Austin lowered his gaze, suddenly falling silent.

Ella seizedthe opportunity to push him away forcefully. "SinceI'm such a despicable person in your eyes, why don't you just divorce me?"

"Divorce?" Austin's face contorted with rage. He lunged forward like a madman, capturing her lips with brutal force.

His hands clamped around her wrists as he kissed her with savage intensity.

Ella clenched her jaw tightly, preventing his tongue from invading her mouth.

Austin eventually abandoned his assault.

In their struggle, the metallic taste of blood lingered between their lips.

Austin felt wetness on his cheek.

He looked down to see Ella trembling with tears streaming down her face.

Austin finally released her wrists.

Ella's eyes filled with hatred as she whispered. "I hate you."With that.Austin stormed out, slamming the door behind himn,leaving Ella with tears streaming down her face.

As soon as he left, Ella wiped away her tears and returned to her bedroom.

She took a shower, viciously scrubbing the places his lips had touched.

If he ever sexually harassed her by force again, Ella decided,she would call the police.

Having made this determination. Ella lay down in bed.

Her eyelids grew increasingly heavy as exhaustion overtook her, and she quickly fell asleep.

The following day, she was awakened by the harsh sunlight streaming through the window.

Her lips were swollen from his violent kiss.

Ella massaged her aching neck and climbed out of bed to prepare for work.

She deliberately applied light makeup to conceal the evidence.

At the office, Royce called her into his office.

She knocked on the door and heard him call out, "Come in."

"Mr. Castillo, you wanted to see me?" Ella asked as she pushed open the door.

"There's a business dinner tonight. Please make the necessary preparations."he said.

Ella nodded and set about arranging the details for accompanying Royce to the dinner event.

Returningto her workstation, Ella booked the restaurant, sent the partner's private room number, and took care of all the arrangements.

"Ella, what happened to your lips? They're so swollen," Hannah noticed her reddened, puffy lips and couldn't help asking.

Hearing this, Ella looked up and explained, "I accidentally hurt myself."

"Those rumors haven't been bothering you, have they?" It had been a week.but the gossip online and within the company hadn't stopped.

Every time she needed to coordinate work between departments.she couldn't escape the uncomfortable interpersonal relationships.

With her reputation so damaged, most people avoided interacting with her.

Yet her inner strength remained impressive. Despite being repeatedly humiliated and insulted, she hadn't been defeated.

Seeing that Ella wasn't upset, Hannah exhaled deeply and said. "That's good. I was worried it might be affecting you."

She took a candy from her drawer and handed it to Ella. Ella accepted it with a puzzled expression.

Hannah smiled. "Have some candy. As executive assistants, we can't avoid office politics. Who knows? Someday those people who mock you might end up beneath your feet."

Ella's expression softened as she unwrapped the candy. Taking a bite improved her mood considerably.

When they arrived at the dinner venue, Golden Gourmet, Ella stepped out of the car first, followed by Royce.

Several colleagues from the design department were also attending.

She had heard this was a business negotiation related to artificial intelligence, bringing the design team along for learning and potential

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Inside the restaurant. Ella had already reserved a private room.

Behind her, she could hear hushed conversations.

"Look at her acting like such a sycophant. What does she think she'll gain by sucking up to Mr. Castillo?"

"Maybe she's already made it to his bed."

Judith silently encouraged the two men with a glance, signaling them to continue.

Ella approached the front desk to inquire about the room number,then walked back to Royce. "It's on the second floor. We can go up."

Royce was looking at his phone.

After hearing her, he nodded and headed toward the elevator.

Inside the elevator, Judith deliberately squeezed to the front,constantly asking Royce work-related questions under the pretext of seeking guidance.

Ella had no choice but to stand at the back, watching Judith fawn over Royce.

However,when it came to Judith, the two men who had been gossiping about Ella suddenly changed their tune.

"Judith is so much more likable. She's asking about work, while Ella just knows how to kiss up."

"Judith is nothing like those who can't hold their own in respectable company."

Exiting the elevator. Ella had endured their mockery the entire ride.

She paid it no mind, focusing instead on responding to messages from Daron on her phone.

As the elevator doors opened, the group spilled out.

Ella moved to the front to lead them to the private room.

Behind her, Judith wore a satisfied expression, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

She couldn't tell if Ella was genuinely unaffected or just pretending.

In Judith's mind, Ella was nothing more than a servant qualified only to serve water.

In the company, high achievers with prestigious educations and senior positions like hers were surely more suited to Royce's tastes.

Room 203. Ella pushed open the door to reveal several executives from research companies.

Her gaze immediately fell on Daron.

She never expected to see him here.

"Ella, I just replied to your message, and here you are with Mr. Castillo."Daron greeted her warmly.

Ella glanced at Royce beside her.

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The design department colleagues who had followed them in were completely stunned.

Especially the engineering guy who had mocked Ella, Peter.

His expression darkened as he asked Judith, "How does she know Mr.Bales?"

"Who knows? She probably used some underhanded methods." Judith replied through gritted teeth, recalling how Daron had publicly humiliated her at a previous reception.

Peter shared this assumption.

He was convinced Ella must have used questionable means to become acquainted with Daron.

Royce introduced the employees he had brought along.

Meanwhile, Daron continued chatting with Ella.

"Daron, I've heard about your Prometheus Project recently. Don't keep such good things to yourself-share them with everyone," one of the executives said.

Daron brought out the project plan and began explaining. Soon, the Prometheus Project became the hottest topic of the dinner.

Judith,meanwhile, found herself sidelined.

She had never imagined that the Prometheus Project that had been discussed at the reception would generate such tremendous interest.

After the dinner concluded, Daron and Royce exchanged contact

Judith returned to the design department and worked through the night to develop a project proposal.

Ella could not be allowed to step over her.

Ella was just a secretary and would forever remain nothing more than a secretary.

After pulling an all-nighter to complete her project proposal, Judith submitted it to the project department.

The project department discovered numerous flaws in her proposal.

Moreover, Royce was already interested in investing in the Prometheus Project's Al technology.

Launching another AI initiative would be both costly and time-consuming.

Judith's proposal was quickly rejected by the project department.

However, she didn't give up. She personally went to meet with the senior directors and managers in the project department.

"Mr. Raymond will invest in this project," she declared confidently.