"Are you his executive assistant or his bed 'assistant'?" the woman who was beside Evan earlier asked, her tone full of scorn as she emphasized the last word sarcastically.

Zaria withdrew her gaze from Desmond and frowned at her. "Why do you sound like it matters much more than it should?"

The woman laughed evilly. "Don't get too smug. He will dump you in a few days."

Zaria was speechless. Why did everyone think she was Desmond's toy and that he would dump her soon? In what way did she look like she could be his woman?

Besides, didn't this black-haired woman already have Evan? Why did it sound like she liked Desmond too?

Ignoring the bizarre woman, she continued minding her own business. To be exact, Desmond was so attention-grabbing that her brain couldn't register anything else around her. She suddenly had the urge to take out her phone and snap a photo of him.

Thinking about it, she quickly reached into her bag and took it out.

The screen had now been repaired and it looked brand-new. Although her phone was not an expensive type and was a little old, it was one of the most popular models among women for its high-definition camera.

Holding it in front of her in a way that didn't look so obvious, she pinched the screen to zoom in and snapped a photo just as the man turned to the side. She almost yelled in excitement when she looked at the photo she had secretly taken. Was this guy a supermodel? If not, why did he manage to look so attractive even in a photo he didn't know was being taken?

Afraid that she would be found out, she quickly cropped the picture and saved it in a secret folder in her phone's gallery before browsing idly.

"Why are you acting so sneaky? Did you do something wrong?" Desmond appeared beside her, having finished sparring with Evan West.

She shoved her phone into her bag, shaking her head innocently. "What would I have done wrong? I was merely standing here and minding my own business."

"Are you sure? Something about your eyes tells me that you have been up to something…naughty." He looked down at her seriously, but his blue eyes ruined the so-called seriousness and made him look flirtatious instead.

"I didn't…" She denied the accusation guiltily.

"Hehe…" He didn't want to make fun of her in case it angered her, so he talked about something more serious. "I did not manage to snag the deal with the damned idiot with the surname West."

"Why not?" She did not understand. "We already made the terms so convenient for him that we almost put ourselves at a loss. Is he doing this because you are friends, and he expects you to let him get the most out of a deal even if it harms your own company?"

Desmond shook his head. "He wants something else—something I cannot give to him."

From his tone, he didn't want her to ask what Evan wanted in return, so she kept her curiosity to herself. "Never mind. We don't need to stoop so low."

He smiled proudly, looking as if his little student had finally matured.

"Sir, I need to discuss something else with you." She spoke up.

"Go ahead."

She was distracted by a familiar figure before she could continue. "Liam? Why is he here?"

"I told him that the deal was a flop. He must be here to try and talk some sense into Evan or to negotiate with him, neither of which is going to work." She thought about it and calmly suggested, "If it matters so much to you and Liam, then…perhaps you could consider giving him what he wants?"

Desmond glanced at her and frowned. "Never." His expression was frustrated when he realized that this was the third time she was calling Liam so casually. Just how close were they?

"Okay." She shrugged, though she couldn't help wondering what exactly Evan had asked that was making him reject the idea so sternly.

He went back to the dressing room and changed back into his black suit and tie, then led the way towards his car. "Let's go."

When they entered the car, he finally asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Right." She opened a document and started explaining. "I remember that you were unhappy when you lost the deal with Mr. Dumont, so I did some digging and found this out. The Su family from Luxenville is going to auction out the Regal Hotel chain."

"And that's my business because?" He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"The hotels will be auctioned separately, and there's one that caught my attention. Not only is it a vintage-themed hotel, but it's also much better than Mr. Dumont's Dynasty Hotel. Not to mention, business is still in its flourishing phase, unlike Dynasty Hotel, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.

If you don't mind, we can try to acquire one of them. The auction will be held on the fifteenth of April."

At some point, she realized that the man was not listening but staring at her instead. "Is there something wrong?"

He said nothing, but his gaze trailed down her chest.

She frowned and followed his gaze, only to find that two of the buttons had come undone. She was wearing a black, collared dress with buttons at the chest area, so when some of them came undone, they revealed a sliver of her pink, lacy bra.

She grabbed the front of her dress in embarrassment and quickly buttoned it up, no longer daring to glance at her boss.

The man grinned and pretended to have seen nothing, though he wondered how long it had been this way.