WebNovels

Chapter 31 - Chapter 31- Team Lunch ( Nova's Pov)

"You are such a drama queen," I hear Elena's judgmental comment as soon as I close the door of Felix's office behind me.

"I didn't do any drama. I was just being honest." I blink my eyes innocently, clearly knowing whatever I did inside had crossed the line of drama; it was the highest level of flattery.

Elena's blonde hair catches the morning sunlight filtering through the glass window behind her. Her eyes measure me as I keep up my act.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know that, right?" she says knowingly, following me one step behind.

I shrug my shoulder. "I know."

"Yet you lost it intentionally? Everyone in this company," she shakes her head, "no, within this industry, would give up their soul just to get noticed by any of the members of the Laurent family, and you just let it go?"

Elena isn't wrong. Anyone from the Laurent family has the power to break or make someone's career and social status.

And Julian is probably the most useful one to hang on to, given how huge his network is across the industry and elite society.

The coffee machine broke when I went into the break room. I just made my usual cup of coffee using the things available, and in that moment, Felix's assistant panicked, failing to make coffee, so I gave her mine.

Little did I know it would end me up in front of Julian Alexander Laurent.

And I intentionally acted over the top to appear as just some dumb, overenthusiastic newbie.

I still remember what Mark warned me about, and also the rumor of a woman who got ruined by Julian on my very first day.

He might smile charmingly, but I can't deny the look in his eyes.

It's chaotic, restless, and something twisted lies underneath that handsome face and charming personality. Despite that, all the VPs are scared of him.

"You are different than I thought," Elena suddenly says, still walking next to me.

I turn to her. She's taller than me and looks like a Slavic doll. She smells like fresh roses, her pastel pink mini dress hugging her body perfectly, and her white overcoat flutters with each step she takes.

"Is that a compliment?" I tilt my head.

Elena looks down at me, her sky-blue eyes softer than before. Her lips twitch to smile, but she doesn't give it away.

"Hmm… depends on how you take it."

A chuckle leaves my mouth unexpectedly. "I'll take it as a compliment."

She looks away, hiding her smile. We get back into our cabin where the boys are already working on their laptops.

Aaron's chair is still empty.

Suddenly, Luke looks at us. He's wearing a ridiculous pineapple-printed shirt, sleeves too tight around his biceps.

I narrow my eyes at the fashion choice of this tall, bull-like man.

"Oh, you two are here. I was saying to the guys that since the date of our presentation has been postponed due to Mr. Erikson's absence, and we don't have any pressing matters," he grins playfully, leaning forward, "let's go outside and grab lunch."

Eric closes his laptop and nods. "Yeah, we never had time to know each other since we're all competing against each other."

Mark says disinterestedly, leaning against his chair, "I can't come."

Luke whines, throwing his hands in the air almost childishly, which makes me chuckle unexpectedly. "Come on, Markie. Don't be such a sad snob bastard!"

Elena gasps at Luke calling Mark by a nickname, but Luke isn't someone who cares about personal space.

Mark doesn't throw his usual glare either at being called Markie and snob bastard.

He simply closes his laptop and turns off his monitor. "I'm not coming."

His eyes fall on me briefly before he stands up and leaves us four in the room.

Elena rolls her eyes. "This guy… I have never hated any man more than him."

Eric, being all goodie, smiles. "He's just like that. Are you two up?"

Elena grabs her purse. "I want Turkish food."

Luke tugs my sleeve. "You're coming, right?"

I grin playfully. "If you're kind enough to pay for this junior, Senior Mario."

Luke laughs wholeheartedly, throwing his arm around my shoulder almost like I'm just another buddy.

"Don't worry, little associate Celestia. This senior of yours is a kind bastard." His Italian accent thickens with each word, making me laugh softly.

This is something I always loved about Italians — always finding ways to make people laugh and enjoy life.

Eric sighs. "Luke, you'll break Nova's shoulder, you dumb idiot!"

Luke gasps, realizing, and pulls his arm away. "I'm so sorry, little associate! Was my hand too heavy?" He genuinely checks my shoulder, making Elena hold back her laughter.

The heaviness from the past few days suddenly feels light as we four start joking and talking.

Unlike the past week, where we were eating each other's heads through glares due to Task 1, it feels like a distant memory.

Outside the building, Elena hooks her arm around mine. Luke does his job as the social butterfly, and Eric lets go of his fake sweetness and jokes around.

I find myself laughing out loud for the first time in the last three days. The wind of London slowly feels warmer for the first time after a very long while, which feels like a distant memory.

Luke takes us to a Turkish restaurant. Warm, cozy, full of people and the aroma of spices that make my mouth water.

The waiters are kind, and the owner turns out to be Luke's friend.

At this point, I'm sure this Luke Mario is friends with half of London.

We order food, talk about our lives, and joke about other colleagues, gossiping about the secret affairs of others.

Luke and Elena have too much gossip inside them.

The table gets filled with delicious Turkish food. Though I don't know the names of any of the dishes, I can't deny how delicious they taste.

Jamila always orders Turkish food every Friday, but I never tried it before.

Now, I regret declining such yummy food that warms both my taste buds and my heart.

"And just like that, the Director of Marketing gets chewed off by the board of directors because of his explicit marketing campaign." Luke ends the story of a marketing director who got kicked out three years ago for using nudity to market baby formulas.

Eric nods, taking a bite of his food. "It was a huge scandal. The entire marketing department was under auditing."

"Isn't it a bit too strong a reaction for something like that?" I ask, genuinely confused at the extremity of the situation.

Elena nods. "It is, but ever since the two young masters of the Laurent family got posted in this second HQ of Laurent&Cie, the rules are really strict."

Luke wipes his mouth with a tissue and nods seriously. "While the second young master is a chill man, as long as profits are made, he doesn't care about anything. He's well known for being a total two-headed snake who'll kick anyone under the bus if things get ugly."

Luke's face suddenly darkens, a hint of fear in his eyes, subtle but present. "The first young master doesn't play around. I still remember hearing him on speaker after the director's accident."

Eric shakes his head. "Don't remind me. That was probably the first time the entire building went silent, and every single person felt fear."

Tension looms over everyone. Even Elena lets out a deep breath, all three of their faces pale and fearful.

"What did he say in the announcement?" I ask cautiously, feeling a tight knot in my stomach.

Elena's voice is a bit shaky as she recites from her memory,

"Laurent&Cie does not need unorthodox ways to dominate the industry and economy. You make a mistake and lose money, that's acceptable. But playing with the company's image is unacceptable. Nobody is going to save you if you use this company as a playground. Matter dismissed."

I see the three of them gulping. I sip water, letting Elena's words settle down.

While I didn't hear the announcement myself, curiosity makes my body feel tingly.

"Nobody ever saw the first young master?" I ask, putting my glass down.

Eric shakes his head. "No. Unlike the second young master, the first never shows his face to the public. He's almost a mythical creature to everyone."

Luke's voice is serious and low. "Someone who's like a phantom. He has his ears and eyes everywhere, yet other than his voice, which is also curated according to need, nobody outside the elite circle knows him."

Elena whispers, "And that's what makes him dangerous."

I let out a nervous laugh. The sudden heaviness in the air makes me regret pushing the topic further.

Aaron William Laurent... he clearly sounds more dangerous than Julian Alexander Laurent.

I shrug my shoulders, shaking off my thoughts related to the Laurent family.

It's not like I'll ever meet this mysterious young master.

And with how I've traumatized Julian, I'm sure we'll never meet again, even by mistake.

More Chapters