She barely had time to process it before Billy showed up holding a fresh change of clothes. Grateful,Gabriela slipped away to the restroom, changed quickly, and then made the rounds, personally delivering the directive to each department.

The collective groan rippled through the office, but with Wesley leading the charge, even the most reluctant employees bundled up in heavy coats and shut off the heaters.

In the lounge, Fiona shivered as the room grew steadily colder.

Her coffee lost its warmth with each passing minute, and she silently cursed herself for not finishing it while it was still hot.

Now,with Billy and Gabriela gone, no one bothered to check on her. Isolated and freezing, Fiona's irritation simmered into rage.

She swore to herself she'd get them tossed out once she had the chance.

Gabriela returned from distributing the notices just as Wesley handed her a new assignment, his voice tinged with mischief. "Head to the lounge and watch the show. Things are about to getinteresting."

Gabriela couldn't decipher Wesley's real agenda, but after mulling it over, she suspected Fiona was just another persistent admirer whom he wanted her to quietly drive away.

Clearly, in this place, every ounce of value was squeezed from her. That generous salary came with more strings attached than she'd bargained for.

She eased open the lounge door an'd spotted Fiona perched stiffly on the couch.

Even bundled up, Gabriela felt the icy bite of winter pressing through the walls, but Fiona, who'd sacrificed warmth for style, sat trembling-her teeth nearly chattering as she struggled to look unfazed.The whole scene struck Gabriela as oddly amusing.

No sooner had she stepped inside than Fiona shot her a disgruntled glare. "Why did someone shut off the heat?"

Gabriela knew she couldn't blurt out that Wesley wanted to cut costs.

Instead, she put on a professional face and offered a harmless excuse. "The heating system's out. We've already called for repairs."

Fiona's icy glare made it obvious she didn't believe a word.

She thought Gabriela was throwing her weight around just to make her uncomfortable.

Who did this secretary think she was, daring to challenge her for Wesley's attention?

Spotting the tense set of Fiona's jaw, Gabriela kept her tone light but couldn't resist. "It's freezing in here.Are you sure you don't want to put on something warmer, Ms. Dewitt?" A flicker of concern crossed her face. "You're looking a little pale.Are you feeling under the weather?"

Just then, Billy stepped in, barely suppressing a laugh behind a forced cough.

Gabriela wasted no time, her tone light but pointed. "See? You've already managed to pass it on to Billy."

Fiona's composure shattered. Her cheeks flushed a furious crimson.

She had battled the bitter wind outside just to look flawless for Wesley-certainly not to become the punchline of Gabriela's barbs.