Ellison And Joycelyn: A Love Beyond The Rules

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

“Team dinner tonight? Joycelyn asked casually.

Aurelia had just returned with a cup of water. Setting it down on her desk, she replied. “It might be postponed.

“The company we were working with on the Linda project has come under investigation, so the deal is off. We’ll need to find a new partner, and we’ll be working overtime today.

“What?” Selene, who had been teasing Joycelyn, stopped in her tracks when she heard the news. Her playful grin disappeared, and she looked like she’d just been struck by a thunderbolt,

Joycelyn let out a quiet sigh of relief. Still, she was surprised and a bit relieved to hear that the deal had fallen through. It was a good thing they hadn’t ended up working with a shady company like Tommy’s.

Joycelyn asked, “So, does this mean everything’s off and we have to renegotiate from scratch?”

“Yes.” Aurelia nodded.

“Well, I still have the company information we gathered last time. It’ll probably come in handy again. Hopefully, we can find a better partner this time,” Joycelyn said, quickly pulling out the files she had gathered.

“Great. We’ll have a meeting in half an hour. This project will be handled by our team,” Aurelia said.

“Got it.” Joycelyn handed over the physical files and also shared the digital ones in the team’s chat.

“Alright, let’s get to work. Once we nail this, we can think about that dinner. Selene sighed, adopting the typical “hardworking employee” attitude.

“By the way, Joycelyn, don’t forget to bring your boyfriend to the dinner. Let’s see if he’s a good match,” Selene said, her curiosity about Joycelyn’s boyfriend now clearly outpacing her interest in the work at hand.

Joycelyn, a bit embarrassed, quickly changed the subject. “Let’s focus on work for now.”

With that, Joycelyn threw herself into the tasks–attending the meeting, taking minutes, and revising the project proposal. By the time she finished, the morning had flown by.

At lunch, she joined Aurelia and Selene in the cafeteria. Joycelyn ordered a soup for herself.

After lunch, during the break, Joycelyn went to find William to check on how Rocky, the little puppy, was doing with its training.

William sent her two short videos of the dog in training. After watching them, Joycelyn finally felt her nerves settle. Her little puppy hadn’t been abandoned, and that was a relief.

you do me a favor?” Aurelia suddenly stood up and called out to

Joycelyn looked up from

wants a quick report. Can you go in my place?” Aurelia asked.

be a bit awkward for me to go?” Joycelyn glanced at

11 Feb

Chapter 38

again, going to Ellison’s office during lunch. After everything that happened this morning with the puppy tearing up the place, Joycelyn was feeling a little anxious. She wasn’t

He said it’s fine. He trusts your ability, and

Ill go” She took a deep breath to calm herself, preparing mentally for the task

paperwork Aurelia handed her

The whole floor was dedicated to Ellison’s office and his assistant’s, with only

little

deep voice

my work report,” Joycelyn said, entering the office with the files in hand, her gaze toward Ellison behind the

moving

of paper rustling under his long, defined fingers filled the quiet room, creating an oddly calming atmosphere. The light pouring through the floor–to–ceiling windows bathed

looked his most attractive when he was focused on his

he gave off the impression of someone who was always in

door.” Ellison’s deep voice broke the silence, without him even looking up.

slightly puzzled. “Why do I need to close the door for the

he replied, finally glancing up at her. His sharp gaze briefly met hers

the top floor, mostly empty, but just to be safe,

slowly shut it behind her, and suddenly the atmosphere shifted. What had been calm and confident moments ago now felt a little more tense. Opening the files, she shifted into

Grant, regarding… Joycelyn began, but before she could

up from his chair, casually unbuttoning the top two

filled with the mature masculinity

commanding environment, he exuded an unmistakable aura of someone who had always been at the top, with a

honestly, avoiding his gaze and pretending to focus on the documents in

2/3

Ke, 11

Chapter 38

Feb.

something with me,” Ellison said, walking over