Oops I Banged the CEO novel Chapter 127

“Marico, you’re coming to the dinner tonight, right?” Xenia called out, stopping him in the hallway.

Yvonne had already slipped into the nearby elevator and pressed the “close door” button. The moment she heard Xenia’s question, her finger hesitated on the panel for just a second.

Marico didn’t even pause. His answer was clear and direct from the corridor.

“No.”

Yvonne wasn’t sure why, but hearing his refusal brought a secret flicker of satisfaction to her heart.

Realizing she might care more than she should, Yvonne retreated into the elevator’s corner, busying herself with anything she could think of to distract her from her own thoughts.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone on the outside pressed the button and reopened them.

A group of coworkers, having just finished lunch, were making their way upstairs as well.

People filed in one after another. Yvonne stayed tucked into the corner. Because Marico and Xenia were still outside, everyone who entered kept unusually quiet, listening intently for any drama from the hallway.

—

“It’s only noon. You’re making up your mind a bit early, don’t you think?” Xenia’s voice was firm as she watched Marico’s back heading toward the next elevator.

Marico didn’t acknowledge her. He stepped into the empty elevator, and William quickly hit the button for the top floor.

Both elevators slid shut and began their slow ascent.

No one seemed to notice Yvonne in the corner. Soon, the whispering began.

“Mr. Hamilton really must be in love. I wish I could be the woman he cares about,” one of the women sighed, her tone brimming with envy. “He didn’t even give Ms. White, with her family money, a second look. Whoever he likes must be something else.”

That set off a buzz. The elevator was suddenly alive with speculation about Mr. Hamilton’s mystery girlfriend—she had to be a supermodel, or maybe from some old-money family, to win his affection.

Yvonne felt a little embarrassed hearing it all.

She lowered her head, gently twisting the ring on her finger.

She was no supermodel, and she certainly wasn’t born into privilege. She was just an ordinary woman, no different from anyone else in that elevator.

Still, hearing the others talk with such longing, Yvonne couldn’t help but feel a subtle, guilty delight.

Outside, Xenia stood rooted in place for a long time. Her eyes lingered on the elevator doors, slowly fading from longing to cold calculation.

She pulled out her phone and, without preamble, called Linda. “Your assistant told me that, during your company’s last annual party, a woman went into Marico’s room. I want her gone—fire her if you have to, but make sure she disappears from his life.”

Linda was clearly caught off guard, but she promised to look into it immediately.

As the workday drew to a close, Yvonne followed her usual routine—texting Marico to ask if he’d be working late or coming home for dinner.

This time, he replied almost instantly: he had an appointment with a doctor that evening and wouldn’t be home for dinner. He told her to be careful getting home.

Yvonne pouted at her phone.

Just then, an old high school friend messaged again, inviting her to their teacher’s birthday party—a small class reunion.

The restaurant was nearby, and it had been ages since she’d caught up with her friends, so Yvonne agreed.

She texted Marico to let him know where she’d be, even sending the address and name of the private room—just in case anything unexpected happened.

Coincidentally, he replied saying he was at the same restaurant and told her to let him know when she was ready to leave so they could go home together.

Yvonne agreed.

She drove herself to the restaurant, parked, locked her car, and hummed a tune as she headed to the elevator. As she did, a white Rolls-Royce pulled up nearby.

In the backseat, Xenia sat up straight, eyes catching on that familiar little car and the woman climbing out.

Wasn’t that the same country girl who’d defied her at the Rolex boutique?