Chapter 8 Blind Date With Lionel

• Matthew casually puffed away at a cigarette as he carried on with his work.
• The only reason he dared to send that text earlier was that he knew they wouldn’t have the guts to ask Lionel about it. He also knew that Lionel didn’t have a WhatsApp account, so there was no way that he would find out.
• With only five minutes left on the clock, Matthew finished his work for the day and tidied up his desk. He then grabbed his coat and was about to leave the office when the phone on his desk started ringing. He had thought of pretending not to hear it at first, but the severe consequences that he could potentially face as a result deterred him from doing so.
• “Yes, Lionel?”
• “Let’s have dinner after work.”
• Matthew quickly rejected him, “Sorry, I’ve already got a date for dinner tonight.”
• Tap! Tap! Tap! The sound of a pen tapping on a desk was all he could hear from the other side of the line, which made him shudder a little.
• In the end, he gave in to the pressure and asked, “How about... the three of us going for dinner together?”
• Clack! Lionel hung up the phone without saying a word.
• Lionel was in his office when I spoke to Ms. Jones earlier, so he must’ve heard me asking her out for dinner... Why would he... He really has fallen for her, huh? The Lionel I know wouldn’t just take a woman’s glasses and insist on joining her for dinner. Matthew stroked his chin as he thought about that.
• Yasmin had been immersing herself in her work after returning from the twenty-eighth floor. She only realized that she had dozens of messages from Serena when she was about to get off work.
• Before she could even read them, Serena already came running toward her. “Yasmin! Were you at the twenty-eighth floor just now?”
• “Yeah...” Yasmin nodded, regretting her decision as she figured that the entire office had probably found out about it.
• Serena’s eyes lit up. “Did you manage to see Mr. Holloway?”
• “No...” Yasmin tidied up her desk and grabbed her coat, refusing to talk about Lionel to prevent any further misunderstandings.
• “I’m your best friend, Yasmin! How could you keep such a secret from me?” Serena snatched her handbag over and clutched it tightly to stop her from leaving.
• “Knock it off, will you? I’ve got a dinner date to attend!” Yasmin yanked it back from her as she began to make her way toward the elevator.
• “Who are you having dinner with? Is it Mr. Holloway?” Serena pressed on.
• “No, it isn’t! I told you, I don’t know Mr. Holloway!” Yasmin rolled her eyes at Serena’s words. If this is what Serena thinks of me, I don’t even want to imagine what the others think...
• “Is it another one of those blind dates? Wait up, I’ll go with you! I don’t want you getting injured by some crazy woman again!”
• Serena had asked Yasmin about the bandages beneath her sleeve when she noticed them that morning, and Yasmin told her all about the crazy woman who had assaulted her at the café. Thinking that Yasmin was going on another blind date again, Serena wanted to tag along in order to protect her.
• Yasmin had thought about rejecting her request at first as she didn’t want Serena to freak out when she saw Matthew, but she couldn’t bring herself to say no to her.
• Hmm... On second thought, it might actually be a good thing to have Serena around tonight. That way, she’ll understand that I really don’t know Mr. Holloway! Then she can spread the word in the office tomorrow, and I’ll have my name cleared in no time!
• “Come on, let’s go!” Serena put on her coat and tugged at Yasmin’s arm.
• As they took the elevator down to the first floor, Yasmin saw that she had been receiving a lot of attention from people who got in or out each time it made a stop. Is this what Lionel is aiming for? Making me the public enemy as payback?
• “Yasmin, do you realize that the men are all looking at you? You should stop hiding your beautiful facial features behind those ugly glasses!” Serena whispered in her ear as they got to the entrance of the building.
• “You’re one to talk! Why do you apply so much makeup when you’ve got a pretty face?” Yasmin snapped back at her.
• Serena’s only flaw was being tall and slightly chubby, which made her seem stocky compared to other women. On top of that, she would always come to the office wearing thick makeup and a fancy dress like she was going to a ball.
• As the two of them continued their banter, Yasmin looked around and saw a black Mercedes Benz approaching them by the side of the road.
• She was about to step aside when Matthew rolled down the window and waved at them. Yasmin waited for the car to come to a full halt before she opened the door on the passenger side, only to find a stack of files on the seat.
• Matthew flashed her an awkward smile as he urged, “Please sit in the back, Ms. Jones.”
• “Haha, okay!” Yasmin closed the door without a second thought. “By the way, I’ll be bringing a friend with me, Mr. Collins!” she exclaimed while getting into the back seat.
• Matthew smirked. “That’s fine, I’ve brought a friend with me too!”
• “Hmm?” Realizing that something was amiss, Yasmin turned and saw Lionel sitting behind the driver’s seat with an indifferent look on his face.
• Earlier on, she didn’t notice him in the car as the sky was too dark, but now, all she wanted to do was to get out as quickly as possible.
• Little did she know, Serena, whose eyes had been blinded by the fancy car before her, would quickly try to rush in after her.
• Just like that, the two crashed into one another. With Serena being the bigger one, the collision sent Yasmin flying straight into Lionel’s arms.
• Fortunately, he caught her just in time to keep her head from hitting the car door. At that moment, the street lamp outside lit up, illuminating Yasmin’s face with a soft glow while it was reflected in her misty eyes.
• Yasmin was unable to clearly see the look in his eyes as he had his back against the light, but she could feel his gaze sucking her soul out of her as they both stared at one another.