Chapter 10: Valentine's Gift for the Future Mrs. Whitmore

The neighbor said, "I didn't catch the license plate number clearly, but it was a local plate with three A's. I don't remember the rest."

Isabella felt a bit disappointed; she had hoped to check the license plate.

Sophie was being evasive, not even willing to give a name, which was definitely suspicious.

"I have to go to work. I can't chat now or I'll miss the subway," Isabella said, glancing at the time with some anxiety.

She lived quite far from her workplace, and it took forty minutes by subway.

At 7:59, Isabella clocked in just in time. She had run all the way from the subway station and quickly took a sip of water to catch her breath.

"Isabella, you're panting like a dog chased you," Linda joked.

Isabella waved her hand, still breathless. "If I had been one minute late, I would have lost my perfect attendance."

Linda asked, "Where do you live?"

"East District," Isabella replied. "It takes forty minutes by subway."

"That's pretty far," Linda said as she handed Isabella a stack of documents. "Take these to Mr. Whitmore's office and make him a cup of coffee. Mr. Whitmore always needs his coffee first thing in the morning. He should be arriving in about twenty-five minutes."

Isabella admired Linda's precision. "Twenty-five minutes? You can be that exact?"

Linda replied, "When you've worked with Mr. Whitmore long enough, you'll know everything about him."

As a secretary, you had to consider every aspect of your boss's needs, understand their routines and preferences, and prepare accordingly.

Isabella gave a thumbs-up before heading to Sebastian Whitmore's office with the documents.

Sure enough, twenty-five minutes later, Sebastian Whitmore arrived.

Isabella had just finished making the coffee when she heard his footsteps behind her.

With her head down and hands offering the coffee, she greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Whitmore."

Sebastian Whitmore took the coffee and said, "Looks like Linda has taught you well. Organize the bookshelf; it's a bit messy."

"Yes, Mr. Whitmore," Isabella thought to herself that being a secretary still involved doing menial tasks.

Sebastian Whitmore hadn't slept well the previous night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw images from that night, forcing him to take two cold showers to calm down.

He started his day by reviewing documents and attending an international conference call without taking a break since entering his office.

While organizing the bookshelf, Isabella observed Sebastian Whitmore secretly. As rumored, he was unpredictable—sometimes frowning and sometimes relaxed. During the conference call, his cold demeanor sent chills down her spine even from several meters away.

Initially, Sebastian Whitmore considered Isabella insignificant.

But as she moved back and forth organizing bookshelves and tidying up desks, her faint mint scent distracted him.

Suddenly, he called out, "Isabella."

"Yes?" Isabella looked at him in confusion. "Mr. Whitmore, do you need something?"

"Draft a proposal for Westhaven Development and give it to me before you leave today," he instructed. He originally intended to send her out but ended up assigning her a task instead. "Do it here; any problem with that?"

"No problem," Isabella replied respectfully.

Though she said there was no problem, Isabella felt nervous inside. She couldn't refuse her boss's first assignment.

Determinedly, she sat on the sofa and began reviewing all the materials related to Westhaven Development. When focused on work, Isabella exuded an indescribable charm that made it hard for Sebastian Whitmore to look away.

Sitting in his swivel chair, he watched her for a moment before returning to his documents.

Danny then knocked and entered to report on work matters. Seeing Isabella there made him pause briefly before regaining his composure.

After finishing his report, Danny asked curiously, "Mr. Whitmore, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Should we prepare a gift for Miss Clark?"

"Valentine's Day?" Sebastian Whitmore seemed momentarily confused.

Danny explained further: "Girls usually like celebrating such holidays by exchanging gifts."

Sebastian Whitmore knew this well enough but hadn't fallen for Sophie yet. However, since he had brought her to Hawthorne Manor and she was now his woman without receiving any gifts from him so far—it seemed appropriate to give her something as compensation.

After pondering for a moment longer while looking at Isabella again, he instructed: “Isabella, you prepare a gift since girls like yourself would know better what others might appreciate—price doesn’t matter.”

Standing up respectfully again, Isabella responded promptly: “Yes, Mr. Whitmore.”

She knew how important this task was—it could affect her future prospects significantly if she offended Mrs. Whitmore-to-be—it would spell trouble indeed!