CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40- NO WARNING, NO MERCY

Sean had just gotten out of the car and hadn’t noticed Morrison standing ahead of him. Facing Lilian’s cheerful greeting, he smiled politely in return.

"Morning, Miss Washington."

Lilian waited for Sean to catch up before the two walked toward the elevator side by side.

Sean had learned the hard way about staying too close to Lilian. His boss had "accidentally" set him up a few times when he got too chatty with her. After his older brother gave him a serious reality check, Sean finally smartened up and started keeping a safe distance.

But today... well, Sean didn’t know the boss was around. So, he figured chatting with Lilian wouldn’t be a big deal.

Truth be told, Sean was frustrated. He and Lilian always clicked—same kind of personality, same kind of humor—it was easy to get carried away talking with her. She wasn’t like the typical ambitious types in the office. She was bright, down-to-earth, and refreshingly genuine. Being around her just felt comfortable.

But let’s be clear: Sean had never harbored any inappropriate feelings. He came from an ordinary family and knew he could never measure up to someone like her. He merely admired her from afar. Everyone has the right to appreciate something beautiful, right?

He’d already reassured his boss like a dozen times: "Absolutely no funny business!"

...Not that the boss ever believed him.

In fact, Morrison had made it pretty clear: "Stay away from Lilian."

The next step would probably have been banning conversation altogether.

So today, Sean figured he’d sneak in a quick chat while the boss wasn’t looking. But just as he was about to say something, he looked up—and froze.

There. Right in front of them. Morrison.

Crap.

Had Morrison heard Lilian greet him just now?

Oh no. Oh no no no—

Sean could already picture himself getting chewed out in the office later.

But then, in a moment of what he thought was brilliance, Sean made a bold move.

He called out, "Boss!"

He figured Morrison hadn’t noticed Lilian behind him. If he gave him a heads-up, he might look like a thoughtful employee. Maybe—just maybe—he could erase any suspicion of cozying up to Lilian.

Big mistake.

Lilian panicked. She instantly reached up to cover Sean’s mouth.

"Hey! Don’t shout! Stop shouting!"

She had been deliberately stalling here just to avoid running into Morrison. And now Sean had loudly blown her cover!

Desperate, she tried to smother his voice.

But... it was already too late.

Sean’s shout echoed through the silent parking garage.

Loud and clear.

Morrison halted.

He took off his sunglasses and slowly turned around.

Lilian froze like a statue.

Sean, caught off guard by her sudden leap to shut him up, stood dumbfounded.

And then Morrison saw them.

Lilian practically thrown against Sean, one hand still over his mouth—

From any angle, it looked way too intimate.

In that moment, Morrison’s face dropped to subzero. His stare alone was enough to chill them both to the bone.

He didn’t say a word.

Just turned around coldly and headed toward the elevator.

Sean snapped back to reality.

"Oh no. Oh no no no. I’m dead. I am so dead."

If just a few extra words with Lilian could get him exiled to the corporate equivalent of Siberia, then this?

This was career suicide.

Lilian, on the other hand, seemed pretty calm.

She knew Morrison was angry because of the "hugging" scene just now. But then again—they had broken up. Last night. So what right did he have to be mad? It wasn’t even her fault—Sean shouted like a lunatic, and she reacted on instinct.

Still, she turned to Sean with an apologetic look.

"I’m really sorry, Secretary Sean. I panicked just now and... and that’s why I tried to cover your mouth. I didn’t mean to cause trouble."

Sean looked like he was about to cry.

"All I did was shout ’Boss’... why’d you act like the sky was falling?"

He had no idea about the breakup. As far as he knew, just last night the boss had been in a great mood, heading off to have dinner with Lilian.

Lilian paused. After some thought, she decided to come clean.

"We... we broke up."

She figured it was best to let Sean (and Norton, the only other one who knew) in on the truth. That way, they’d stop trying to nudge her and Morrison back together.

Sean’s jaw dropped open in shock.

Literally an "O" shape.

It was kind of comical, actually.

Sean was still trembling from having pissed off the boss just moments ago, and now Lilian dropped that bombshell on him. His poor heart felt like it might just give out.

Trying to pull himself together, he glanced at Lilian’s calm face, then remembered Morrison’s icy expression. Holding his chest like it was about to shatter, he nervously asked,

"Don’t tell me... you were the one who broke up with him?"

If it had been Morrison’s idea, he wouldn’t have looked that furious just now.

Lilian nodded,

"Yeah, it was me. I thought Mr. Morrison should find a better woman who matches his level, instead of wasting his time on me. I mean, he’s not getting any younger, right?"

She remembered how, last night, when she asked if he wanted to marry her, he just got up and left. That only made her feel more certain that breaking up was the right move.

She was scared of love and marriage, so she never wanted to get married anyway. And he clearly had no intention to marry her either—what was the point of dragging it out?

Better to split early. She didn’t mind since she was still young and had no marriage plans, but he wasn’t exactly a commitment-phobe, and he was already in his thirties. It was a waste of time for him to stay with her.

After leaving her, maybe he’d meet someone new—a good girl who might even make him want to get married. She sincerely wished him well.

Sean: "..."

Wait, what? The boss isn’t getting any younger?

Is she insulting the boss now?

And after all his years of romantic battles, this was the first time someone broke up with him? No wonder Morrison’s face had turned pitch black just now.

Sean almost laughed but then felt a strange pang of sympathy for the boss. Having such a carefree girlfriend—was it a blessing or a curse?

Because from where Sean stood, Lilian didn’t seem all that heartbroken over the breakup.

Lilian noticed Sean’s silence, glanced at her watch, and suddenly exclaimed,

"We’d better hurry! We’re gonna be late!"

Grabbing her bag, she jogged toward the elevator.

Sean didn’t want to go to work at all—he could already imagine how Morrison would torture him after seeing Sean hugging Lilian, especially now that they’d broken up.

Lilian rushed ahead and turned a corner into the elevator lobby.

She looked up and saw a man who should’ve taken the elevator ages ago—standing there waiting with a cool, unimpressed stare.

Embarrassed, Lilian forced a polite chuckle and stepped back, putting some distance between them while silently waiting.

But in her mind, she was thinking: There’s no one else here. The elevator must’ve just left and emptied out.

So why is he still lingering?

Sean came up behind her, frowning, and his heart sank when he spotted the boss too.

"Oh no! Seriously?!"

The boss still hadn’t gone up.

Was he waiting for them? Or just for Lilian?

Either way, Sean was sure the boss was about to settle some scores.

"Morning, boss."

He forced a greeting. Morrison’s face remained unreadable. Sean internally groaned.

He should’ve checked the calendar before leaving the house. Today was definitely a bad day.

After everything that had happened, he now had to share an elevator ride with a broken-up couple...

While Sean was agonizing over this, the elevator doors opened. Morrison strode in first, Lilian lowered her head and slipped in behind him.

Morrison took the spot at the very back. Lilian stood close to the side, not wanting to share the elevator but unable to afford being late.

Sean, crushed under the weight of mental pressure, finally stepped in.

Just as he reached to press a button, BAM! Someone kicked him hard right in the backside—no warning, no mercy.

He was literally kicked out of the elevator.

The doors closed, leaving only the broken-up couple inside as it slowly ascended.

Sean held his sore butt, wailing,

"The boss is ruthless!"

Inside the elevator, Lilian had tried to stop Morrison from kicking Sean. But the kick came so fast and hard, she didn’t even have time to react.

She could only watch helplessly as the doors shut.

A cold voice whispered beside her,

"Feeling sorry for him now?"