Zane let out a heavy sigh. "Jenny, Mr. Chambers isn't the only decent guy on the planet. Why put yourself through this?"

A painful lump formed in her throat. She kept her head down and stayed silent.

How could anyone accurately describe the torment of a one-sided crush?

There were millions of men out there, but her heart was fixated on one. She felt elated over a passing glance and devastated over a careless word. It consumed her entirely, defying all logic and reason.

No matter how great someone else was, they could never replace him.

That specific rush was something only he could provide. Unrivaled and totally unique.

Seeing her look so defeated, Zane's heart ached. He reached under the table to grab her hand. "Jenny-"

She flinched away as if he were a contagious disease, her voice turning icy. "Keep your hands to yourself!"

Embarrassed, Zane quickly grabbed his water glass and downed it in one gulp.

Sara arrived a few minutes before Adrian. Norah introduced her to the group, and aside from Jenny, everyone gave Sara a warm welcome.

Right as Sara sat down, Adrian walked through the door.

Adrian and Sara were already quite familiar with each other. They traded a few friendly jokes before everyone finally took their seats.

Noticing that Sara was on good terms with their CEO, the coworkers became even more accommodating and polite toward her.

Once the food and drinks were served, Jenny was the first to stand up. She raised her glass to Norah. "Norah, now that we're working in the same department, I hope we can look out for each other."

Norah clinked glasses with her. "Likewise."

Jenny refilled her glass and turned to the rest of the table. "Let's all toast to Norah. Hopefully, she goes easy on us in the future and doesn't run straight to Mr. Chambers to file a complaint the second we mess up."

Her tone was light and joking, but the words caused a subtle shift in everyone's expression.

Norah was their new direct superior, but she was also Adrian's former assistant and close confidante. It would be entirely too easy for her to whisper complaints in the boss's ear.

Though Sara didn't work at the company, she instantly picked up on the underlying hostility. "Is she doing this on purpose?" she muttered to Norah.

The rest of the table stood up to toast Norah. While their gestures were meant to be flattering, their eyes were guarded. Jenny's single comment had instantly erected an invisible wall between the new manager and her subordinates.

Norah stood up gracefully, glass in hand. Coming from a wealthy, sheltered background, she possessed a naturally elegant aura Her impeccable upbringing made her instinctively kind and approachable, without a trace of overt aggression.

But kindness didn't equate to weakness, nor did it mean she had to tolerate thinly veiled malice.

Her expression remained perfectly serene as she looked right at Jenny. "The way you phrased that, Miss Jordan, makes it sound like I make a habit of running to Mr. Chambers with complaints."

She turned her head to Adrian. "Have I ever done that?"

Adrian stood up, his eyes locked on her with a burning intensity. "Do you know who

had the biggest problem with you transferring to marketing?"

Norah raised an eyebrow playfully. "Who?"

"Your old coworkers in the admin department. They came to my office multiple times. They even ran to HR and the board of directors to

format complaints against mene

claiming I was moving you out of the department for selfish reasons, ignoring staff morale and the company's long-term interests." Adrian scanned the table, "Do you guys have any idea how much pressure I took to get you a decent boss? The board was a step away from launching an investigation into me."

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The table erupted into laughter at his exaggerated joking.

When they looked back at Norah, the apprehension in their eyes had melted into warmth and even anticipation.

Since she was so tight with the CEO, she could probably secure better perks for their department.

Who wouldn't want a manager who was favored by the big boss? If anyone ever made a minor mistake, having a supervisor who had the CEO's ear was a massive safety net.