Tim had this massive smile when he came out of the office. They assume it made the boss happy, the reason he is grinning now.
The secretaries were curious about what was in the bag, so they asked him.
"Tim, what did you bring to the President? You look happy now. Did the boss feel good?"
Tim glanced at the three secretaries peeking at the entrance door of the partition. With a serious face, he replied, "You know the President hates being gossiped about his personal life. How many times do I have to warn you? If you don't want your salary cut in half from this month, you better do your work and stop gossiping about the boss!"
"We won't ask again!" They said at once, rushing back to their table and busying themselves in front of their computers.
"TSK! They need to threaten first before they stop nosing around." Shaking his head, Tim mumbled. He picks up his phone on the table, taps the Messenger App on the screen, and leaves a message to notify the company executives.
"Peps! Heads up! Free lunch from the boss! Let's work harder! 11:30, we're off..."
"Great!"
Bunch of replies all the way. But Tim didn't read them as he needed to call for a reservation and ordered ahead to prepare the room and have food served the moment they arrived at the restaurant. Afterward, they must return to the office at one o'clock in the afternoon.
Exactly noon, Vince stopped working on the long table. He sat up straight and stretched his back while massaging his neck. He glanced at the blue lunch bag on the coffee table.
Honestly, he anxiously waited to finish sorting the blueprints of his current projects to check what was in that bag. However, it took him a while to finish sorting his work, to properly turn it over to a team. He had to assign it to others as he had a new project that needed his full attention. Soon, this project will be his most extensive work, so he has to impress this big client to get the project.
Now he could sit for lunch. Vince opens the lunch bag and takes out the five containers inside. One by one, he opened the lid of the boxes, and an enticing aroma of dishes caught his nose.
One food container is a pork steak. One is garlic fried rice and boiled ribs. The other one is a vegetable salad. No. It should have soup in here, thought Vince.
Vince took out the thermo. Upon checking, he found out it was the ribs soup. If he had known earlier, he had his lunch earlier than usual to enjoy the soup if he had known.
"Hmm... Is she trying to make a peace offering? So, she thinks I'm mad at her?" A playful smile tore across Vince's handsome face. He uttered, "Silly girl..."
She doesn't know that it helped him instead. Now he could get rid of Zenaida to keep coming to his office. It annoyed him that she always came to see him, even if he had already assigned a director to oversee the management of Lan Enterprise. And if there are problems, Zenaida could report them to the director, who presents his weekly reports.
However, Zenaida insists on reporting to him directly. And when he reminded the woman of their actual setup, she told his mother... boom! His mother nagged him every single day after that.
"Women are annoying," he frowned while mumbling these words. "Well, that silly girl thinks I'm still mad at her, huh? Maybe it's a good idea to put it that way."
Pushing a smirk on the corner of his mouth, Vince rose from the sofa and went out to get a plate. Hailey had already sent him a clean spoon, fork, and chopsticks. Great! He didn't need to use the utensil in his office, which he needed to wash first, and Tim wasn't here to do that for him. Anyway, no other people use the utensils in his office but him. And Tim knew he could not touch them.
Coming back, Vince slowly transferred the fried garlic rice to the plate. He opens the fifth container; the content is a fried noodle with lots of dumplings.
"Hmm..." Vince stuffs his mouth with sliced pork steak, followed by a spoonful of rice. He rolled the lettuce, dipped it into the mayo, savored the food inside his mouth before swallowing them, and then stuffed it with quail eggs.
'I will let her think I was mad about the issue. So it will play as a disciplinary action against her. If I showed that what she did is a nice job, she might act spoiled from now on.' He mused.
Meanwhile, in a restaurant near the University. Hailey keeps checking her phone to see if Vince has sent her a text. But nothing. She frowned. 'So he doesn't like the lunch I made for him? What else should I do, so he'll forget about that issue? Ugh! Why so hard to coax him?'
Hailey helplessly sighed. She's not good at persuading someone, as her dad and the boys always make an effort.
'And why am I fretting myself to please him? Ah! This isn't right!'
"Hey, what's your problem?"
Hailey returned to her senses when someone knocked her on the head; it was Hazel. Her classmate in Management class.
Hazel is pretty with her beautiful natural tan color. She has long jet-black hair, big round brown eyes, and a proud nose paired with a heart-shaped lip.
Every man in that restaurant can't help glancing at their table. Nadia and Liza; are both beautiful too. And it was a blessing to meet these girls when she moved into the country.
She was still in a trance of her thought when Hazel repeated her question and added… "Is this about the gossip?"
Hailey nodded. She lowered her head to stuff her mouth with the dumplings she had ordered for lunch.
"Jeez. You just did the right thing! I know the Lan family, and Zenaida is the worst! She's arrogant, and everyone in High Society knows she has a thing for her brother-in-law, your boyfriend. So don't be bothered about what you said, honey." Hazel's litany.
Hailey almost choked on her food when Hazel mentioned the word 'boyfriend'. Of course, it was what was in the eyes of the people who didn't know about the contract. Besides, according to Liza, Vince's marriage had already dissolved because they had never lived together or acted as a couple in these passing years.
But it left her confused with a question in her head. 'Is this the reason Eva has the guts to cheat on Vince? And yet, she is enjoying Shen's money. She is worse than her sister, Zenaida. And Vince… it could be the same reason he is less concerned about searching for Eva's whereabouts?' Hailey mused. 'No way! I will remain Vince's mistress if they haven't had an official divorce! How could I be free from the contract?! Now, this is a problem!'
Hailey suddenly, in a great panic that her face didn't hide it. Nadia, who had watched her silently, gathered the courage to ask her. "Are you in a fight with Mr. Shen?"
'Ah, this smart girl!' Hailey thought. She smiled at Nadia as she replied to the girl, "I wasn't thinking when I made that post." She paused and rolled her eyes like she remembered something. Biting her lower lip, she mouthed, "I didn't think it would drag Vince's name and reputation. I beat his mom in great rage and cursed me a thousand times."
Her friends froze from their seats and realized that matter. They forgot Vince's mom...
'The Great Madam Hilda Shen!'
"Poor Hailey... racking her head how to please Vince... bad ML, playing this way!" lol
Hello, dearests! How was your Monday? Which country did you come from? (hugs)
Enjoy 5 chaps soon! Merry Christmas, dearest!
SHEN MANSION
Hilda Shen is on the verge of an explosion. Her head had been throbbing since yesterday when the gossip came out. All of her friends in High Society have been calling her and messaging her, inquiring about her son Vince and her daughter-in-law's sister, Zenaida Lan.
Everyone knows that Zenaida has a good relationship with her; they were asking her about the status of the two. And one of her friends asked if she would favor instead—for her son to make Zenaida the mistress.
Hilda could not take it. How can she allow that? His son married the younger sister, but his mistress was the older sister. That is a pure harem, isn't it?
She was in an outburst that her son had a mistress because it was an embarrassment for her! And she could not agree with such a thing! She still has family values!
Still, having an affair during a marriage is a no no… Not for her! She condemned his son because of it! And that girl! But when she tries to separate them, her son now stays away from her and has never come home since then!
He forgets he has a mother! Now she would hear this gossip!?
"Ah! I'm feeling my blood pressure rising… That son of mine has no care if I die in one of these days!" Hilda reaches for her head, massaging her temple.
Carl, who is holding a fan, tries to comfort his aunt. "You must calm down, Aunt Hilda. You should already use this kind of gossip."
"I know, Carl. Before they threw whatever issues at us, I was less concerned about it. But now, issues were thrown at your cousin. I can't sit still!"
"Well, Vince is already an adult, Auntie. If the issue affects him, he can easily shut down the media. But he only let the gossip and ignored them instead. Now calm down and let Vince handle his life."
"Ah! Why am I talking to you? You are more playboy than my son!" Hilda blurted out. Poor Carl baffles him when her aunt suddenly throws her frustration at him.
"Ouch. Why are you lashing me now, Auntie?" said Carl, frowning.
"Because I know that you have countless girlfriends!"
"Auntie, I'm single. I'm not tied to someone like Vince or living with a girlfriend, so I can do whatever I want to..." he couldn't finish his sentence when Hilda snapped at him.
"That is what I'm talking about! You are a bad influence on your cousin!"
Twitching his mouth, Carl reaches for his shoulder, where Hilda smacks him. "Ouch. Auntie, don't reproach me when I am in front of you."
"And what do you like? Behind your back? Ah! I'm going to lose my head! What am I going to do for Vince to dump his mistress?"
Fred shook his head. He remains silent and never attempts to join the conversation because he knows they will only argue over it again. Leisurely he sips on his tea when Hilda blabbers again, and his tongue almost burns.
"Fred! Aren't you going to do something?"
Twitching the corner of his mouth, Fred heaves a sigh. He pretended to hear nothing and remained reading on his iPad.
"Fred!"
"Would you shut up just for a day, Hilda!?" He couldn't take it anymore that every single day, his wife was talking about his son's life. He has no problem with it. However, the issue is just repeatedly brought up. And it's already so annoying to listen to.
"As I told you. A day will come when your son will get tired. By then, surely he will dump his mistress."
In a low voice, Hilda asked her husband. She's still afraid of Fred's fury once provoked. "Why can you say that?"
She's curious if her husband did such a thing she didn't know. Of course, even if she confirmed nothing that Fred had an affair, their marriage life is not peaceful and perfect. It also stormed many times.
Fred, who is controlling his anger, calms down and responds lazily. "You are aware that my friends and business partners were in an affair many times. Of course, I saw how they dump their girlfriends once they meet a new one."
"What? I could not allow Vince to have another girlfriend after he leaves his current mistress!"
Fred pressed his eyelids. He reminds himself to stay calm. "Hilda, why do you compare your son with those bastards? Did you see your son has girlfriends everywhere? None!"
At the moment, Carl is sipping his coffee; he choked on the hot liquid. He coughs roughly to clear his throat.
'I guess it's time for me to move out of this mansion.' Carl thought inwardly.
~~~~~~
Later in the evening, Hailey was working on her laptop in the living room when Vince arrived. She was thinking of greeting him, but she chose to ignore him.
Vince wanders his eyes around; the dining table is empty. The kitchen has no trace that Hailey was cooking. She even ignores him.
'So, what now? What she's thinking at this moment? After she sent me a wonderful lunch, she plans to starve me in the evening?' Vince mused.
He glanced at Hailey, who continued typing on her laptop. It looks like the girl has no plan to cook tonight.
He heaves a hopeless sigh. Vince didn't know what to do in this kind of situation. He didn't know how to persuade a woman. So he has no idea where to begin and talk to Hailey about yesterday. It seemed like she also misunderstood him.
As he could see, she looked sulking. Well, maybe he will just let her be.
In the end, Vince can't stay silent. Before he took the first step of the stairs, he muttered. "So, you want me to deliver some dinner?"
Hailey restrained herself from raising a brow. She replied timidly, "I thought you had dinner out. So I just fixed something for me."
'What? So she's the one who is mad now?' Vince rolled his eyes. 'Absolutely, it was so hard dealing with a woman... They are moody!'
Heaving a silent sigh, Vince took the stairs without another word.
Enjoy 5 chaps soon! Merry Christmas, dearest!
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