CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 5: TRASH BELONGS IN THE TRASH CAN

Second time in the CEO’s office.

This place is huge, spacious—aside from a massive desk, there’s a sofa set, and past the sofa, a little tea nook.

"If you’re tired, go inside and get some sleep." He walked towards his desk, nodding in that direction.

Sophia followed his gaze. The small suite beside his desk really did feel homey—totally unlike that night’s place.

Ugh, what am I even thinking about again?!

"I’m fine on the couch out here." She took a step back.

"Suit yourself." Zane returned to his desk, sat down, and started dealing with papers.

Sophia didn’t go in, choosing instead to wait on the sofa.

She didn’t know how long passed. Having barely slept last night, Sophia fell asleep lying across the couch.

Zane kept working at his desk, sifting through documents, handling affairs—he seemed to have endless energy to burn.

Seriously, they’d both been doing the same thing last night, and he was the one putting in more effort—why did he have so much stamina?

When she woke up, it was already one a.m.

Zane stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the city’s glowing nightscape.

It was obvious from his posture he’d trained—broad shoulders, narrow waist, the casually rolled sleeves on his arms revealing distinct, sinewy veins.

She rubbed her stiff neck, whimpering softly at the sting, and as she sat up, the black suit jacket she had on slid off her shoulders.

"Aren’t you going to sleep?"

She figured he’d head into the back room to sleep once he’d finished working.

"The elevator’s fixed."

"Oh."

"I’ll take you." He turned around slowly.

"No need, I can just grab a taxi downstairs." Sophia picked up her bag.

Zane grabbed his jacket and followed right behind her.

Sophia felt a bit awkward—he was like a dog with a bone, impossible to shake off.

She walked out, but before leaving the parking lot, a car horn blared behind her. She shifted to the side, but the black car kept honking.

She looked toward the sound.

"Get in."

His voice—deep, magnetic—and the cold darkness in his eyes behind his rimless glasses made her shiver.

Sophia clutched her bag, hesitated, but got in the car.

Just then, a BMW 290 with a certain license plate took a sharp turn and sped out of the underground lot.

"Screech—" came the sound of tires sliding in the parking garage.

The two of them glanced out until the car vanished into the shadows.

Coming back to herself, Sophia yanked at her dress. Sitting made it ride up and nearly expose everything.

She had no idea who picked out this outfit for her—it was all wrong. As she awkwardly shifted in her seat—

A button near her chest popped open.

"..." Zane shot a glance her way, but looked away almost instantly, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously.

Sophia pressed her hands to her chest, face turning even redder than a tomato.

Sure, people said she had a killer body, but—this was just too much...

Neither of them said a word. The confined space felt stiflingly awkward.

Zane tossed the black suit jacket from the back seat at her.

Sophia understood and slipped it on.

On the way home, he stopped the car at a street corner and brought back a dessert called "Tender Affection."

The flavor was subtle, but she recognized it right away—it was Sophia’s favorite.

She’d thought he was buying it for some woman at home, but when they got out, he handed it straight to her.

"Here." His tone was casual.

Sophia blinked, surprised, and accepted it. "Thanks."

"Tender Affection," a sweet soup with lotus seeds, black rice, gelatin, and lily—it was her routine every shopping trip. And this shop stayed open until three a.m., always drawing long lines.

How did he even know?

Her rented place wasn’t far from the office—Plum Blossom Gardens. It was deep into the night by now—Zane pulled up in front of her building, watching her enter the elevator.

He tipped his head up. After less than a minute, the light on the 16th floor flicked on. Then he finally started the car and headed back to the office.

——

Stepping out of the elevator, Sophia saw a bouquet of yellow tulips on the ground—beside a cup of now-cold coffee.

This scene—it was kind of like someone had left flowers for the dead...

Yeesh! There goes her good mood, plunging back into gloom.

She remembered something Coleman once said: Trash belongs in the trash can!

Furrowing her brow, she picked up the coffee and tossed it in the garbage nearby.

She glanced back at the tulips, tightened her grip, then, in her black heels, kicked them towards the trash can, too.

She unlocked the door with her fingerprint and stepped into her long-missed little home.

She shrugged off the ill-fitting suit jacket, changed into slippers, and padded into the bathroom.

She lingered there a long time before finally coming out.

She felt light as a feather—free.

It was already two a.m. She restarted her phone.

Thank goodness, her phone was okay.

As soon as it turned on, a barrage of "ding ding" messages flooded in—dozens of notifications bombarded her.

She didn’t even look, just marked them all as read without replying. But then...

Henry Quinn: [I called, but you didn’t pick up. I texted, but you didn’t reply. I was really worried about you. The flowers were freshly picked today. Hope you like them.]

They’d been together for so many years, and he was always this romantic. But his romance was so excessive, so intoxicating.

He really lived up to his reputation—always providing free services for women.

Even though Sophia came from a single-parent family, her mother taught her strong values. Under her influence, Sophia had always been self-disciplined and proper. Even when she and Henry were talking marriage, it never went beyond holding hands.

At the National Day Fashion Show, when everyone was clearing out, she’d spotted Henry—who usually didn’t like shopping—at the mall.

She’d known for a long time about him and Sienna Lawson behind her back, but seeing them with her own eyes—tangled together on the street, whispering sweet nothings—felt like a thousand needles poking down her throat.

And Zane and Ethan Sinclair had seen it all, too.

She’d looked out of sorts, and it was then that Ethan had talked to Zane about it.

Which pretty much explained why she’d gotten drunk at that celebration party...

Thinking about all that, she unconsciously opened Zane’s WhatsApp.

She stared at their chat window for a long time. She glanced at the suit jacket beside her, the dessert on the table, and remembered that absurd thing he’d said the other day.

"Do you want to try being Mrs. Sterling?"

She was in a daze.

No matter how desperate you are, this is not the way to find a man!

He’s a CEO—how could he possibly fall for a lowly employee like me?

He’s not some charity worker—why would he find me so... precisely? What is he, blind?

She checked her Moments—her WhatsApp feed was blowing up. Everyone was raving about how Sophia Lowell was such a workaholic, still working overtime at the office.

That’s when she noticed a familiar avatar.

Zane Sterling had liked her post...

He didn’t come find her just because he saw her Moments, did he?!

No, no way. Absolutely not.

She set her phone aside quietly and pulled open the dessert.

She took a tiny sip—so sweet!