We wrapped up the meeting by 1 p.m., a stack of documents spread before me.
"Now that everything's concluded, lunch is on me," I announced.
"We'll happily accept," Lilian's agent, Kendra Johnson, replied with a smile.
"There's a new restaurant downstairs. Let's try it," I suggested.
Kendra glanced at Lilian. "Aren't you having lunch with CEO Blackwood? You should invite him."
Lilian smiled shyly. "I can ask… but I'm not sure he'll agree."
"Oh, please," Kendra teased. "When has he ever refused you?"
Lilian lowered her gaze, her smile soft and sweet.
It struck a painful chord in my chest.
I excused myself under the pretense of sending the documents to my office and asked my assistant to reserve a private room at the restaurant. By the time I joined them downstairs, the table was already lively with chatter.
This was my arrangement. My treat. I was in control.
I ate quietly, only speaking when necessary.
Then Kendra suddenly shifted the topic.
"I've heard quite a lot about Director Alicia," she said, looking directly at me. "You must have been here a long time?"
"Not long. Just two years," the product manager answered before I could. He smiled proudly. "Don't let her youth fool you. She's extremely capable. Every project she's handled has been a success."
Kendra nodded, but her expression suggested she wasn't interested in praise.
"Director Alicia does seem capable," she said lightly. "But I heard she's CEO Blackwood's adopted sister… and the chairwoman's favorite granddaughter."
The table fell silent.
The implication was obvious.
The product manager's face darkened, but he said nothing.
I smiled calmly. "It's true my grandmother personally trained me. What exactly are you implying?"
"Nothing," Kendra replied quickly. "Being cared for by the chairwoman is no small privilege."
Her tone said otherwise.
I remained composed. "Yes, she took me in. Otherwise, I might have ended up somewhere else."
Kendra tilted her head. "Isn't it because your father played the perfect son after the chairman passed away? That's why she accepted you?"
I held her gaze steadily.
"So you're saying the chairwoman wasn't satisfied with her own children's performance?"
Her expression stiffened. "No—that's not what I meant—"
Before she could continue, the private room door suddenly opened.Alexander entered the private room with Lilian at his side.
As always, he carried himself with effortless elegance—his sharp features and commanding presence impossible to overlook. Beside him, Lilian shone brightly, graceful and radiant like a star in full bloom. Standing together, they were the kind of pair people admired without hesitation.
The product manager leaned closer to me and whispered softly, "Boss… Mr. Blackwood and Miss Summer truly look perfect together. Seems like we may soon have a new matriarch in the business world."
His words pierced straight through me.
I felt the color drain from my face, but I still rose with a polite smile. "Mr. Blackwood, welcome."
Kendra was quick to step in. "Please, Mr. Blackwood, Lilian—sit here." She deliberately arranged the seats so they were side by side.
Everyone stood in respect.
"Please, sit," Alexander said calmly, and only then did the room settle again.
On the surface, everything looked cordial and refined. But inside me, a storm raged.
Throughout the meal, Kendra and the others tried to liven the mood, offering compliments to Alexander and Lilian whenever they could. Their laughter filled the room.
Alexander remained reserved, speaking only occasionally. Yet every word he uttered carried weight.
I, on the other hand, stayed unusually quiet.
Between his indifference and Lilian's radiant smiles, I felt myself fading—like I didn't belong in the room at all.
Then Kendra suddenly glanced at Lilian's plate. "Lilian, celebrities have to be strict about maintaining their figures."
"I know…" Lilian pouted playfully before picking up a piece of spicy beef and placing it on Alexander's plate. "Alexander, this is really good. I know you don't like spicy food, but can you try it for me?"