Chapter 31

"You're back." Mr. Morris instinctively glanced behind Samuel but found no one there. "Didn't Miss Adkins say she was going to cook tonight?" It was already past nine o'clock...

"Am I unable to eat without her?" Samuel coldly retorted, walking briskly towards the mansion.

Only then did Mr. Morris notice something off about his complexion. Samuel was always reserved and had a stern expression on his face, which is why he didn't realize it immediately.

"I apologize, that's not what I meant."

"Prepare egg fried rice."

"Yes, Sir."

In the dining room, a delicately crafted white porcelain plate held a portion of golden tomato egg fried rice.

After taking one bite, Samuel put down his spoon and got up from his seat. It wasn't to his liking.

"Find a new chef." His cold and deep voice filled the air.

Mr. Morris felt a sense of astonishment. The 5-star chef had been working for the Holland family for two years, and Samuel had never expressed any dissatisfaction before. Was this sudden change of personnel because of Miss Adkins?

Could it be that Samuel also had his emotional moments?

In the morning, the sky was overcast, but the summer heat made it hard to breathe, making one feel as if they were suffocating.

"Boss, good morning." Mr. Vandella started the car and occasionally glanced at the distinguished man in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

During the commute, Samuel usually read financial news or replied to emails, but today he frowned and looked out the window all the while. Dark circles were faintly visible under his eyes. Did he not sleep well last night?

"Boss, there's something about Miss Adkins that I'm not sure if I should mention..." It seemed like Samuel and Miss Adkins had a dispute last night so Mr Vandella was hesitant to bring Miss Adkins up.

"If you shouldn't, then don't!" Samuel coldly interrupted.

Mr. Vandella fell silent.

The air conditioning was on inside the car, yet it felt even more stifling than outside.

Mr. Vandella resisted the urge to cough.

Fifteen minutes later, Samuel suddenly spoke, his tone icy, "What is it?".

"After work yesterday, Miss Adkins went to the hospital before going back to school."

"The hospital?"

"Yes, she has a half-brother named Owen who was admitted to the hospital after being beaten, and Miss Adkins was asked to pay for his medical expenses, which amounted to $5,000. My guess is that Miss Adkins rushed back to school to get the $5,000 scholarship to cover the costs, but Mr. Sivan withheld the scholarship."

A flicker of surprise flashed through Samuel's dark eyes.

So, she went to Vincent to retrieve her scholarship? Why didn't she explain that?

Right, she said she didn't want to have anything to do with him.

If that's the case, then her matters have nothing to do with him!

Samuel wouldn't allow this incident to affect him.

"Boss, do we still need to keep an eye on Miss Adkins?"

Layla had a sleepless night and couldn't figure out how to make up the extra money in a hurry, but she still had to go to work, with dark circles under her eyes.

As soon as she entered the company, she saw Molly instructing Alice to pack her things.

"What's going on?" Layla hurried over.

Alice looked at her with hesitation.

"Isn't it obvious? I told you to leave." Molly sneered. "I've said it before, if you can't meet my requirements, then leave. Yesterday, I assigned you work, but you dared to run away."

"I had an emergency. My brother was hospitalized..."

"Stop! I don't want to hear any excuses. Alice, have you finished packing her things?"

"Molly..." Layla became anxious. The hospital expenses were already giving her a headache, and if she got fired on top of that, she would go crazy.

"Stop babbling and disappear from my sight."

Mr. Brooks, a chubby man in his forties, walked over and asked what was going on.

Molly answered indifferently, "Nothing, just firing a little assistant."

"But Layla was doing well, right?"

"Yeah, Layla was very dedicated." Alice chimed in, but Molly gave her a fierce glare.

"Shut up, it's none of your business!"

Mr. Brooks shook his head. "Who is perfect? Designers and assistants need time to adjust. Other assistants take several years to get used to their roles and learn the job properly, but you change yours several times in a month. The company's resources are not to be wasted like this. Don't change her."

Layla looked gratefully at Mr. Brooks.

"Don't I have the authority to change a little assistant?" Molly retorted unhappily. "You didn't say anything when I changed people before. Mr. Brooks, you aren't intentionally protecting her, are you?"

"I just don't want you to cause trouble for the company. Give her a one-month trial period, and if it still doesn't work out, then we'll consider changing. That's it." Mr. Brooks said and walked away.

"Is Mr. Brooks your backer?" Molly asked through gritted teeth. If it weren't for so many people watching, she would have asked even more harshly - Is Mr. Brooks the one keeping you?

"I don't know Mr. Brooks."

"You don't know him, but he meddles in your affairs? Don't think that with him protecting you, I can't get rid of you."

"I will work harder!" Layla said firmly.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief. "It's fortunate that Mr. Brooks spoke up for you, otherwise I would have lost you as a colleague. By the way, do you really not know Mr. Brooks?" She asked in a low voice.

Layla shook her head.

"That's strange then. Molly has changed dozens of assistants in the past, and Mr. Brooks never said a word. He rarely gets involved in such small matters. Not only Molly, but others will also have suspicions. You have to be more careful in the future."

"I understand. Thank you for the warning." Layla could already feel the various suspicious glances and hear hushed whispers. She put the things back onto the desk and returned them to their original positions.

Since joining the Holland Group, her nerves had been constantly on edge, her heart racing like it was on a roller coaster, up and down. It was only the third day and she was already so exhausted, there was still so much time ahead.

Layla shook her head, shaking off those negative emotions. It was lucky that she could stay in this job, she just had to work twice as hard. But what about the $5,000 medical bill? She couldn't take leave in the afternoon, so she had to go to the hospital to pay during her lunch break.

Layla couldn't concentrate on her work, always unable to resist looking at the clock. Time passed second by second, and soon, it was already twelve o'clock.

"It's time to go, let's have lunch." Alice walked over and called her. "Why are you so absent-minded today? Haven't you recovered from this morning's incident?"

Layla hesitated and looked at Alice. Even though Alice was very friendly and warm towards her, she couldn't bring herself to ask a colleague that she had known for only three days for money. Besides, there was no guarantee that she could or would lend it to her.

Many close friendships have ended due to lending or borrowing money. She could onlylet alone a work relationship with a new colleague. If she were to be rejected, it would be awkward to interact with each other in the future.

Layla had many worries in her mind.

"What's wrong?"

"Alice, can you..." Layla hesitated and said, feeling troubled. "Can you lend me..."

Her phone rang and interrupted Layla, so she answered the call first.

"Hello, I'm the nurse from yesterday. Your friend left after paying, but didn't take the deposit and receipt. I gave it to your brother."

Layla stood up in surprise, "You mean the hospital bill has been paid? Who paid for it?"