Elise gave him her word. "I'll come by tomorrow after work."

"Perfect." William's lips curved into a genuine smile, no pretense of politeness.

He was utterly cunning.

After Elise left the hospital, Samuel entered the room, his demeanor respectful. "Mr. Levine."

"Help me to the restroom," William instructed.

Samuel couldn't resist commenting. "But sir, you had the perfect opportunity earlier... Why didn't you ask Mrs. Levine to assist you?"

William shot him a sharp glare.

Samuel immediately corrected himself. "Right, of course. You're always proper, sir. You wouldn't take advantage."

William's expression darkened further. He simply didn't want Elise to think his kidneys were weak from frequent bathroom trips.

As Samuel supported him toward the restroom, William suddenly paused.

"Should I help you with your trousers, sir?" Samuel offered eagerly.

He had definitely fallen out of William's good graces since his boss fell in love.

Still, he knew when to be obsequious, always seizing the chance to please.

"Get out!" William snapped.

Samuel flinched, exiting with a wounded expression. What had he done wrong this time?

It felt like all his efforts were pointless...

Meanwhile, William stared at the towel in the wastebasket.

Just how much did Elise despise him?!

The next morning, Sophia was waiting outside Elise's office when she arrived for work. She followed Elise inside.

"Dad tried calling you all day yesterday. Why didn't you answer?" Sophia demanded, her voice tight with anger.

"I was at the hospital. My phone died," Elise replied coolly.

"You could have called him back! Don't you know how worried he was?"

Elise settled into her chair and fixed Sophia with an icy stare. "Are you certain he was worried?"

Sophia's heart skipped a beat. She realized she couldn't deceive Elise.

"I have a lot of work to do," Elise stated dismissively. "You can leave if there's nothing important."

Clenching her teeth, Sophia had no choice but to exit. She immediately called Benjamin.

Within moments, Elise's phone rang.

It was about time. She'd kept him waiting for an entire day.

"I've had enough of your games, Elise Scott! Why were you ignoring my calls?!"

Elise let out a cold laugh. "Why should I answer? Do you think you're some kind of monarch?"

"Elise Scott...!"

"I'm busy. I'm hanging up if you have nothing meaningful to say."

"Wait!" Benjamin quickly stopped her. "What's this I hear about taking the factory riot to court? What are you thinking?! Don't you realize this will become public knowledge?! Are you trying to destroy Stellar Group?!"

"Even if I am, that's my concern, not yours!" Elise retorted firmly. "That riot gave me PTSD, and I will see this through to the end."

"You wretched...!" Benjamin gnashed his teeth in fury, but Elise remained unmoved.

After all, he was the one who orchestrated the riot at the manufacturing plant.

Once investigations began, he would inevitably be implicated, landing him in serious trouble.