Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

Pearl thought Hugo had forgotten about that, but it appeared he had reserved such a trick up his sleeve.

After finishing her work at noon, she headed to the restaurant on the third floor for lunch. As she sat down with her plate of chicken chop, someone unexpectedly took a seat across from her. Assuming it was just someone looking for a table, Pearl continued eating until she noticed the person's lingering presence. Looking up, she saw Hugo's arrogant smile.

"It's been a long while, Pearl."

"Not that long, just about a week. Feeling better, Hugo?" Pearl replied casually, unaware of the growing animosity in Hugo's expression.

Hugo had taken a few days off to recover, nursing a sprained arm from their recent encounter when he was pushed off a car. He felt embarrassed when Pearl brought up the incident as if it were a joke. "Why are you here? And why the happy face? Came to watch me make a fool of myself?"

leaned in and said, "Heard Martin paid you a visit this

Makes one wonder if you've

just

down, intrigued. "And why did you do that?" She wondered if he wanted to see Martin exact revenge on

got

found his concern absurd. "Why should you care? Aren't you mad at me for taking that knife for

saved him. But I still care about you, and I want you back even more," Hugo admitted, becoming agitated and gripping her hand. Her hand felt cold, making him

away. Instead, she stared at him coldly. "Hugo, get

at her words. "Aren't I? My goal

is to beat Richard and take over Waldorf Enterprises. Don't pretend to be