The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

They'd all assumed the conversation would end there, but the group had no intention of dropping the subject.

One of the girls murmured, "CICI Group is powerful, sure, but SC Group's doing just fine too. And Mr. Vesper is the boss over there he doesn't need to work for CICI at all. If you ask me, there's got to be something more going on here."

Sebastian paused mid-bite, his fork hovering over his plate as he glanced sideways at the speaker.

He spotted a woman covering her mouth, glancing furtively around before lowering her voice.

Everyone around her was instantly drawn in, turning their full attention her way. "What do you mean, something more?"

"Yeah, come on, don't leave us hanging."

"Spill it! I have to know."

She clicked her tongue. "Seriously? You haven't figured it out yet?"

"We really haven't just tell us, please!" someone chimed in.

"Come on, don't tease us!"

Seeing all eyes fixed on her, faces shining with anticipation, she relented. "Okay, think about it. What's the most important thing to a man?"

Someone nearby scratched his head. "Most important thing?"

He ventured, "His career, maybe?"

"Exactly." She snapped her fingers.

"Sure, men caring about their careers is normal," someone else pointed out. "But what does that prove?"

She clicked her tongue again. "If a man is willing to drop everything at the peak of his career, what reason could there be, besides love?"

Her words drew a collective gasp; hands flew over mouths as if she'd just revealed some scandalous secret. "Wait... Are you saying Mr. Vesper is in love with our CEO?"

At last, they were catching on. The woman grinned. "Of course. Why else would Mr. Vesper leave his own company right when it's about to go public just to join us? No man would do that for no reason-unless he's lost his mind." She tapped her temple for emphasis.

As she finished, a knowing smile crept across her face. "And let me tell you, I don't think it's just Mr. Vesper who's got feelings. I bet our CEO likes him back, too."

She looked around meaningfully.

"Think about it. Remember when our CEO totally lost her cool because we didn't listen to Mr. Vesper? She's always so gentle, so kind-she never snaps like that. No way she'd get that upset for no reason. If you ask me, she's definitely got feelings for him."

The others nodded, convinced.

"You're right. She really was acting out of character that day, and she hardly ever loses her temper."

"We keep forgetting, our CEO's only nineteen-of course she's going to have a crush at her age."noveldrama

"She's beautiful, and Mr. Vesper is seriously handsome. Honestly, they look perfect together."

"For all we know, they're already dating secretly. This might even be her first love. As employees, we should be supportive-she works so hard for the company, she deserves someone special." '

"I say we back her up!"

Sebastian's food sat untouched on his tray; he was too absorbed in their gossip to even notice.

It wasn't until someone called out, "Mr. Vesper, you're eating here too?" that he was jolted from his thoughts.