The moment I opened the door, I heard Brooke pouting to Julian, insisting they go to the company cafeteria to experience the employee lunch.

"Julian, I'm starving!"

She feigned a moment of thought, then pulled his arm, whining, "I've heard so much about how good your company's cafeteria food is, I just have to try it!"

Julian looked at her helplessly. "Don't you always say you're afraid of looking chubby on camera and only eat salads?"

She stuck out her tongue adorably and smiled at him.

A young assistant behind me chuckled, "I heard our boss and Brooke are childhood sweethearts, is that true? They're so sweet together!"

I answered casually, "It's true."

The assistant became even more excited. "Ellie, you know about them? Are they together?"

Brooke, who was walking towards me, paused, her expression subtly changing before she burst into a loud, carefree laugh.

She took over the conversation. "Don't get the wrong idea, your boss and I grew up together."

"Friends used to try to set us up back then, but he's too busy, and I'm busy too. We just decided it's better to be friends, so we broke up."

Everyone listening sighed with regret.

Someone boldly asked, "That's such a shame! So, will you two ever get back together?"

Brooke replied playfully, "That depends on how good Julian is to me!"

Everyone started to cheer them on.

Julian chuckled too.

Perhaps I was just too out of place, but the assistant beside me suddenly asked, "Ellie, do you think they'll get back together?"

My hand, paused on the doorknob, froze. When I looked up, Julian was staring at me with a half-smile.

Brooke suddenly spoke up, clutching Julian's arm and appealing to everyone.

"Is everyone hungry? I am! Let's go eat!"

"Ellie, join us!"

The two of them stood intimately close, making me feel like a complete outcast.

I smiled calmly, saying, "You two go on. I won't intrude."

Then I turned and walked away.

Julian raised an eyebrow, his gaze following me, his expression clearly displeased.

After lunch, I returned to my office and sat down to rest.

My incision, strained from the busy morning, began to ache.

I opened my bag, found my painkillers, and before I could take them, Julian suddenly pushed open the door.

He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and ordered me to go downstairs and get two coffees delivered to his office.

"Brooke has an audition this afternoon, she's worried about her performance and needs a pick-me-up."

An audition? She should be preparing, not running around. No wonder she wouldn't be at her best.

I picked up my water glass, a cold sneer on my face. "Aren't the company's coffees good enough?"

He lowered his voice, warning me, "She wants the ones from downstairs, and she doesn't want to trouble anyone else to run the errand. What's with your attitude?"

"She's a celebrity, she doesn't want to draw attention to herself."

A wave of fury surged through me. "She's been strutting around the company all morning," I retorted loudly, "and now she's afraid of being noticed?"