The Platonic Trap novel Chapter 125

Celia kept her head bowed, remaining silent.

Looking down at her, Alistair asked again, "Did you learn how it's done?"

She gave a small nod. "Thank you, Mr. Zucker."

She said, *Thank you, Mr. Zucker.*

Not *Uncle Alistair*.

His brow arched slightly, an unreadable emotion flashing through his eyes.

When she had joined Zucker Corp as an intern, he hadn't intended to hide their connection.

That was why he hadn't said anything when HR became aware of who she was.

But right here, right now, she called him *Mr. Zucker*.

Deliberately putting distance between them.

Frowning slightly, his lips pressed into a thin, tight line.

Her cold still hadn't faded, leaving a feverish flush on her cheeks.

With her head bowed, from his vantage point, he could see the burning, rosy tips of her ears.

"If you're sick, go home and rest. Is Zucker Corp on the verge of bankruptcy? Are we so desperate we have to force interns to work through an illness?"

His tone was freezing. Though he was looking at her while speaking, the words were pointed like daggers directly at Larry.

Larry kept his head down, trembling, not daring to utter a single excuse.

"Y-You're absolutely right, Mr. Zucker. I just... since she's a new intern, I wanted her to learn as much as possible. I suppose I was just too eager..."

He was good at talking, twisting the narrative so smoothly it sounded as though every harsh action was done purely for her benefit.

"You wanted her to learn, so you gave her documents that had absolutely nothing to do with the project?" Alistair demanded, his voice dropping an octave.

Cold sweat broke out across Larry's forehead.

He kept his eyes glued to the floor, laughing nervously. "Ms. Stafford... she's a bit slow to pick things up. I thought it best to start her off on something simple."

A clever liar, turning black into white.

—It looked awfully familiar...

He filed the thought away for later.

Since Alistair himself had given the order, she certainly didn't need to care what Larry thought. The head of HR personally delivered her approved leave form, and with it in hand, she walked out of the building.

The Aerie Manor.

As soon as she walked through the doors, a maid hurried over to take her coat. "Ms. Stafford, you're back."

That tone...

Celia paused for a moment, realizing something: the staff didn't seem surprised at all that she was home so early.

Blinking, she looked at the maid. "How did you know I was coming back?"

The maid bowed her head respectfully. "Mr. Zucker called ahead. He said you'd be home soon and instructed us to prepare hot lemon-ginger tea and your medication, and to make absolutely sure you took it."

Raising an eyebrow, she felt a twinge of curiosity. "Why did he tell you all that instead of just telling me?"