Love’s New Bloom By Simone Hastings - Season 1 Episode 21`

The meeting lasted for two hours.
Erin went back to her office feeling awful. She had not only received criticism from her supervisor but also needed to work overtime to complete the 20 designs because of the lengthy meeting.

Her hatred for Chandler grew deeper.

Shortly after she went back to work, it was lunch time. Dana and the others came to invite her to eat together.

“You guys go ahead. I won’t have lunch today. I still have work to finish…“ Erin stared listlessly at the computer screen.

Dana pulled her up. “Erin, do you think you’re a robot? How can you work without eating? Although we’re office workers and not manual laborers, our job has high mental demands! Besides, you just recovered from a cold. Do you want to get sick again by damaging your body like this?“

“Yeah, Erin. We know you’re not in a good mood, but we’ve decided to treat you to a big meal. Eat to your heart’s content, then come back to work!“ Even Milly, who was usually stingy, spoke up to invite her. Erin’s heart wavered.

Ella chimed in too. “Let’s go. We’re running out of time, and we all have a lot of work to do. Erin, don’t disappoint us.“

Seeing everybody so eager, Erin gave in to their requests. “Alright, let’s go.“

Since they had agreed to treat Erin to a meal, they went to a restaurant nearby instead of the staff’s canteen. The restaurant had a 300-dollar minimum spend per head.

After ordering a few dishes, they began chatting as they waited.

Dana looked at Erin sympathetically. “Don’t blame me for being nosy, but I always feel like our director is targeting you. If you’re late for a meeting, he threatens to deduct your year-end bonus. He’s not even from the HR or finance departments. Does he really have the power to deduct staff bonuses?”

Sipping on her water, Ella hesitated for a moment before saying, “I have some inside scoop. My husband’s uncle used to collaborate with Frost Corporation. Rumor has it that Mr. Grant and our president are related, so he does have that power.”

Erin’s heart sank. It was another person she couldn’t afford to offend. Since Ella mentioned the president, she immediately asked. “Do you know who our president is? What’s his name?”

Surprised, Milly said, “Erin, you don’t even know the president’s name? His electronic signature was on our employment contract before we transferred here!”

“Right. Even though the signature was complicated, you can still make out the name. It was probably Chandler Frost.”

Dana mumbled the name. “His name is quite unique. It sounds domineering and ruthless! As expected of the top businessman in Azores…”

Chandler Frost…

Erin silently repeated the name in her mind while connecting some of the clues she had. She recalled Claire calling the man Chandy.

Chandy…

The thought that he could be the president of Frost Corporation made her so scared that she accidentally knocked over her water glass.

Afraid of getting their dresses wet, the three girls instantly jolted up from their seats.

“Waiter…”

As the table was wet, they had to move to another one. When they were seated again, Erin apologized immediately. “Sorry, I was too careless just now…”

Dana waved her hand. “No worries. Besides, we managed to avoid it in time.”

They chatted for a while, and the dishes arrived soon. Since they were pressed for time, they focused on eating. Half an hour later, they had finished most of the dishes and were ready to pay.

The waiter came over and respectfully asked, “Hello, do you need anything else?”

Dana took the initiative to pay. She took out her wallet. “Bill, please.”

“The bill has already been paid. It was paid by this young lady.” The waiter pointed to Erin.

The other three immediately looked at her, and Dana complained, “Erin, when did you pay the bill? Didn’t we agree to treat you to lunch?”

“It’s okay. You can treat me next time. Let’s go.”

“Wow, so generous of you!”

“Thank you, Erin!”

Seeing Erin smile, the three girls didn’t say anything more. They returned to their respective offices once they reached the office.

Erin was in the pantry to get some water, and Dana happened to walk in.

She pulled Erin aside to the hallway and whispered, “Erin, let me tell you something. You know I work with Janette, so I might know more information than you. The three head designers in the design department not only handle main designs but also businesses. She previously had some problems negotiating with a company’s president, but she didn’t want to lose that business. Recently, she picked two female designers to go negotiate with her, and you’re one of them. I heard some rumors saying that the president is a lecherous old man, and Janette might make you two entertain him. You have to be careful.”

Shocked, Erin nodded. “Dana, thank you for letting me know.”

Dana smiled casually. “Hey, it’s nothing. We’re all in the same company and need to help each other out sometimes. If you ever hear any gossip, remember to share it!”

“Okay, I will.”

They returned to their seats and worked the whole afternoon.

Sitting in front of her computer, Erin was still struggling with work even when it was already 6 pm. Her fingers were sore, but she still had ten designs to complete.

During the morning meeting, Caleb said that the company would soon hold a design competition, and the top three participants would be able to participate directly in a new project. If the project went well, each participant would receive a bonus.

Each participating designer could receive roughly 100 thousand dollars as a bonus.

Thinking of it motivated Erin.

She finally understood why designers from all over the country wanted to join Frost Corporation’s design department. It wasn’t just because of the high salary but also because of the generous project bonus they provided.

Her thoughts of resigning were also put to rest. Erin wasn’t afraid of fair competition.

She had also sorted out her thoughts and decided to take things as they came. Since she was already working at Frost Corporation, she would try her best to make something of it.

It was already 7 pm, and Ian had called three times in a row, but Erin didn’t answer.

She knew that he was calling her to go home and have dinner with his mother.

Erin had been focused on her work, and there weren’t many designers left in the office.

The staff canteen closed at 9 pm, and it was already 10 pm. Erin suddenly realized that her stomach was starting to ache from hunger.

After ordering takeout on her phone, Erin continued to work on her designs.

At this moment, a voice sounded behind her. “I’ve seen the ten designs you completed earlier, and they’re very professional.”

Erin turned around to see Caleb standing behind her, looking at her computer screen.

She stood up somewhat shyly and asked, “Mr. Grant, you’re still at work?”

“Yes, I need to work overtime too. Can you order me the same takeout you ordered and bring it to my office? I’ll pay you when it arrives,” Caleb said before turning and leaving.

Ordering takeout for her director?

Erin hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone, but she noticed an unread message. She’d set her phone to vibrate and missed the text earlier.

It was a message from “Psychopath.”

Since Chandler always sent her weird messages, she’d muted text message alerts from him. After clicking on it, she saw the message. “Come up.”