Chapter 408 - Scarlet Tan

"So, can you check now?" While the three took their time to absorb the news, Zoey turned to the female attendant once again.

"Uh, yes!" The female attendant glanced at her friends in sorry. 'I have the same reaction.' She commented inwardly. The only difference was that she didn't know the romantic connection between Zoey and their big boss. She just assumed that she was a good friend or a weird daughter of an important figure.

"Your name, Miss…?" She asked, glancing up at Zoey.

"Hmm…" Zoey rubbed her chin lightly, contemplating whether to give her real name or not. After a second, she smiled as she met the gaze of the pair of eyes that were staring back at her. "Darling, Ling for short." Zoey confidently responded which rendered them speechless.

"Alright, Miss Darling." The female attendant nodded lightly, sounding awkward as she addressed Zoey.

With that being said, the female attendant checked the logs and called the department that was working directly under Matthew. It only rang once before the line was connected. "Good day, this is the front desk, there is someone at the front desk who goes by the name Miss Dar---Ling, looking for the CEO. Ahem." She coughed midway, clearing her throat as Zoey's name made her sound like she was joking.

The person from the other end of the line furrowed his brows. "Let me check," He said, placing his hand on the computer in front of him to see the list of the names his boss was expecting.

He skimmed through it. The list of names from one hour ago were all cancelled. Still, there was a memo that indicated that Matthew was expecting someone. However, there was not a name mentioned but was noted to guide her to the CEO's office.

"I'll have to reach for Assistant Qian for confirmation." Since he was unsure whether Zoey was the one that was left without a name from Matthew's guests list, the person that was checking told the employee from the information desk. He then put her on-hold and then contacted Paul Qian who knew more of the CEO's affairs than them.

"Miss Darling, we're still confirming your appointment with the CEO. Please wait for a bit." Since this was a little unusual as people from that department often confirmed the visits immediately, the female accommodating Zoey apologized on their behalf.

"It's okay. Don't sweat." Zoey waved her hand, sounding magnanimous as she leaned her arms on the edge of the desk.

Meanwhile, the three employees who just recovered from their shock gazed at her from head to toe. Although her physique looked fine, they couldn't see her face properly because of her horrendous makeup.

Moreover, since they could only hear the faint voice from the phone call, they couldn't really tell from the voice. Still, their dilemma was whether to believe that she was the one that was dating the big boss! 

Was it safe to curry favor with her? Did their reaction earlier offend her? They didn't say something wrong earlier, right? But their reaction was phenomenal. Did she really think they were shocked because of her beauty? Or, was it meant to be sarcastic? Gosh… their anxiety level was slowly shooting up.

Just then, the entire lobby of the XI Corporation went silent. Zoey and the four including the desk clerk noticed the abrupt silence. Slowly, they turned their head towards the entrance of the lobby.

There, a woman in a maroon chiffon ruffled dress clicked her stilettos as she walked inside the hall, catching the attention of the people she passed by with her strong poise. Her every step tugged her hip from side to side; half of her face was covered by her large framed sunglasses, but one could tell the beauty she was hiding behind from her thin red lips and pointy narrow nose.

As she walked, her wavy black hair that was rich in volume bounced. For a moment, everyone thought they were in a fashion show as she cat-walked towards the front desk. 

"Woah…" Zoey blinked her eyes in awe as the woman approached her direction. "So pretty… She looks like a celebrity..." She muttered, her eyes glittering because the woman looked more beautiful the closer she got.

"Is that Scarlet? Tan Scarlet the actress?" 

"I don't know but she looks like her!"

"Omo! What is she doing here?" The next second, murmurs from the people inside the usual silent and busy lobby began to reach Zoey's ear.

'Huh? Tan Scarlet?' Zoey furrowed her brows, briefly averting her eyes on the people that had their gaze glued to the figure who arrived next to her.

For some reason, when Scarlet stood next to Zoey, the eyes shifted to her as if in comparison. There was this mocking and disbelief glint that flashed across the eyes that glanced at her. Not that Zoey cared, but somehow, she felt ugly… which she intentionally did to herself.

"Hi, I came for an appointment." The said celebrity slowly removed her visor, revealing her pair of tantalizing eyes matched with her long curled lashes. She beamed the female attendant with a sweet smile which the latter returned with a polite smile.

Just like how they asked Zoey, they did the same to her with a fair treatment despite the huge difference in looks. Meanwhile, Zoey arched her right brow as she turned to the three employees standing on her side.

Zoey immediately caught the twinkle in their eyes, especially the two males as if they felt blessed laying their eyes on a divine being. 'I'm prettier,' Zoey commented internally, seeing the huge difference of their reaction when they laid their eyes on her and to this Scarlet Tan.

"I came to meet Matthew." Her tone bore confidence, smiling as she raised her voice a little as if she wanted more people to hear that she came to meet the big boss of this empire.

For a second, the female attendant halted as she looked up. She couldn't help but dart her eyes from Scarlet's beautiful face to Zoey's explosive makeup. "I'll have to confirm first." She politely responded, slightly bowing her head. 

However, the female attendant soon realized that she was still on hold. So, she glanced at Scarlet once again, thinking that she may be the person her colleagues were talking about and not Zoey. Having that thought in mind, the female attendant went to the other telephone to call the people managing the CEO's affairs.

While she did so, Scarlet turned to her right. Once she did, she felt her heart fall from her stomach upon seeing Zoey's horrendous look. "Oh, gosh…!" She sighed, patting her chest as she breathed in and out.

Zoey frowned, staring at the beauty blankly. "You're here to see Xi Matthew?" Out of pure curiosity, Zoey inquired.

When Zoey talked, Scarlet was relieved that she was a human. "Uh, yes." She answered, nodding her head as she fixed her poise before smiling kindly at Zoey.

"Miss Scarlet, I've been a fan of you! You came to see Master Xi? I know he'd been expecting you! I can help you to his office if you want." Suddenly, the sole female with the two guys standing in astonishment took a step forward. She glanced at Zoey, snickering as if she was a little displeased from getting fooled by her. 

Upon seeing that brief gesture, Zoey's face squeezed. 'Jeez! I have heard of Scarlet as she was popular but why is she meeting my husband, ehh?' Zoey grumbled inside her mind, feeling grumpy as her evil plan for their first date seemed to turn out in war.

"Thank you," Scarlet, still bearing her sweet smile bowed her head slightly which made the female employee a little shy.

"Hey, will you two help me too? I'm also meeting your boss. You know, I'm dating him so I can say good words about you." Since Zoey was a little grumpy at this unconfirmed infidelity, she turned her head towards the two guys and snapped her finger in front of them.

Upon doing that, the two male employees snapped back from their daze. Slowly, the instant they shifted their eyes from the beautiful side profile of Scarlet and then to Zoey, their face distorted because Zoey's makeup just destroyed their dreamlike atmosphere.

Two automatically ignored Zoey's last remarks, or rather, they were too enthralled with Scarlet's beauty that they didn't grasp Zoey's last remarks. However, that wasn't ignored by the other woman. 

"Uhm, what do you mean by that?" Scarlet asked, arching her eyebrow while still carrying her sweet smile.

"By?" 

"You said you're dating Young Master Xi." This time, Scarlet raised her voice so everyone could hear. Since almost everyone's attention was on her, it was easier to grab their attention. 

"Yes, so?" Zoey arched her right eyebrow, noticing the slight mockery in the woman's voice. 'Shouldn't I be the person who should be mad since she's seducing my husband?' She frowned with the thought.

"Miss, I don't want to sound rude, but please be careful with your words. It won't just affect you but also Young Master Xi's reputation." Scarlet cleared her throat, clearing her throat as she warned Zoey politely. "A lot of women tried and had a bad ending. Please don't make the same mistake as them.." She added, gazing at Zoey in pity as she sounded as someone who was speaking out of pure concern.