CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: TRAPPED IN THE ELEVATOR

According to the company’s personnel policy, Jonah Shaw was punished for spreading rumors and defaming a colleague, and the company demanded that he apologize to Clara Sterling.

Jonah Shaw paid a thousand bucks and issued a public apology letter in the company group chat.

After this incident, Jonah Shaw’s popularity in the company plummeted.

Julian Hawthorne also had a very poor impression of Jonah Shaw because of this matter, and no longer assigned him important or high-commission tasks.

Lisa Holloway commented, "This is called shooting yourself in the foot."

Clara: "I was wondering why he was always targeting me, turns out it was because his girlfriend got the boot."

Lisa: "Now that the interview footage is out, he’s gotta be convinced, right?"

Clara chuckled, "Convinced or not, he has to be."

...

Zeke Sheffield and Joanne Quincy stayed in Veridian for only a few days before heading abroad again to manage Sheffield’s overseas business.

Yvonne Sterling’s surgery was scheduled for the morning two days later.

Clara requested a leave in advance.

She planned to finish all the urgent work she had in hand over the next two days.

After work in the afternoon, colleagues gradually left one after another.

Clara was still sitting in front of the computer, organizing spreadsheets and handling documents.

She sent a message to Silas Sheffield saying she would be working late and returning home later than usual.

The sky gradually darkened.

After finishing her work, Clara turned her head to look out the window and realized it was already dark.

She glanced at the time on the lower right corner of the computer.

It was half-past nine in the evening.

She had been so focused on work that she hadn’t noticed the time.

Clara opened WhatsApp on her phone, where several messages from Silas Sheffield asked if she’d eaten and how late she planned to work.

She had been too busy to respond earlier.

Now that she was done, Clara replied: [Just finished, heading home now.]

Silas Sheffield: [Alright, I’ll send the driver to pick you up.]

Clara packed up her things and stood up to leave, suddenly noticing that the light in Julian Hawthorne’s office was still on.

Could it be President Hawthorne forgot to turn off the lights when he left?

Clara walked over to the office door to turn off the lights, only to unexpectedly meet Julian Hawthorne’s gaze.

Clara was a little taken aback, "President Hawthorne, you’re still here?"

Julian Hawthorne also looked surprised upon seeing Clara, "I had some urgent work to handle, stayed late. Why are you still here?"

"I’ve taken two days off, wanted to finish my tasks beforehand, so I stayed late too."

Julian Hawthorne nodded, a faint smile forming at his gentle eyes, "Taking leave and still voluntarily working late, you’re the first in our department."

Clara smiled, "I didn’t want to slow down everyone’s work progress. I have several team projects that would be delayed if I don’t finish them in time."

"Not bad," Julian Hawthorne said with a smile in his eyes, "Great team spirit."

"Well, I’ll get going now, President Hawthorne, you keep busy," Clara gestured at the lights, "I thought you forgot to turn them off, just wanted to help."

Julian Hawthorne stood up, grabbing the suit jacket draped over the chair, "I’m finished too, let’s head down together."

"Sure."

The two stepped into the elevator together.

In the small, enclosed space.

There was a distance of two people between Clara Sterling and Julian Hawthorne.

Neither spoke.

The red numbers on the elevator LED screen changed.

Soon, they reached the first floor.

Clara prepared to exit, but the elevator door didn’t open.

She waited for a few seconds, but the doors remained shut.

Clara pressed the open button, but it didn’t respond.

"What’s going on? Why won’t the door open?"

Just as she finished speaking, the elevator made a loud, strange noise.

Immediately after, the lights in the elevator went out.

Clara instinctively screamed: "Ah—"

She quickly took out her phone to call, "It seems like a power cut, I’ll try dialing the emergency rescue number."

However, as the phone screen lit up, Clara became even more anxious.

The phone had no signal!

She tried dialing 119 and 110, but couldn’t get through at all.

Clara anxiously said to Julian Hawthorne, "President Hawthorne, my phone has no signal, can’t make any calls. How about yours?"

Julian Hawthorne didn’t respond.

Clara sensed something amiss, using her phone’s light to shine on Julian Hawthorne, "President Hawthorne?"

Julian Hawthorne was huddled in the corner, looking panicked and uneasy, his already pale face appearing even paler.

Clara was stunned, "President Hawthorne, are you okay?"

Julian Hawthorne’s lips were tightly pressed, looking anxious and uneasy as he huddled in the corner, back against the cold elevator wall, fingers curled in tension.

Clara realized, "Do you have claustrophobia?"

Julian Hawthorne nodded, still silent.

Clara quickly turned on the flashlight on her phone and increased the brightness, "President Hawthorne, it’s not so dark now."

Julian Hawthorne’s expression eased a little, but his eyes still showed clear signs of anxiety and unease.

Clara also felt nervous and anxious; the elevator malfunction combined with a power outage, and no signal on the phone—being in such a confined and enclosed space made her panic grow.

She was scared too, but she didn’t have claustrophobia.

Julian Hawthorne’s situation was far worse than hers.

"President Hawthorne, you should also turn on your phone’s flashlight," Clara suggested, suppressing her fear and speaking calmly, "That way, it won’t be so dark."

Julian Hawthorne nodded, took out his phone, and turned on the flashlight.

Darkness was driven away.

Julian Hawthorne’s tension and unease lessened slightly.

Clara tried to comfort Julian Hawthorne.

"President Hawthorne, don’t be afraid. I told my friend before entering the elevator, and they’re coming to pick me up at the company. If they don’t see me, they’ll definitely come looking for me. We won’t be stuck here long."

Julian Hawthorne remained silent, lips tightly pressed, just nodding.

Clara wasn’t sure why he had claustrophobia; it might be related to his past experiences.

Clara didn’t ask. To distract him and make both of them less afraid, she started a conversation with Julian Hawthorne.

"President Hawthorne, let me tell you a joke," Clara said, managing a smile despite her own fear.

"Ahem..." Clara cleared her throat, pretending to be calm as she quickly searched her memory for jokes she had heard before.

"A pig, a dog, and a sheep walked into a convenience store. The pig and the dog got beaten up, but the sheep didn’t; do you know why?"

Julian Hawthorne frowned and shook his head.

"Because a 24-hour convenience store never closes, haha!" Clara laughed.

Julian Hawthorne, guided by the phone’s light, saw the girl’s bright, charming smile.

Her laughter was like a light in the darkness, illuminating everything around him, dispelling his inner fear.

"President Hawthorne, why aren’t you laughing? Was it not funny?" Clara pouted, thought for a moment, and continued, "Let me tell you about an embarrassing story from my childhood then."