Towed

Bryan and Clara resisted the two security guards.

The scene quickly became chaotic. With Clara shrieking like a banshee and Bryan shielding her while trying to look up Assistant Ethan Taylor's name in his contacts.

"Let go! I know Assistant Taylor! You'll be sorry for treating us like this!" Bryan threatened. He hurriedly pressed the call with his other hand that is holding his phone while struggling to push the security guard from him.

"Hello! Mr. Taylor. I'm at the Institute now. Some employees are harassing me…" Bryan was about to speak more when Ethan interrupted.

"Alright. I'm heading down." Ethan said calmly, ending the call.

Bryan was pleasantly surprised at this. He smirked.

"He's coming. Just you wait!" Bryan finally pushed off the security guard who was looking at him indifferently.

"What? So they really know the Assistant?" One applicant said.

Clara heard the surprise in their voice. She was relieved that she has someone as capable as Bryan.

"Still though, those two were the ones in the wrong. The President's Assistant won't be unreasonable, right?" One said.

"Oh heck.. If they're actually going to take those two people's sides, then it's better if I don't work here." One grumbled.

Katherine Atwood, Diana Winchester, and Tamara Silva just looked at the two shameless people indifferently.

"What? Now you're scared?" Clara scoffed.

Ethan arrived. Bryan and Clara were beaming at him. Clara especially blushed at the sight of Ethan, fixing a strand of her hair. Although she is relying on Bryan now, Ethan was still the much better choice.

As President Lucas Ingram's Assistant for years, Ethan Taylor has already adapted his boss's intimidating aura.

His dignified stride left the applicants gaping. To anyone who didn't know how the Lovell-Forrest family look like, they might mistake Ethan as Lucas's sibling with the way he carried himself. 'So this is the President's Assistant.'

He was handsome and smart-looking. He was unfazed by the situation before him. But the applicants held back any more praise. They are waiting to see if the Assistant will take Holt and Cook's side.

"Mr. Taylor--thank goodness you're here! These people are harassing us. First, Ms. Winchester cut in line and refused to leave even after what she did to Hopton Research Institute. Then that employee over there called the guards to kick us out. That girl in glasses even hurt Clara!" Bryan relayed all his grievances.

"Yes, that's true, Mr. Taylor." She drawled as she said his name. "Look at my hand, I think it's broken..huhuhu"

She whimpered, acting meekly in front of the disinterested Mr. Taylor.

The crowd who watched was disgusted.

"What the heck is wrong with that woman? Is she brain-damaged?"

Bryan expected Ethan to take their side. He didn't know that at the mention of Diana's name, the temperature has dropped to several degrees.

"Ms. Winchester, it's lunchtime, you may go." Ethan slightly smiled.

Diana nodded. "Alright.--And Ms. Silva, here are the files. Sorry for the delay. I'll go first then." After Diana handed the files to Tamara, she nodded at Katherine and Ethan, then left.

Bryan could now sense something wrong. How come Diana handed files to the employee? Wasn't she here to apply for a job?

"Ms. Silva, you can go ahead and continue the interviews." Ethan directed to Tamara.

"Yes, sir." Tamara nodded. "Ms. Atwood, you can go back to the queue." Tamara smiled at Katherine. "And thank you for earlier."

"No problem" Katherine smiled, going back to the queue.

Understanding dawned on Bryan. The employee Clara tried to slap was the manager who was conducting interviews.

He gulped, sensing that they don't have the upper hand as he thought.

The other applicants watched with bated breath. They've also figured out that Diana was already an employee and Ms. Silva is one of the people deciding whether they'll be hired or not.

"Mr. Taylor? The one who left just now was Diana Winchester. She's the one we told you about back at the restaurant." Clara said. "She caused so much trouble in the Institute. I can't help but react like this because she has the nerve to come even after what happened. And even cutting in line!"

"Cutting in line? Why does she need to be in line?"

"Well, she has to be in line since everyone is waiting for their turn to be interviewed. She was being rude."

"....There's no need for her to be interviewed. Ms. Winchester is an employee of our Institute. There was no need for her to line up with the applicants." Ethan said, raising an eyebrow, looking at her like she's stupid.

The applicants heard this as well and some of them even snickered.

"What? But Sir! How come she got hired here? Oh! Right.. You probably don't know what really happened. She contaminated the samples she took from the patients and sent out erroneous results, causing the doctors to misdiagnose." Bryan explained.

"Save the details for the court. It's my understanding that Ms. Winchester has already filed a case against you, Ms. Holt. Of course, having Ms. Winchester here as an employee should have given you enough clue as to where we stand." Ethan said.

The people around gasped. They heard earlier that Diana was innocent but at the mention of Clara being sued. That could only mean that Clara was involved personally in the situation.

Clara went pale. Her breath was stuck in her throat. 'Do these people know what really happened?'

"You two. Kick them out. And don't let them enter the building ever again." Ethan ordered the guards.

"Mr. Taylor, don't be unreasonable. We were called here for the interview as applicants." Bryan tried to reason.

"Based on your behavior towards our employees, it can be deduced that you are not the right fit to our Institute. Leave now or you'll be sued for trespassing." Ethan smiled menacingly.

Bryan's whole body went cold. Clara could feel herself lacking oxygen and fainted. Bryan caught her just in time.

"Clara! Clara! Wake up! Hey! Somebody help!" Bryan looked around.

Ethan signaled the guard who right away took Bryan and Clara whom they were almost dragging towards the entrance, hailed a cab, and put the two inside.

The guards didn't care where Bryan would take Clara to. They also contacted the tow company to have Bryan's car towed.

After all, Bryan and Clara are not welcome anywhere near the Institute anymore.