Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 116: Experiencing Life

Chapter 116: Experiencing Life

Navigating through several corridors, Emma Hart finally stumbled upon the pantry, its existence marked by a sign in silver letters against a white background proclaiming "Pantry".

She mused that perhaps only Damien Sterling would devise such a labyrinthine setup.

The expanse of the floor was vast, rivaling a university gym, yet devoid of any directional signs.

Was getting lost part of the design?

It seemed to echo Damien’s earlier insistence that she memorize the layout of their entire villa, including the location of each restroom.

Emma guessed that anyone working here had to learn the layout of the entire floor without the aid of any signs.

After finally preparing a cup of coffee, Emma knocked and cautiously entered Damien Sterling’s office, placing the coffee before him with careful precision.

Damien glanced at the cup and coldly ordered, "Dump it."

What? After all the effort of locating the pantry, carefully preparing the coffee, and carrying it all this way, Damien wanted her to throw it away?

"Why?" Emma asked, puzzled.

Damien glanced at his watch, "I don’t drink coffee that’s been sitting for more than three minutes after being made."

He paused, his gaze turning steely as he looked at Emma, "You took five minutes. Moreover, the rim of this cup is particularly displeasing to me."

Emma looked down to see the slight spill she’d caused while pouring the coffee.

"It’s just a little spill," she said, reaching for a paper towel to wipe away the residue on the rim.

Unfortunately, the towel dipped into the coffee, soaking up the liquid, which prompted Damien to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Emma Hart, remove this coffee immediately!"

His tone was unforgiving, and his doubt in Emma’s competence was evident.

"You’re too harsh," Emma countered.

"Harsh?" Damien pressed the phone, and no sooner had he hung up than his secretary appeared at the door.

The high heels on her feet were eight centimeters off the ground, and her legs looked even slender against the flesh-colored stockings.

The woman stood at the entrance of Damien’s office, her voice dripping with sweetness, "Mr. Sterling, what do you need?"

Emma glanced over, her thoughts cynical. She doubted the secretaries’ ability to prepare superior coffee, especially considering their footwear.

Could they really navigate from the pantry to the office in less than three minutes in those heels? Emma was skeptical.

"Bring me a coffee," Damien Sterling ordered.

The secretary nodded, casting a glance at Emma Hart before leaving the CEO’s office.

Emma waited, and precisely three minutes later, the secretary reappeared at the office door, knocked, and was permitted entry by Damien.

Unlike Emma, the secretary carried the coffee with ease and grace, as if she was merely taking a stroll, not needing to be overly cautious.

She placed the coffee next to the one Emma had brought, giving a mocking smile as she glanced at Emma’s previous attempt.

"Mr. Sterling, this is the coffee you brought back last time. Per your instructions, I’ve added a sixth of a teaspoon of Canadian maple sugar, giving it a slightly bitter taste," the secretary informed.

Damien nodded, "You may leave now."

The secretary straightened her posture and left the office as if she had been specially trained for such exits.

Damien tapped the desk, "Look at the difference between these two cups of coffee."

The comparison highlighted a clear discrepancy.

Emma hadn’t known about the new coffee Damien preferred or even asked what type of coffee he wanted.

She had made a random choice without considering the maple sugar, let alone the precise ratio of one-sixth that Damien preferred, making Emma think Damien’s precision bordered on absurdity.

Furthermore, the coffee prepared by the secretary was flawless, with a clean and smooth rim, unlike Emma’s, which left traces on the cup.

"So, you thought this was the easiest job in our company? Do you think you can handle it?" Damien challenged.

Emma felt defeated, realizing she lacked the secretary’s charm and delicate voice. "This isn’t for me, but I can do other things."

"Like what?" Damien looked at her, intrigued by her persistence.

"I can start from the bottom. I can do menial tasks, maybe in the design department."

"Alright, then go down to the design department and get Mia Miller’s design draft for me. But say it’s Ms. Greenwood who needs it."

Fetching something? That easy? Emma felt underestimated by Damien.

This task seemed straightforward, requiring no special skills—just the ability to ask and receive.

Emma Hart exited the elevator, heading straight to the design department located on the designated floor.

Upon arrival, she found everyone deeply engrossed in their work, not even noticing her presence as she stood at the entrance with a smile.

"Excuse me, hello, could you tell me which one of you is Mia Miller?" she inquired politely.

"Over there!" a man responded without even lifting his head, simply gesturing towards the interior of the department.

Following his direction, Emma approached another person, asking, "Hello, I’m looking for Mia Miller."

The woman adjusted her glasses and replied, "What do you need? I’m Mia."

"Oh, I’m here to collect some design drafts from you."

Mia asked urgently, "On whose behalf?"

"Ms. Greenwood, Sophia Greenwood."

"Ah, I see. Alright, let me get them for you," Mia said, handing over the files to Emma.

Climbing back up in the elevator, Emma pondered over the simplicity of the task at hand.

In the CEO’s office.

Emma slapped the files onto the table, where Damien Sterling was already examining another USB drive on his computer.

"These design drafts are for a competition entry, they’re highly confidential," Damien reminded Emma.

Emma looked puzzled, then glanced at the screen Damien was viewing.

Damien took the USB from Emma, inserted it into his computer, and opened it to reveal that Mia Miller’s files were exactly the same as those he had already opened.

"What’s going on?" Emma asked.

Damien then played another video clip.

The timestamp showed midnight, yet the footage revealed a girl working overtime, her computer screen clearly displaying the design being worked on, captured in high definition by the security cameras.