Gossip Girl Reborn

Chapter 2 They Are Blind

The employees of Quirk Group had long harbored resentment toward Isabella’s antics, particularly those in the CEO’s office.

From their perspective, the request to recheck the surveillance footage was basically indicating that they accused her.

They had all seen Isabella entering the office with their own eyes. Otherwise, no one would’ve accused her of the crime.

Still, at Alexander’s command, the surveillance footage quickly appeared on the big screen.Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

The footage was fast-forwarded, and on the screen, Isabella clearly entered and stayed for half an hour. It seemed as if she left looking gloomy because she didn’t get to meet a certain someone.

Everyone present couldn’t help but scoff inwardly, thinking Isabella was stubborn and unwilling to listen until she faced a dead end. They were curious to see how she would keep up her stubborn act.

Only Hannah was breaking out in a light sweat.

Eventually, her figure appeared on the surveillance footage.

Hannah’s pupils contracted slightly as she cautiously stole a glance at Alexander.

When that scene came up, some of those who rolled their eyes at Isabella were taken aback, while others remained completely unfazed.

At that moment, the footage paused.

A layer of frost seemed to have settled on Alexander’s face. I can’t believe it’s true!

Alexander cast a cold, questioning glance at those who had once solemnly sworn that only Isabella had been in and out of his office. “Only Mrs. Quirk entered my office, you say?”

However, those people hadn’t yet reacted.

The senior assistant spoke up without hesitation. “Mr. Alexander, I don’t see an issue. Mrs. Quirk was the only one who went in…”

The others also nodded in agreement.

“They’re truly blind.” Listening to Isabella’s complaints in his mind, Alexander scowled.

Suddenly, a male voice chimed in, “Technically, there were two people who came and went. One was Mrs. Quirk, and the other was Ms. Gates.”

“Surprisingly, there’s one who isn’t blind!” Another of Isabella’s thoughts entered Alexander’s mind.

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a young man standing at the back. He was a new assistant who had recently been promoted.

Alexander had an excellent memory. He remembered that when Isabella was being accused, that man was out on an errand and was not present.

At that point, it seemed like everyone else had finally caught on. However, upon further reflection, they found the whole situation rather amusing.

“What are you blabbering about? Ms. Gates has always been entering and leaving the office frequently.”

“You’ve just arrived, so you might not understand yet, but Ms. Gates is Mr. Alexander’s confidant!”

“Are you suspecting that Ms. Gates betrayed the company?”

The exaggeration in the others’ tone made it seem as though what the young man was saying was utterly preposterous.

Suddenly, Alexander let out a cold huff, and the scene instantly fell silent.

Isabella couldn’t help but want to laugh as her thoughts were broadcasted into Alexander’s mind. “If they knew the truth, their reactions would surely be entertaining.”

Isabella curiously looked at Hannah, a woman whom everyone unquestioningly trusted.

Hannah sported a sleek high ponytail. Her slightly curled hair strands seemed meticulously styled to embody a sense of effortless chic. She wore a professional dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. Although there was only light makeup on her countenance, her face was so exquisitely flawless that one couldn’t spot a single imperfection.

Yet, at that moment, her expression was incredibly unnatural.

“I can’t blame them, honestly. After all, their attitude toward Ms. Gates and me is entirely modeled after Alexander’s.” Isabella’s inner voice transmitted directly into Alexander’s mind.

A knot formed in Alexander’s heart as he thought, Yes, it’s my fault! “What do you have to say for yourself, Ms. Gates?”

“Mr. Alexander, are you suspecting me?” Hannah asked, her voice filled with disbelief. Even though she was feeling guilty, she quickly regained her composure. “Yes, I did go in, but have you forgotten, Mr. Alexander? Every night, I would visit your office to prepare for your meetings the following day.”

“That’s why she chose to do it when I was alone in the room earlier. It was much more convenient for her to make her move. It seems like she has prepared this for a long time. Brilliant! Although, after listening to them talk, it seems they all have to work overtime in the evening. I never thought Alexander was such an oppressive employer, exploiting his employees like this. After our divorce, I should gift him a copy of the labor law!” Isabella’s words in Alexander’s mind tempted him to roll his eyes a little.

I can’t believe she’s focusing on that right now! Her innocence is at stake here! Also, I pay our employees triple their salary for overtime! Alexander’s train of thought was almost derailed by Isabella’s sarcastic comment, prompting him to regain his composure. “Anyone who has visited my office during that period should be investigated, no exceptions!”

Hannah immediately revealed a look of hurt. She genuinely hadn’t anticipated that Alexander would suddenly treat her impartially, especially when Isabella had already confessed!

In her mind, her position in Alexander’s heart was not the same as Isabella’s in any way. After all, she had been by his side for ten years, flawlessly handling matters big and small.

The other assistants also showed signs of discontent, probably thinking that Alexander was overly strict.

There was no reason for them to assume Hannah was the culprit when the other suspect was Isabella.

Hannah was Alexander’s confidant, so they didn’t expect him to treat her that way.

Moreover, even though it seemed like Alexander hadn’t noticed a certain something, they all did.

In reality, Hannah had always harbored a silent crush on Alexander. It was obvious to everyone that she was completely devoted to Alexander. Even though she could have challenged Isabella, she never stood up against the latter despite being bullied by her. Thus, no one believed Hannah could’ve betrayed Quirk Group.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming somewhat tense, a scoff echoed from the entrance.

Isabella looked over with curiosity.

A few intimidating individuals walked in.

The assistants in the CEO’s office all respectfully stepped aside, making room.

The leader, a bald older man, was Hector Tanner, a board member.

The one who scoffed earlier was a young blond lad who emerged from behind Hector.

He was Joseph Tanner, Hector’s son.

At first glance, he seemed to be a frivolous, silver-spooned kid, just idling his days away at the company.

At that moment, Joseph walked straight up to Hannah, wearing an unpleasant expression toward Alexander. “Alexander, have you lost your mind? You were perfectly clear in the board meeting that you’ll divorce this disaster, but what are you doing now? There’s nothing else suspicious enough regarding the matter that is worth your effort to investigate the surveillance footage. What’s even more absurd is what I just heard. To think you suspect your loyal secretary, Ms. Gates! You must have lost your mind subjecting her to an investigation too!”

Hector feigned a disapproving click of his tongue at Joseph. “Stop it! You can’t speak to Mr. Alexander like that. His meticulousness in handling affairs is a virtue. It doesn’t necessarily mean he suspects Ms. Gates. I bet it’s probably because Mrs. Quirk refused to admit her guilt that he’s doing this.”

Joseph immediately shot Isabella a fierce glare. “To think, even at a time like this, you’re still trying to drag others down with you. It’s simply…”

Before Joseph could utter a word of insult, Alexander stepped forward. His expression was stern as he positioned himself protectively in front of Isabella, preparing to speak.

“Where on earth did someone steal a sewer cover to let this sorry man out?” Suddenly, Isabella’s thoughts struck Alexander again, causing his words to stuck at his throat.

Her voice in his mind continued, “Joseph, is it? How dare you stand up to the corporate bigwig! I want to see what gives you such audacity!”

Alexander was dumbfounded by how uncouth she sounded.

“Oh, I see. Hector held the highest position on the board of directors and seemed to be at odds with Alexander. If it weren’t for the fact that Joseph was utterly useless and Alexander was exceptionally capable, Hector would have been keen to promote his own son to take over when David retired. No wonder Joseph seemed to struggle with his place in front of Alexander.” Isabella’s thoughts shocked Alexander to the core.

Isabella clearly didn’t understand the relationship in the company before, yet now she… Not only that, she seemed to have just understood it. Moreover, there was no way she could have known that Hannah had been in and out of the office after her… There’s something up with her! Alexander was thinking about that when he heard Isabella screaming in his head.

Startled by Isabella’s sudden shouting, Alexander was left wondering, What has she seen now?

Meanwhile, he half-heartedly listened to Joseph defending Hannah.

“No wonder Joseph’s targeting me and protecting Ms. Gates. He’s actually her simp! This is hilarious! I didn’t expect him to be such a simp to her!” Isabella’s thoughts in Alexander’s mind greatly shocked him.

He didn’t expect Joseph to be a simp for Hannah and wondered how much of a simp the latter was.

“He would greet her every morning, afternoon, and evening. Moreover, he would remind her to bring an umbrella when it rained and to wear thicker clothing when it was cold. Yet, she never responded! Despite this, he persevered for two whole years! What determination!” Isabella’s thoughts kept streaming into Alexander’s head.

In response, Alexander continued to react as though she was talking to him in his mind. If only he applies this much determination to his work…

“One time, he learned Ms. Gates liked a certain something from her offhand remark. After he scoured all of Bricaes to find it, he ended up with a fever and collapsed. When Ms. Gates received the gift, all she said was he should drink more hot water. It was enough to make him cry! He has such sincere devotion!”

Alexander thought, He should’ve shown more devotion to his work!

“Once, he went to her apartment in the middle of the night, strumming his guitar and singing his heart out. The neighbors, disturbed by the noise, called the police. As a result, he was taken to the station for causing a public nuisance. Hannah didn’t even come to bail him out and he had to figure out a way to get himself released! Afterward, he even apologized, worried that his actions might have disrupted Hannah’s sleep! I can’t believe he’d even thought of that. His thoughtfulness was almost terrifying!”

Alexander frowned. So, who’s the one making repeated mistakes at work? Was it ultimately because the job couldn’t hold his meticulous attention?

“I can’t believe there’s more!”

Alexander was stunned. There’s more?

“After falling in love with Ms. Gates, he never sought the company of other women. He preserved his purity. However, he would look at Ms. Gates’ photo late at night in the privacy of his bed and… Ew, I shouldn’t think about such explicit details! I’m not that interested in other people’s private affairs!”

At that point, Alexander also felt sick.

At that moment, Joseph, who was righteously preaching in front of them, was completely unaware that Isabella had already seen through his facade.

All he felt was that the way Alexander and Isabella were looking at him was becoming increasingly nuanced, laced with a hint of sympathy and exasperation.

“Hahaha! This is all because of Hector’s fault!” Isabella’s thoughts continued.

Alexander was confused. What does this have anything to do with Hector? Wait, what was I going to do?

His mind was in turmoil, and his attention was ultimately attracted by Isabella’s voice in his head.

Even the most serious individuals couldn’t resist gossip’s allure.