<strong>Chapter 459:</strong>


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    Truthfully, she was certain that Ken hadn’t lied to her, and she knew his interest in other women was nonexistent.


    If he had been inclined to pursue others, he wouldn’t have been that awkward, unrestrained mixture of tenderness and abandon when they first met on the yacht that fateful night.


    Ken rarely paid attention to women, and it seemed she was the one, odd exception.


    Yet, hearing the whispers stirred something unsettling within her, like a dull de slowly pressing against her heart — cold and aching.


    Still, her face remained impassive, betraying nothing. She nced at her watch, then gathered the report she’d just finished and made her way toward the CEO’s office. She had work to wrap up and no time to let idle gossip distract her.


    “Mr. Lloyd, I’ming in,” she called, giving the door a light knock before stepping inside.


    To her surprise, the room was empty of Ken.


    Instead, sitting behind his desk was an unfamiliar woman — a striking beauty with eyes bright with mischief and lips curved into a smirk as though savoring some private amusement. Resting her chin on her hand, she watched Allison enter, her gaze sharp and assessing.


    “Oh, you’re here for Ken, aren’t you?” the woman asked, her voice syrupy sweet, each wordzily drawn out. “He just stepped out for a moment.”


    Her demeanor was casual as she settled deeper into Ken’s chair, clearly making herself at home, with no apparent intention of moving. Allison guessed that she must be Carole, the woman her colleagues had just spoken about.


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    Allison nodded and replied, “Alright.”


    She could afford to wait; after all, Ken’s stamp of approval was thest step needed to finalize the report.


    The roompsed into a hushed silence.


    Seated on the sofa, Allison nced down at her phone, the steady stream of information from Gordon trickling in like a distant tap of water.


    Carole, however, had other ns. Her gaze boldly roamed over Allison before she stood up and glided closer.


    “Oh, by the way, which department do you hail from? I never thought Ken would have someone as stunning as you around him — he’s one lucky guy to have such eye candy!” Carole’s tone danced between casual and curious. “So much has changed here. Thest time I dropped by was right after I graduated high school… I came to say goodbye to Ken back then…”


    But Allison remained unshaken, even when Carole’s words hinted at a past connection with Ken. She kept a polite, indifferent mask, responding with brief but courteous replies.


    Carole narrowed her eyes, momentarily thrown off; she wasn’t ustomed to this kind of resistance. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she tapped her head with a smile of realization. “Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Carole Perry, Ken’s childhood friend. And you are…?”


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