Oliver pulled me aside and said, "The thing you asked me to look into that day… I did a rough check. It looks like Lucas really wasn't following you that day. He was actually following... Scarlett."
"He was following Scarlett?" I looked at Oliver in confusion. "Why would he follow her?"
"I don't know, but after he saw you arrive, he gave up on following Scarlett and instead followed you when you left."
I was baffled. "What exactly is Lucas trying to do?"
"No matter what he's up to, as Mr. Hastings said, Ms. Ashford, you should keep your guard up. Not everyone in this world is a good person."
I nodded. "As for today's incident... Why were Lucas and Mr. Hastings there?"
"After you left that day, Mr. Hastings was actually very concerned about this matter. As soon as you were gone, he told me to investigate. There was a problem with the Schneider family's mines, so Lucas went abroad for a few days. That gave Xena an opportunity.
"Originally, Mr. Hastings didn't want to get involved, but he was worried you'd be upset, so he had me inform Lucas."
"He's worried I'd be upset?" I was even more puzzled, and I felt conflicted.
"Exactly." Oliver lowered his voice and continued, "That day when you left, didn't you and Mr. Hastings have a conflict over this? So, he figured you cared a lot about it."
I wasn't sure if I should be happy about this. Either way, when I found myself standing outside Alex's office again, I realized I didn't have the courage to knock.
Just as I was hesitating, the door suddenly opened from the inside.
Alex frowned at me. "Why are you standing at the door?"
"I-I..." I stammered. "I, uh, just wanted to apologize. I was too emotional that day and misunderstood you."
"You were just doing it for the company." Alex remained as indifferent as ever. "Alright, go back to your office."
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