Everyone in the company was now talking about what happened. The boss protecting a junior designer from being harassed by the company's manager was the talk of the entire company. Sarah felt all eyes on her.
Her colleague Monica asked her, "What's your relationship with the big boss?"
Sarah didn't say anything. Monica continued, "I saw the way he was looking at you. Are you related or are you dating Mr. Sterling?"
Sarah then spoke, "I'm not. I..." But she didn't even know what she was. A girlfriend? But Damien never called her that. His roommate? Her face fell.
Damien was sitting in his office and looking at Sarah on the company surveillance. He saw her expression and noticed people talking about her at every turn, so he called Garth and told him to deal with it.
Garth entered and called everyone to gather. "I want to thank Miss Walker, on my behalf, on behalf of the company, and on behalf of Mr. Sterling, for uncovering manager Klein's dirty deeds and actions toward a number of female colleagues. His actions are a blow to our company's reputation that Mr. Sterling had to come and defend personally. Because of one bad person in power in the company, a lot of people were afraid to speak up about the injustice they've suffered. In the future, I want everyone to follow Miss Walker's lead and report any inappropriate behaviour immediately. Mr. Sterling and I will personally listen and solve it right away. At Sterling Design, we are all a big family, and every member of our family is equally important, no matter the position they're holding."
Now everyone understood the situation a little better, but some remained sceptical. "Miss Walker is so brave to turn to the boss and speak up against injustice; we should all be like her," one colleague said. Another added, "Beautiful and brave."
Her colleague Monica said, "I'm sorry for my questions about your relationship with Mr. Sterling. Now I understand he wasn't doing this solely for you but also for our company."
Another colleague added, "Mr. Sterling is so handsome, he would protect all of us"...
But one employee in particular came up to them and said, "When you sleep with the boss, he would obviously protect you." That employee was Alice Norton, the senior designer, the one who'd been drooling after Damien Sterling for years, but he never gave her a glance.
Monica said, "Alice, you can't say things like that without the evidence."
Alice just rolled her eyes, saying, "Have you ever seen couples in love, Monica?" Monica nodded. "Well, wouldn't you say that Sarah and Mr. Sterling looked like a couple when he placed his hand on her head just a moment ago?" Monica looked between Alice and Sarah. Alice sarcastically laughed, then said, "Who do you think brought her into our company? Let me give you a hint, it surely wasn't me." She winked at Monica and left.
Monica turned to Sarah and said, "Is that true, Sarah? Did Mr. Sterling bring you to work here?" Sarah nodded but said, "We're not sleeping together. Mr. Sterling was just kind enough to defend me and offer me a job, nothing else." Monica said, "I knew you're not that kind of a person, forget Alice. She's just jealous. She's been drooling after Mr. Sterling since she joined the company six years ago."
And so the gossip died and things had calmed down by the end of the day.
Don's Intervention
But the news of the incident at Sterling Designs reached Don Sterling's ears swiftly, carried by the hushed whispers of loyal employees. One of the senior managers, a man who had remained faithful to Don through the years, felt it his duty to inform the patriarch.
Don listened intently, his aged face creased with a mixture of anger and curiosity. Why would Damien defend this nobody in the company? Is she the woman he said he loves? This little junior designer will hear me, he thought. He was furious at Damien's rash actions, his disregard for the company's reputation. He was also intrigued by this woman, this Sarah, who had provoked such a fierce response from his normally controlled grandson. Who is this one for Damien to react this way to her? He wondered. He suspected a romantic entanglement, a complication that threatened his carefully laid plans for Damien's future.
He decided to take matters into his own hands. The next day, he summoned his driver and instructed him to take him to Sterling Designs. After that, he would go to the headquarters to confront Damien and put an end to this... distraction. He was prepared to offer the woman a substantial sum to disappear from Damien's life, to remove her from the company, and to kick her out of Damien's life would be his goal.
Upon arriving at Sterling Designs, he settled into Damien's empty office, the familiar surroundings doing little to soothe his agitated mind. His grandson was at the headquarters, so he sat down with a piece of mind. He wanted to know more about this Sarah. He instructed the head secretary, Jung, the one that's worked with him for twenty years, to bring Sarah into the office, but before that, he asked her about all the details of yesterday's confrontation. When she told him, he asked about Sarah Walker.
Secretary Jung: "Miss Walker is a talented young designer in our company. She's also the newest member of the design department, but upon arriving, she's managed to leave a good impression on several of our clients. She's hardworking and has great ability."
Rose
Sarah, still reeling from the aftermath of the incident with Klein, was surprised by the summons. She felt a mix of gratitude and guilt. She knew Damien had acted to protect her, but she also feared the consequences of his actions and how that would impact him and the company. This would be the first time for her to meet Don Sterling, Damien's only relative, and she was afraid of leaving a bad impression.
She entered Damien's office hesitantly, her heart pounding in her chest. She saw Don Sterling sitting behind a big desk, his presence commanding, his gaze piercing. He was older than she had imagined, his face lined with age and authority.
"You're Sarah?" he asked, his voice firm while looking at the picture on the desk.
"Yes, Mr. Sterling," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.
He looked up from the picture and gestured for her to sit. He studied her carefully, his eyes scrutinizing her features. He was prepared to offer her a deal, a way out of this mess, a way to protect Damien from further scandal. He was ready to offer her a lot of money to leave, to disappear from Damien's life.
But then, he saw her face. He saw the delicate curve of her jaw, the shape of her eyes, the way her hair fell around her shoulders. And a memory, long buried, surfaced in his mind. A face, a name, a connection he had almost forgotten: Rose. His old friend, Rose, from his youth.
The blood drained from his face. He stared at Sarah, his mind reeling. The resemblance was uncanny. It was as if Rose was sitting before him, young and vibrant, her spirit reincarnated in this woman he had intended to dismiss.
He couldn't speak, his carefully prepared speech dissolving into the shock of recognition. He saw not a temptress, a gold digger, but a reflection of a past he had cherished, a past he had thought lost forever. He saw… a connection. A possibility. A truth that made his old hands shake and lips tremble.
The silence in the office stretched, thick with unspoken questions and the weight of a shared past. Don Sterling, his mind still reeling from the shock of recognition, finally found his voice.
"You… your grandmother," he began, his voice raspy, "was she… was she named Rose?"