Chapter 3Stolen Eyes, Stolen Heart

Seeing Lynn’s defiance, the comments section immediately erupted:

[Our protagonist is awesome, that’s exactly what she should do!]

[Who does that old hag of an antagonist think she is? Why should Lynn listen to her?]

[What’s a lousy project lead compared to becoming the CEO’s wife?]

[The antagonist is so shameless, doing everything she can to keep the leads apart!]

[Our protagonist darling’s double eyelid surgery has to happen tomorrow, or the CEO will find out when he arrives!]

[Our protagonist is about to get the same double eyelids as the antagonist; the CEO loves those sparkling big eyes!]

The timing of these comments couldn’t have been better. I was just looking for an excuse to get a handle on her. Since the CEO loved those big eyes so much, what if the entire company knew Lynn was getting double eyelid surgery? How would she continue her charade then?

With that thought, I quickly posted a message in the team chat:

[Lynn Spencer is having double eyelid plastic surgery tomorrow. Anyone interested in going to Atlanta for the big project instead?]

The moment she saw the message, Lynn rushed back, pleading with me,

“Boss, I beg you, please retract that message! Such private matters don’t need to be shared with the whole team.”

I smirked, my voice calm. “Since you don’t want to go on the business trip, of course I have to ask around to see if anyone else can fill in. Isn’t that normal?”

Lynn yelled, her voice laced with desperation,

“I’ll go! I’ll go on the business trip! Please, just retract the message!”

Once the message was gone, Lynn finally breathed a sigh of relief. She lightly wiped the sweat from her brow, then accused me,

“Ms. Davies, why do you have to push me like this? All I want is to get double eyelids. What’s wrong with a young woman wanting to be beautiful?”

I spread my hands, feigning helplessness. “How am I pushing you? If you don’t want to go on the trip, I ask others. That’s perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

Seeing her speechless, I shifted the conversation, deliberately asking,

“On the other hand, why are you so worried about people knowing you’re getting double eyelids? Could you be hiding some secret?”

Before Lynn could reply, the comments section had already exploded:

[That old hag of an antagonist is so shameless, truly manipulative!]

[She intentionally posted it in the company-wide chat, just to let everyone know the protagonist is getting double eyelids, didn't she?]

[The most despicable thing is that the antagonist even deliberately used the word “plastic surgery” to mislead everyone!]

[Although the CEO doesn’t really check group messages, his assistant does! What if it gets back to him?]

[Good thing it was retracted, otherwise if the CEO saw it, it would be over! The CEO hates women who get plastic surgery!]

[Ugh, our poor protagonist, trapped by the antagonist like this!]

Hahaha, I knew it! Mr. Sterling, being a CEO, was never short of beautiful women. Why would he like someone who’d had plastic surgery? Even double eyelid surgery was a no-go, as it could affect future generations’ looks.

Lynn was flustered by my sudden question. She stammered, trying to explain,

“N-no… no, it’s not… I just feel it’s personal… no need for everyone to know. I only told you because I needed to take leave, and the doctor said I need a week of rest after surgery, no phone use. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t assign me work during my time off.”

Oh, I see. That explained why she came to my office to ask for leave in person. I didn't bother listening to her excuses anymore. I pointed to the clock on the wall and reminded her,

“Alright, hurry up and go. You can get your double eyelids done later.”

Lynn knew there was no room for negotiation. She glared at me, annoyed, and then stormed out.