Love Began with the First Meeting

We had been spending so much time practicing the perfect smile, that, gradually, we didn't even dare to shed vulnerable tears in front of each other.

Time went by really fast. Although Addison had left Sally's life, his influence remained overwhelming. For her, he seemed like the brightest shooting star crossing the dark night sky, and his dynamic influence illuminated the sky over her head. She couldn't help thinking about him and their past. The time that they had spent together was still fresh in her mind, and at times she felt it like a dull ache in her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of rousing herself from that beautiful dream. Deep down, she refused to say farewell to the past. However, the harsh reality was such that they had become the most familiar strangers since the day they had parted. Needless to say, matters were the same for Addison as well.

Henrik was called away on a business trip. Despite his absence, the operations at the Rock International Corp headquarters still maintained its standards. All employees were wholeheartedly devoted to their work, even though the boss was away. However, for the secretaries working in the CEO's office, the days had become relatively easier. Since the CEO was no longer present in the office, the girls were left with much more time to gossip during their work hours. The topics of discussion ranged from company staff, clients, and even the private life of the CEO himself, and many more juicy stories. Sally, having never been much of a talker, always listened to their gossip instead of joining the conversation. Most of the time, she just smiled briefly when something interesting caught her attention. However, one of the names that they mentioned led to a widening of her eyes. She yelped, "Lina?" Jennie was surprised by Sally's reaction. She looked at her blank face and wondered why on earth Sally would care about Lina. Staring Jennie directly in the eyes, Sally murmured, "Who is this Lina? I have heard that, Henrik doesn't have any siblings."

"Oh dear, you haven't been on Dragon Island for long, no wonder you have no clue about such things," another young secretary named Elisa Chang whispered as she leaned towards Sally. Her face was full of mysterious joy. She whispered, "Lina was adopted by the boss's family about five years ago." So saying, Elisa became even more excited. She placed her elbows on the table and leaned even closer to Sally. Thinking for a second, she then explained quite seriously to Sally, "I have been working for Rock International Corp for almost six years. I remember it happened around the time when I first came to the company. Throughout the years, I had always held the impression that the boss and his family were very formal and given to few words. Despite the fact that they didn't act as aloof as the rest of the wealthy society, I found it quite unusual for them to actually adopt a teenage girl like that."

Elisa, "Maybe there is an untold story behind all this?" She forced a brief smile onto her face as if

disapproving look. Her eyebrows furrowed as she had noticed

face, she continued, "Sally, if you came here to work, then I strongly advise you to stop talking about this matter. Just treat it as harmless gossip. As soon as you step out of this office, you shouldn't even think about it

open and her face pale as paper. For a long time, she didn't even know how to respond. Her mind was spinning fast as it suddenly occurred

eyes at Melinda and patted Sally lightly on her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort. Then she looked at Sally sincerely and said in a serious voice, "Sally, it is okay! We are just gossiping and teasing. But jokes aside, you probably shouldn't mention this matter anymore. Especially when Henrik is present. Remember, don't say anything about it for the sake of us all. Actually, we should all keep our mouths shut when it comes to the private matters of Henrik and his family." The look on her face became more and more serious as she continued, "Henrik really

nodded her head in quiet acceptance. She knew that they meant well for her. And she certainly would not mention it anymore. However, deep inside, she found it really confusing that Henrik would keep such a secret. It felt like there was a lump in her throat as she gazed out through the office window. She