Ava's harsh rebuke left Natalie visibly distressed, but her tone remained sincere.
"I know that nothing I do now will earn your forgiveness, but I came here to tell you that I really have no ulterior motives.
I see Mr. Ford solely as my boss and have no inappropriate thoughts about him. What happened was truly an accident."
"And then?" Ava remained unmoved, her face cold as she stared at Natalie.
Natalie was taken aback. She had expected Ava to react, but Ava remained indifferent. This unexpected calm made Natalie start to doubt herself.
"And then... I hope this incident won't affect our relationship," Natalie said tentatively, glancing at Ava with a hint of fear.
Ava scoffed and bluntly said, "Natalie, even before this happened, did you really think we were that close?"
Natalie looked surprised and then somewhat disappointed. "I thought... we were friends."