Chapter 14

[Abigail appears so innocent, but beneath the surface, her life is a chaotic mess.]

[No one knows how many men she has been sleeping with, and some think she has manipulated her way into a position at headquarters.]

[As the executive assistant, she is the face of the company, and someone like her shouldn't be allowed to stay.]

What happened right now eerily mirrored one from years ago. Back then, some people wanted to destroy an ambitious and attractive young woman by spreading rumors about her wild personal life and subjecting her to public humiliation. As the accusations piled up, everyone turned against her.

A wave of déjà vu washed over Abigail as she recalled that group of people cornering her at home. They had pulled her hair and struck her while hurling vicious insults.

"You look just like a seductive vixen with that face of yours, doing such shameless things at such a young age." "Get out of here, and never come back."

She had tried to explain, but no one would listen. They only believed what they wanted to believe. On that day, her grandmother was away, and the only person she could turn to was her uncle. But instead of helping her, he had slapped her hard across the face. "Our family has no place for someone as disgraceful as you. If your father knew what you've done, he'd jump out of his coffin to put you in your place!"

"Abigail, is any of this true?"

Keith's voice pulled Abigail from her painful memories. He had only worked with her for a little over a month and did not know her well. But unlike the others who had already judged her based on the rumors, Keith remained neutral and asked for her side of the story. For that, Abigail was deeply grateful.

With a strained smile, she asked, "Has Mr. Zane arrived yet?"

Keith replied, "He just got here."

Abigail's hands trembled from the cold as she clutched her laptop tightly, steeling herself before entering Xander's office. Xander stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, puffing away at his cigarette, his back to the door. Abigail could not see his face, just the towering, enigmatic figure that he cut. Taking a deep breath, she gently placed her laptop on his desk. "Mr. Zane, someone at the company is spreading vile rumors about my personal life. I need just two minutes of your time to clear the air."

Without so much as turning around, Xander's voice sliced through the room, cold and indifferent. "Your personal life holds no interest for me. However, should anything about you risk tarnishing Zane Corporation's image, I regret to say that we cannot keep you on board."

A wave of icy dread washed over Abigail, chilling her to her core. "Mr. Zane, please, just let me explain before—"

He cut her off ruthlessly. "If you insist these are baseless rumors, then produce evidence to prove it. You have two hours to rectify this situation, or how can I possibly trust your abilities?"

His words struck a chord within her. "Thank you, Mr. Zane," she replied, her voice tinged with determination.

'Mr. Zane is right; if I couldn't handle my own personal turmoil, how can I be trusted with the pivotal role of the executive assistant? I've come to him prepared to take control, to strike first and gain the upper hand, ensuring he wouldn't fall prey to the venomous lies circulating online. I couldn't afford to lose my job, nor could I bear the weight of another blemish on my reputation. Back when I was younger, I had been powerless against the relentless slander and insults from others. Now, I refuse to be the same Abigail who let everyone walk all over me!'

The moment she left the CEO's office, Abigail dashed to the company's IT security department, urging them to rapidly unmask the anonymous poster. Since her promotion to the executive assistant, the IT security staff had always been courteous to her. Today, however, they hesitated and made excuses for not assisting her. Luckily, Keith intervened with a phone call, demanding their cooperation. Mere minutes after Keith's call, the IT security team managed to pinpoint the anonymous culprit.

The person responsible for the post was not David, as Abigail had suspected, but she was certain he was involved. Armed with this information, she promptly contacted the police. The authorities sprang into action, and within half an hour, they tracked down the poster's residence. The individual confessed that David was the mastermind, and the police subsequently discovered numerous invasive photos of Abigail on David's computer—catching him red-handed.

As the police arrived at the company to arrest David, Abigail checked her watch—exactly two hours had passed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she strode toward David with fierce determination in her high heels, and, in front of the officers, delivered two powerful slaps across his face.

After hitting David, Abigail massaged her aching hand and addressed the astonished onlookers with a wry smile. "Is there no other way you men can pick on a woman besides spreading scandalous rumors and shaming her?"

"This isn't over, Abigail." David snarled through gritted teeth. But with no strength left to resist, he was promptly escorted away by the police.

In front of everyone, Abigail called the HR manager. "Notify everyone in the company—if anyone ever tries to slander a colleague again, Zane Corporation will never employ them." Without waiting for a response, she hung up the phone.

She surveyed the faces of the twenty or so people in the room. "You've all witnessed what happened today. I had David, the despicable rumor-monger, expelled from Zane Corporation, and I can do the same to anyone else who dares to cause trouble. That's because I have Mr. Zane standing behind me."

"Mr. Zane!"

The crowd turned to look behind her, echoing "Mr. Zane" in unison.

Abigail glanced back and saw Xander standing right there, reinforcing her point that he was standing behind her. She tensed up momentarily before trying to appear nonchalant. "Mr. Zane!"

Xander's piercing gaze swept over her from beneath his silver-rimmed glasses without a word, and he walked away.

Following him, Keith said firmly, "Abigail, keep up."

Abigail quickly caught up as Keith suggested, "It's lunchtime; let's head to the cafeteria."

Xander was notoriously picky about his food. He had a personal chef who prepared all his meals using ingredients exclusively from the Zane family's own farm. It was a rare sight to see him eat anything from outside. In the month Abigail had been by his side, this was the first time she had witnessed him stepping foot in the company cafeteria.

It was not the peak lunch hour yet, so the cafeteria was devoid of other employees. Abigail longed for a table by the window, but Xander, assertive as always, chose the most conspicuous spot in the middle. She reluctantly abandoned her preference as she joined him.

Although it was just the company cafeteria, it boasted a higher standard than many high-end restaurants. The vast array of both local and international dishes was almost overwhelming. As Abigail struggled to decide what to eat, her heart fluttered when Xander's personal chef arrived with a team, presenting a table overflowing with sumptuous dishes.

Keith's eyes widened, his mouth watering at the sight. "We're in for a real treat today."

Feeling a bit disoriented and overwhelmed, Abigail excused herself. "I'll go wash my face." She rushed to the restroom, splashed cold water on her flushed face, and practiced smiling in the mirror. It was not until she had achieved the perfect smile that she allowed herself to feel satisfied.

As she left the restroom, she ran into Keith. "Mr. Jackman, thank you."

"For what?" Keith asked, puzzled by her gratitude.

"If it weren't for your phone call, the IT security department might not have listened to me," Abigail replied. She was still in her probationary period as the executive assistant and was at the center of a scandal. Many people believed that given Xander's zero-tolerance policy for slip-ups, he would dismiss her, so they no longer treated her with the respect her position deserved.

"It was Mr. Zane who asked me to make that call. You should thank him," Keith admitted, feeling a twinge of guilt. At the time, he had believed the rumor and had not considered helping Abigail.