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Chapter 171
Now that the assistant and that intern were around, all those rumors about Irene and Ethan just fell apart on their own. One of her colleagues even brought her coffee to cheer her up. “I heard Mr. Drake gave you a hard time again? He’s so picky. Working with him is seriously stressful.”
Irene nodded and took the coffee. “Thanks, this is just what I needed.”
Seeing this, the colleague pulled up a chair and sat down next to Irene, speaking seriously. “Irene, you know, when you first started here and got assigned to Mr. Drake, a lot of people were jealous of you.”
“But over time, that jealousy turned into sympathy.”
“You’ve been yelled at by Mr. Drake almost as much as the rest of us put together.”
“Honestly, if you weren’t such a tough cookie, you probably would’ve quit ages ago.”
“So none of us are jealous that you got promoted so quickly at the firm. We just couldn’t handle that kind of harsh treatment.”
Irene could only laugh and shake her head at her colleague’s words, feeling both amused and helpless.
“Honestly, I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or roasting me,” Irene said, taking a big sip of her coffee while flipping through her files.
“I have no idea how long I’ll be stuck on this case today. I’m really counting on this coffee to keep me alive.”
Her colleague sighed and said seriously, “I honestly don’t know how you put up with all this. With all the workload and negativity, you’re still so dedicated. Irene, you’re seriously amazing.”
“Everyone says you’re the only one Mr. Drake can’t scare off with his yelling.”
A hint of helplessness flickered in Irene’s eyes as she gave her colleague a wry smile, saying nothing more.
Seeing that, her colleague gave Irene a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
With that, she headed back to her own desk.
Irene watched her colleague walk away, her eyes turning a bit wistful.
Most people in the office came from fairly privileged backgrounds, so dealing with this kind of grind was almost unimaginable to them.
But Irene was different.
She’d been through far worse growing up, so the pressure at work barely registered as hardship to her.
At least here, hard work actually paid off. There was real hope in that.
The life she had now was something she’d fought tooth and nail for, so she treasured it deeply.
A little extra grind felt like nothing to her.
With that thought, Irene quickly refocused on her work, ready to deal with the mess Ethan had handed her. Before she could even get started, Ethan suddenly called out, “Irene, come with me.”
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Chapter 171
Irene frowned slightly, but with everyone watching, she forced down her irritation, nodded, and stood up.
The moment Irene rose to her feet, sympathetic looks swept through the office.
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Irene could only let out a helpless chuckle. After all the drama that morning, she’d somehow become the person everyone pitied.
That was the last thing she expected, and she had no intention of taking advantage of their sympathy.
After all her years at Drake Law Firm, Irene had never bothered to get close to anyone there, and that had always been intentional.
Maybe it was because of her rough childhood, but Irene had never felt safe getting close to people.
Family? She didn’t trust them. Work friends? Please, she never bought into that. Keeping everyone at a distance just felt safer.
That was why Eliana was her one and only friend, the only person Irene had ever let in, and the only one she could truly call family.
But now, seeing all the sympathetic looks around her, a wave of unease crept into Irene’s chest.
To her, nothing ever came for free when it involved feelings. Sooner or later, people always expected something in return.
Right now, they felt sorry for her. But if people ever found out about her and Ethan, the drama would be off the charts.
And that was exactly what Irene didn’t want.
She’d always hoped that even if things with Ethan fell apart, she could still keep working here.
But now, things had suddenly become far more complicated.
There was no time to dwell on it. Irene quickly gathered her files and stood up to follow Ethan out.
As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Ethan was openly staring at Irene, not even trying to hide it.
She felt uneasy and blurted out, “Mr. Drake, where are we headed?”
“Business trip. We’re meeting a client out of town,” Ethan replied.
As he spoke, Ethan handed her a stack of files. “It’s a divorce case, and the payout is huge. If you pull this off, you could finally afford a place in this city.”
Ethan knew Irene had always dreamed of buying her own home through her own hard work.
Irene flipped through the files, her eyes widening. “Are you seriously giving me a case worth this much?”
“Why not? You work for the firm, and the money isn’t going anywhere else,” Ethan replied, completely unfazed.
Irene skimmed the divorce case. The assets ran into hundreds of millions. This was no small matter.
But she was fully capable of handling divorce cases on her own now, so she couldn’t understand why Ethan was coming with
her
He was always buried in work. Normally, he wouldn’t waste time on something like this.
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Chapter 171
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, noticing the way Irene was staring at him. “Is there something off with the case?”
Irene finally broke eye contact. “It’s not the case. It’s you. I’m just wondering why you’re coming along.”
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“You handed me this case, so I can handle it myself. I’m not some rookie intern anymore. Why do you need to come with me?”
As soon as she said it, Ethan understood what she meant.
He stepped closer, a trace of self–mockery in his voice. “So I’m just a nuisance to you now?”
“What, you don’t want to spend a little more time alone with me?”
As he said this, Ethan gave Irene a look full of teasing heat.
He had those dangerous bedroom eyes. When he looked at her like that, it was impossible not to get pulled in.
Irene always found herself lost in his gaze.
Even now, when their eyes met, she still felt dazed for a brief moment.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
