Along the way, Barbara didn’t notice her presence. Sitting by the window, looking at the scenery outside, she unconsciously thought of Special Assistant Morgan. Thought about Hailey Hale sleeping in his bed... She felt jealous and sad. Until the car reached the stop, Barbara pulled herself out of her thoughts and got off the bus, and Monica Usher followed her down. Under the beautiful sunset, the girl walked towards her rental without turning her head. She was a bit tired today. With Special Assistant Morgan absent, her workload had increased, and she had to take the elevator more than twenty times, attending several meetings where she took minutes. Her residence was somewhat remote compared to downtown, and the sunset stretched Barbara’s shadow obliquely long. Finally noticing there was another shadow following hers, Barbara halted, and the shadow behind her stopped too. Was she being followed? Her chest tightened slightly, reminding herself to not be afraid in broad daylight. She gathered her courage and turned her gaze, just in time to meet Monica Usher’s calm eyes. "..." Barbara was visibly stunned; wasn’t she supposed to be at Aethel Falls?? If it were in the past, she would certainly call her "Monica Sis" immediately, but today, for some reason, it felt as though something had blocked her throat. The two just stared at each other, unable to make any sound. "Barbara." Monica took two steps forward, her apology breaking the awkward silence. Barbara snapped back to reality, her expression not as stiff, yet still unsure of what to say. "Barbara, I don’t want to lose you as a friend, so I specially came out from Aethel Falls." Monica explained, "My design team is still there, but I came out just to find you, and I’ve barely slept well for several days." These words made Barbara feel a bit guilty. Fresh chapters posted on novel-fire.net Near a café, the conditions were somewhat simple, but it was very quiet. Monica Usher and Barbara Sutton sat across the table, ordered two tiramisus and two lattes, and Monica immediately footed the bill. "Barbara, I know you must have thoughts in your mind." Monica understood her well, "I also know you have formed opinions about me." "Monica Sis." Barbara interrupted softly, "You represent R-Alan Group, so we really should avoid suspicion." Meeting her gaze, Monica paused, "Sometimes I think it’s your own overthinking, you’re troubling yourself for no reason." Barbara remained silent. She continued earnestly— "Barbara, do you know how much it hurt me when you transferred money to me?" "Was that meant to buy off our friendship?" "Do you know how anxious I was when your mom got sick? I set aside my work to contact experts, personally went to the county to connect, accompanied your mom through her surgery, why did I do all of this? Because I see you as a friend." "..." Barbara held her coffee cup, suddenly feeling sad, her nose tingling. "Your friendship with Mia Lane is actually not as deep as ours." Monica gently reminded her, "You followed me right after graduation. Remember the day you interviewed at Kingston Group? You lost your initial exam card and was stopped by the security guard at the entrance." Barbara recalled that day’s situation, feeling a slight emotional stir within. Monica Usher was the first benefactor she encountered in her career. If it weren’t for her, she certainly wouldn’t have entered Kingston. Monica wasn’t asking for her gratitude, just giving her a gentle reminder, "Barbara, can you assure you’ll work at Kingston Group for a lifetime? Do you think you can become friends with Justin Kingston and Mia Lane?" "..." She remained silent. Monica picked up her cup and took a gentle sip of coffee, softly saying, "Only I will see you as a friend for a lifetime."