FULL NOVELXO Chapter 111-120
Chapter 111
Dave was feeling all kinds of jittery, like she had just read his mind. “I swear my chefs would never pull such a shady stunt!” Arabella just laughed it off. “Stop passing the buck to your chefs. Even if they did do it, it would be under your orders.” Who would want to shoulder such a huge responsibility?
“Do you have any proof, Ms. Bennett?” Dave spat out through gritted teeth. “Without it, I can sue you for defamation!”
“Slow your roll. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’ll be a tough act to follow.”
“In the peas and beef stir–fry at lunch, was the beef actually beef?” Arabella looked up at him with a gaze full of confidence. Dave was starting to feel the heat. “What are you implying?”
“I noticed you guys used dead chicken instead of beef.”
“Ms. Bennett, you’re just stirring the pot, right? You can’t just spout such nonsense without proof!”
“Fetch the kitchen’s trash can.” Arabella ordered her assistant.
Dean hurriedly did as told.
The large trash can was set before everyone. With a swift kick, Arabella sent the trash spilling out.
Oscar and Dave quickly backed away.
Among the kitchen waste were chicken heads, feet, tails, and the like.
“We didn’t have chicken for lunch, yet here are these.” Arabella casually noted, “Normally, a chicken’s eyes would be open after slaughter. Only a dead chicken’s eyes would be shut.”
People around quickly examined the chicken heads on the floor and found their eyes were all closed!
“Most of you would know that chickens need to be bled out when slaughtered. But a dead chicken can’t bleed out properly, which turns the meat red. And the skin of a dead chicken would be sickly gray, shriveled, and lacking elasticity–not a normal death.”
The staff around them were feeling nauseous. They couldn’t believe they had been eating dead chicken instead of fresh beef for lunch!
Right now, they could only fight the urge to puke.
Dave didn’t expect that she, a young girl, would be so observant.
How would a girl her age know about chickens? Very few people would have seen chickens being slaughtered on a farm.
“Alright, even if our chefs did accidentally buy dead chickens, it’s not their fault. They were duped by the market’s chicken stall owner. Besides, if you’re saying dead chicken can be made into beef, then show me!”
Seeing Dave still putting up a fight, Arabella couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so hard about that?” Arabella calmly said, “Just cut the subpar chicken into strips, add some beef flavoring and roast meat seasoning; if the color’s off, add some caramel coloring; then pan–fry it in hot oil with various seasonings, and voila! Beef.”
Dave’s face was frozen in shock. He didn’t expect her to know the process in such detail, and she hadn’t missed a beat.
“This is proof: all these food additives I mentioned, you can find them all in your own kitchen!”
Hearing Arabella’s resounding words, the staff around them could no longer describe their feelings with just “astonished“.
One of the staff members was patting his chest in relief, saying, “I dodged a bullet there; I didn’t touch those dishes at lunch.”
He had survived this ordeal!
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Arabella’s gaze fell on him, a curious look in her eyes. “Do you think only these two dishes were problematic?”
“Ms. Bennett, I don’t quite get what you’re saying. The employee seemed a bit flustered.
Arabella spoke confidently: “Out of the thirteen dishes the canteen served for lunch, not one was made with fresh ingredients!”
Everyone’s eyes went wide upon hearing this.
Seriously?
All thirteen dishes weren’t fresh?
That’s freaking scary, wasn’t it?
‘Ms. Bennett, what about the sausages? They’ve got to be real, right? Or are they made of fake meat?” An employee started to worry.
Arabella looked cool as a cucumber. “Ever heard of starch sausages? All sorts of flour are mixed together with some food additives, roasted meat essential oil, and some carrageenan. Mix it all up in a food processor, then squeeze out the shape, boil it, and voila! You got your ‘sausage‘.”
Some people ran out to the flower beds to barf.
“The proof is in the pudding, or rather, the not–cleaned food processor, still with some ‘meat‘ residue. You can have it tested.”
They were worried that the sausages might be made of fake meat, but as it turned out, there wasn’t any meat in them at all! Just a bunch of seasonings!
“And what about the fish soup you all had at lunch? Didn’t you notice something off about its color?” Arabella’s gaze swept over everyone as she said, “Normal fish soup shouldn’t be this white; unless you add a spoonful of vegetable cream, then you can create a delicious fish soup.”
More people ran outside to throw up. They couldn’t believe that the canteen would do such a thing..
“I also found concentrated mutton soup powder in the kitchen. Do you know what that is? One spoonful, and even plain water will taste like mutton soup.
Another employee breathed a sigh of relief: “I didn’t have much of an appetite at lunch, so I just added a little extra tomato sauce to my pasta I didn’t eat much of anything
else.”
“That tomato sauce you ate was also made with tomato essence.”
The employee went out to barf.
“What a joke!” Dave chuckled coldly with his arms folded. “Even if you found all these things, you still don’t have any evidence that the cooks actually used them to make lunch.”
Oscar chimed in, looking miffed, “Ms. Bennett, you can eat however you want, but watch what you say!“.
Dave was like a provoked tiger: “I was going to let it slide for the sake of family, but Ms. Bennett, you want to blame all this on me; now that everyone has a misunderstanding about our canteen, I’m going to call the police!”
“Sure.” Arabella wasn’t scared at all, even saying, “Mr. Dave is getting old; if you’re not steady holding the phone, I can have Dean help you.”
Dave didn’t expect this young woman to be this tough. He sneered, “Ms. Bennett, think carefully. Once I call the police, your job won’t be safe either!”
“Do you want to call the police?” Arabella didn’t have time to waste with him. “If you won’t, I will.”
“Dave, Ms. Bennett is young; she might be a bit hot–headed sometimes. Don’t take it to heart; think of it as doing me a favor.” Oscar tried to mediate: “Go bring the receipt of this morning’s food purchase to Ms. Bennett to prove we used fresh ingredients.”
“No need.” Arabella didn’t accept his explanation and said directly, “I heard the supermarket where you guys buy your ingredients from is also owned by your relatives.”
Oscar immediately got upset. “Ms. Bennett, are you suggesting there’s some shady business going on between our families?”
“You said it, not me.”
“You.”
Arabella gave Dean a look, and he immediately took out his phone, ready to dial 911.
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“Stop.” Oscar immediately interrupted, “Call the cops now. Whether these foods have issues or not, once it starts a commotion, it’s our company’s reputation that suffers!” “Oh? So, what’s your take on handling this?” Arabella looked at him with interest.
“As long as you apologize to Dave, we’ll pretend this never happened.”
Arabella found it amusing. She gave Dean a nod, and he immediately dialed the police.
“You.” Oscar was furious. This girl was playing dirty!
Well, if she wanted to call the police, they’re not scared‘ Oscar knew some people in the police station; they could help!
That girl was too naive.
He took out his phone and sent a text.
After a while, a few police officers arrived; the lead officer was a stranger to Oscar. The officer listened to the story and ordered his men to take samples of the kitchen ingredients back for testing.
“Oh, by the way.” Arabella hacked into the surveillance system and restored all the deleted footage. “I’ve sent all the surveillance from the past year to your official email.” “Ms. Bennett, we appreciate your help with this minor issue!” The leading officer, Joe, was very polite: “Rest assured, if the test results show their ingredients are sub–standard, we’ll handle it by the law!”
If they violated food safety laws, they could be fined, their license could be revoked, and in severe cases, they could go to jail.
Oscar had a bad feeling about this: “Bro, are you new here? I didn’t see Kevin West today.”
“You know him?” Captain Joe glanced at Oscar, sounding unimpressed. “He just got suspended today; you need him for something?”
“Oh, no.”
“Good. Someone reported him for accepting bribes. If you’re texting him for help now, you’re basically giving evidence to the police, and his charges would only get worse.” Hearing Captain Joe say this, Oscar’s heart sank. Damn, he just texted Kevin West for help, saying he had a situation to deal with and would reward him as usual. This was bad news.
Oscar was sweating bullets, as was Dave, who was continuously wiping off the sweat from his forehead. He never thought his years in the business world would end at the hands of a young girl.
A police officer came up to him and said, “Please come with us for an investigation.”
“Mr. Oscar, help me.” Dave looked at Oscar desperately, he couldn’t be taken by the police, or he would hardly get out of the police station!
“I got you; don’t worry.” Oscar lightly patted his back, whispering, “Don’t admit to anything; I’ll have a lawyer there for you soon.”
“You better hurry.” Dave was uneasy, fearing the worst.
“I know, relax.”
“Oh, by the way.” Arabella suddenly said, “Dave owns seven or eight other restaurants.”
Dave tensed up. What was this girl up to? Did she think the situation wasn’t chaotic enough and want to add fuel to the fire?
“Dave always wears designer clothes and lives in luxury houses, but his account always shows that he’s barely getting by and can’t pay taxes; it’s hard to understand.”
Captain Joe understood immediately after hearing this: “Take him back for a thorough investigation!”
“Yes, sir!”
After Dave was taken away by the police, Arabella raised an eyebrow, glanced at Oscar, and then headed for her office.
Many employees wanted to take leave to get a health check.
“Since this issue is the result of our company’s lack of oversight, tell the headquarters to give them an extra month’s salary so they can buy some stuff to replenish their
nutrition.”
“Got it.” Dean immediately accepted the task.
Just then, Phillip sent her a message: “Bella, are you working? Tired? Hungry? I’ll have some food sent over for you.”
At the end of the message, he also sent á cute emoji.
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“Thanks, grandpa, but I’m good.” Arabella said, walking away, “I’m not really feeling hungry.”
“You should eat even if you’re not hungry, you’re too skinny. I’ll have the chef whip up something for you; I bet you’ll love it.“”
The chef said the young ladies these days were really into these fancy afternoon tea pastries.
Bella should like them too, right?
“No need; give it to Romeo.”
“He doesn’t need it; I didn’t prepare his portion!” Phillip answered without hesitation
On the other side.
Serena had been waiting in the conference roorn for two hours; the afternoon tea had already gotten cold.
She wanted to go see what Romeo was busy with but was afraid to interrupt his work.
Just as she was hesitating, the door to Romeo’s office opened, and she saw Romeo coming out!
“Romeo, are you done already?” Serena quickly caught up to him and said, “You’ve been working non–stop; you need to take care of yourself. Are you hungry? Can you eat something first?”
“Mr. McMillan has some matters to deal with.” Carl was still trying to stop her. “Miss Serena, please wait a moment.”
“Romeo.” Serena called after him, “Where are you going? Will you be back later? I’ve prepared some food for you; how about having a bite first?”
Romeo didn’t look back as he entered the elevator; the doors slowly closed, leaving Serena with nothing but a cold and determined silhouette.
Seeing that Romeo had left, Carl also turned to leave.
At this moment, his phone started to vibrate, and he answered the call: “Is everything ready? Good, I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Just checking, the juice is freshly squeezed, right? And no ice cubes, right? Good, keep the pastries warm; our young lady doesn’t eat cold food, alright?”
Hearing this, Serena was a bit puzzled–who was his young lady? Could it be Arabella?
An image of Arabella suddenly flashed in her mind.
Serena was shocked. She hurriedly got into another elevator and got into her car.
“Erik, follow Romeo’s car.”
“Miss Serena, what are you doing?” Erik was a bit confused, but seeing Serena’s anxious expression, he immediately started the engine.
“Mr. McMillan, that’s the Collins family’s car behind us; should we lose them?” Carl immediately noticed the license plate on the car behind them; it was the Collins family’s
car.
But Romeo didn’t care; he said, “Let them follow.”
Arabella had just entered her office when she got a call from Romeo.
“I’m bringing you afternoon tea; I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” Romeo’s voice was as deep and enticing as ever. “Which floor is your office on?”
“Are you on your way already?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll come down to meet you.”
She dared not let Mr. McMillan deliver to her office; it would draw too much attention!
“Are you afraid of people knowing about our relationship?”
Was it because he wasn’t handsome enough? Or his family background wasn’t prestigious enough? Or was it that she didn’t want to admit he was her fiancée?
“Don’t you know your own status?“.
When this man showed up, not only the company but the entire Summerfield would be buzzing!
At that time, many people would be asking about their relationship.
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Serena tailed Romeo all the way until his car pulled up near a company.
It’s a clothing company owned by the Collins family, and Arabella is the boss.
Serena guessed right–Romeo really came to see Arabella!!
He left Serena in the conference room for a full two hours without a word but was super attentive to Arabella.
Serena didn’t get it, what was so special about Arabella?
Maybe in his world, after seeing so many refined ladies, he just wanted to hang out with regular people?
Romeo got out of the car in a white shirt. Handsome as he was, he dimmed the surroundings just by existing.
That’s him, alright, always stealing the spotlight the minute he shew up, easily catching everyone’s eye.
“Bella Have you been waiting long?” As soon as Arabella walked up to him, he gently but assertively wrapped her in his arms. “I missed you.”
Seeing Arabella, whom he’d missed so much, a smile tugged at the corners of Romeo’s mouth. “Not long: I just got here.”
“This is a public place; could you tone it down a bit?”
They were currently by the road; what if someone saw them?
“I can’t help it; if I don’t hold you for a bit, I’ll miss you even more.”
Romeo looked at her with a hint of fondness and tenderness on his handsome face that most people wouldn’t see. “Are you busy?”
“Not busy.”
“Did you miss me?”
“No.”
“You weren’t busy, and you didn’t miss me?”
Arabella didn’t respond.
“You little rascal!” Romeo hugged her tighter. “I’m going to punish you by hugging you for another minute. No resisting.”
Arabella suddenly thought Romeo was a bit childish.
“Every time you go to the company, it’s like you disappear. If I don’t look for you, you might not even think of me!” Romeo sounded like he was whining.
Hearing Romeo say this, Arabella felt a bit helpless. “I have a lot of things to deal with.”
“Will you think about me later?”
“Romeo.” Arabella was about to ask him to behave, but he lifted her face like it was a precious gem. The love in his eyes was as dazzling as the stars in the night sky.
“I can’t help it; your face is too soft.”
“Where’s my afternoon tea?” Arabella remembered she had things to deal with and couldn’t stay here too long..
Romeo touched her face before pulling out the afternoon tea,
Arabella saw the dozen or so bags in his hand and didn’t take them. “That’s too much; I can’t finish it all.”
“You can pick your favorites.”
Romeo held the bags in one hand and reluctantly held her in the other, messing with her hair and asking, “Aren’t you going to invite me in for a bit?”
“I still have things to do.”
“Will you think about me later?”
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“Will you miss me?” Romeo seemed determined to get an answer.
With no other choice, Arabella firmly replied, “Yes.“.
“I’ll miss you too.” Romeo lowered his head and gently kissed her lips. His affectionate eyes were filled with longing and love. “I’ll pick you up after work.”
“Okay.” Arabella blushed a bit, grabbed her stuff, and prepared to leave.
Romeo still held her hand, unwilling to let go. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Whenever he saw her, he couldn’t care about anything else. He just wanted to be with her.
Arabella had no idea that Mr. McMillan, reputed to be cold–hearted, would be so bold in public. Now that she knew, she found it amusing.
“So, you want me to stand here chatting with you while holding all this heavy stuff?”
“Do you need me to carry it to your office?”
Arabella pulled her hand back. “I’m off work in an hour; you should go.”
“Bella.”
Arabella paused and looked back at him.
“What I said on the Ferris wheel today is true.”
He really liked her.
So much so that he missed her every second.
Normally, Arabella would ignore him, but now she saw his serious eyes and simply replied, “I know.”
Romeo watched her leave and quietly followed her.
Arabella took a step, and Romeo followed. They maintained a short distance until Arabella disappeared into the company. Only then did Romeo stop, take out his phone,
and call her.
In his own way, he quietly protected and accompanied her.
Serena in the car was beside herself with rage. She could hardly believe the usually cold Romeo would act so affectionately towards a girl.
Turned out, the man always on top wasn’t incapable of love or affection; he just hadn’t met the right person!
Ever since meeting Arabella, his eyes were filled with love and tenderness, something Serena had never seen before!
Why?!
Why did that rude girl receive Romeo’s favor?.
Why was she the one receiving Romeo’s unique love and affection?
Jealous–to–the point of madness, Serena’s nails dug into her palms. She couldn’t just sit by and do nothing!
Whether it was wealth, appearance, knowledge, or ability, Romeo was top–notch!
He was incomparable to anyone in the world!
She wanted to receive that unique love and indulgence!
She wanted to replace Arabella and become the woman in Romeo’s heart!
Seeing Romeo outside the car, looking at the company, and making a phone call, Serena knew he was talking to Arabella.
They had just separated, yet they were like an inseparable couple. Serena felt like her heart was bleeding.
She tried to suppress her immense jealousy and sadness. “Driver, let’s go home.”
“Really.” Erik was very surprised. He didn’t expect Mr. McMillan and Ms. Bella’s relationship to progress so fast.
It seemed there was no opportunity for Miss Serena to interfere.
He hadn’t started the car’s engine yet when he suddenly noticed Phillip’s car coming. He was taken aback. “Miss Serena, isn’t that Phillip’s car?”
Serena looked up, and it was indeed true!
Was Phillip also here to see Arabella?
As she was thinking this, the car had already stopped. The first to get out was Brodie, who was surprised to see Romeo at the company’s entrance.
“Young Master, what are you doing here?”
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Romeo wasn’t surprised by his arrival. “My grandpa sent you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, Grandpa flew in a top–notch pastry chef from France to prepare an afternoon tea for Miss.”
As Brodie said this, he hastily removed the items from the car, then added apologetically, “But there’s none for you.”
“No worries.”
Romeo looked toward the company. As long as Arabella was happy, he’d be happy.
“Master, are you also here to deliver afternoon tea to Miss?”
“Yes.”
“Did I arrive too late?”
Brodie seemed a bit annoyed. He knew the afternoon tea was personally prepared by the pastry chef using the finest ingredients. Grandpa put a lot of thought into it.
If Ms. Bella ate Romeo’s first and then was full, not having the appetite to eat the pastries Phillip sent, Phillip would be heartbroken.
Just then, Brodie spotted a familiar figure coming out of the company. He quickly approached her and respectfully handed over the items, saying, “Miss, this is what Phillip asked me to bring you.”
Arabella reached out to take it, giving a small smile and saying, “Please convey my thanks to Grandpa.”
“Phillip hopes you can visit him more when you have spare time; don’t overwork and take rest.”
“Okay.”
“He also said that you’re about to go to college. If you have a preferred school, whether it’s domestic or abroad, you can tell him.” “Okay.”
“Also, if you encounter difficulties at work, you can ask Phillip for help. If something’s bothering you in life, you can tell him.” Romeo, on the side, gave a small smile.
He remembered running the group for three years; Grandpa never sent him afternoon tea, not even a word of concern.
Now he’s being all nice to his granddaughter–in–law.
“Please convey my thanks to Grandpa.“.
Arabella stood tall, a mix of cold and cute demeanor that was admirable.
“I will convey your words. I won’t disturb your work anymore.“.
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Having said that, Brodie glanced at Romeo next to him, then said respectfully, “Master, I will take my leave.”
“Alright.” Romeo knew he was leaving first to give them some private space.
He was a very–considerate man.
“Why are you still here?” Arabella looked at Romeo, somewhat surprised.
Romeo reached out to gently touch her face, revealing a doting smile. “It’s fate; the universe wanted us to meet again.”
Arabella was speechless.
“You eat my afternoon tea first. Don’t force yourself to eat Grandpa’s. Go back.”
“Alright.”
After Arabella left, Romeo stood there for a while, reluctant to leave.
Serena in the car didn’t expect Romeo’s grandfather to have Brodie deliver afternoon tea to Arabella!
She was so furious, she was practically fuming, almost green with jealousy!
The logo on that lunchbox was the exclusive mark of August, a top–notch French pastry chef!
Only his personally crafted pastries were worthy of such a lunchbox.
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Though not plenty, his fame made a single gig worth hundreds of thousands.
Phillip actually asked August to prepare afternoon tea for an unruly girl?
Phillip was way too into her, wasn’t he?
Seeing Serena’s face contort with anger, Erik couldn’t help but say, “Miss Serena, don’t sweat the small stuff. All love stories start out like this. Gradually, the affection will wane, and there will be more friction between the two.”
Serena clenched her fists. She couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Now Romeo wasn’t interested in her, and Phillip kept his distance.
Arabella returned to her office, looking at the dozens of afternoon tea bags on the coffee table with a headache.
Even if she were to eat them for dinner, she wouldn’t be able to finish them all.
Dean walked in to report on his work, drooling at the sight of all the food.
“Ms. Bennett, you’re really living large, huh? You actually bought all these afternoon teas. Can you even finish them?”
“Just grab whatever you want.” Arabella wasn’t fond of afternoon tea, so she’d rather share than waste it.
“Ms. Bennett, do you really mean I can take whatever I want? These are handmade afternoon teas by August and Benson.” Dean was almost dropping his jaw. Arabella raised her eyebrow, as if asking, Who were August and Benson?
“Ms. Bennett, you really don’t know who they are?”
Dean’s eyes widened, and he swallowed. “August is a top French pastry chef, and Benson is a big shot in the pastry world.”
Arabella, who had never heard of them, raised her eyebrow in question: “Pricey?”
“Ms. Bennett, aren’t these the afternoon teas you ordered? It just shows that the person who ordered these for you values and likes you very much.” “Oh?”
“August has retired. To have him make an afternoon tea is no longer just about money. And Benson, last time an international superstar wanted to taste his afternoon tea, she waited for three whole months, pulling all the strings she had, before Benson made it for her once. These teas of yours should be worth at least hundreds of thousands, right?”
Arabella was shocked.
Hundreds of thousands?
That expensive?
“Ms. Bennett, don’t you doubt it? With their fame, their pastries are worth this price.”
Looking at the quantity and the fine craftsmanship.
Just pick whatever you want.” Arabella leaned lazily on the couch, her tone casual as if it were just regular afternoon tea in front of her, making no difference to her.
“Well, then I won’t be shy, okay?” Although Dean picked a few, they were all more common ones. He didn’t dare touch any of the expensive ones.
After a while, Molly came to ask about the design drafts, and Arabella let her take some too.
She took a bite of the remaining ones, just as Dean’s voice came from outside.
“Mr. Oscar, you really can’t go in. Let me confirm with Ms. Bennett first that, getting mad at me won’t solve anything Even if you rush in, you’ll still be kicked out in the end Why bother?”
“Let him in.” Arabella said lazily.
Oscar immediately pushed the door in. Seeing Arabella lounging on the sofa enjoying her afternoon tea, he smiled and said, “Ms. Bennett, we may have some misunderstandings. Do you have time now? Can we talk?”
“Sorry.” Arabella leisurely took a bite of the dessert and said, “I don’t have time.”
“If there’s anything you’re not happy with, please let me know; I will definitely correct it.” Oscar smiled and said, “Regarding the matter of my relative, can we put it to rest?”
Arabella stopped eating her dessert, raising an eyebrow and said, “He let his employees consume those health–damaging additives for a year. If you were the victim, would you forgive him easily?”
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“Sure, the guy messed up first by using some dodgy ingredients for a quick buck, but hey, no one got hurt, right? And the company made it up to them. Can’t you let him off the hook just this once?”
Arabella asked in a slow, deliberate tone, “And how do I do that?”
“Maybe just let bygones be bygones; ask him to provide free meals for the employees for half a year or a year. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a tight leash on the ingredient quality; he won’t be able to pull a fast one.”
“So, this happened because you dropped the ball on your oversight?” Arabella’s gaze held him in place, a slight pressure in her eyes. “Mr. Oscar, don’t you think you bear some responsibility?”
“Yes, I do bear some responsibility.” Oscar lowered his head. If there were any other ways, he wouldn’t have come to ask this lady for help.
“If you don’t mind the employees eating food with additives, why don’t you do the same? Eat it for a year, and then we can talk.”
“Ms. Bennett, are you pulling my leg?” Oscar tried to smile charmingly and say, “In a year, my relative will be eating prison food.”
“Isn’t prison food better than food with additives? At least it’s healthier.”
Oscar was completely at a loss for words.
“As the vice president of the company, you didn’t reflect on your actions immediately after the incident, nor did you think about how to compensate the employees. Instead, you defended your relative. I really don’t know where you get the nerve to discuss this with me. If you’re hoping for me to deal with this privately, I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Hearing Arabella’s firm refusal, Oscar felt his heart sink. But considering that his relative’s problem might affect him, he had to plow ahead.
“Ms. Bennett, our families are close. His mother is eighty–nine this year, and she was devastated to hear that he was arrested. She begged me to help him. His family also came to me. I was really at my wits‘ end, and that’s why I came to you, mainly because we couldn’t bear to see him suffer.”
“And you can bear to see your employees suffer?” Arabella asked, lifting her eyes,
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“There’s no room for negotiation on this, Mr. Oscar. You should consider your own position. Dave is your relative, and with what happened, the headquarters will definitely investigate thoroughly.”
Upon hearing this, Oscar’s heart sank completely. His figure, previously firm, now slouched as he walked away in defeat.
Arabella, nibbling on a dessert Romeo had bought, worked a little before knocking off.
Night fell.
Romeo took her out for a candlelit dinner. He seemed to have a lot on his mind, but in the end, he didn’t say a word and just ate quietly.
“Do you have something you want to say to me?” Arabella asked, puzzled by his hesitation.
“Do you not like the bracelet?” Romeo looked into Arabella’s beautiful eyes, seemingly disappointed. “Or do you not like me?”
Arabella: “What?!”
“Have I been bothering you too much lately? Is that why you’re annoyed?” Romeo picked up a hot towel and gently wiped away the sauce at the corner of her mouth, his eyes. warm and eager as he waited for her answer.
Only then did Arabella realize she had forgotten to wear the bracelet on her wrist.
“If you don’t like me, I’ll try even harder to win your heart. Just give me a little more time, okay? If you don’t like the bracelet, I can design another one for you.”
“You designed the bracelet?” Arabella asked, surprised.
But to Romeo, this was no big deal. He had had a knack for design since he was a kid. His friends would often say, If he devoted himself to design, he would become a legend in the industry!
His design talent once caused quite a stir internationally.
“Yes.” Romeo looked into her eyes, his expression serious and solemn. “Is it about the bracelet, or is it about me? If it’s both, I’ll rectify them all.”
Arabella gave a clear and radiant smile: “The bracelet is fine; I love it. I took it off when I went to wash my hands after I accidentally spilled some juice on it this afternoon, then I forgot to put it back on.”
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So this dude thought she wasn’t into him anymore, so he’d been walking on eggshells around her?
“What about me?” Romeo looked at her seriously and caringly and asked, “Do you like me?”
“You’re alright.” Arabella gave a small laugh and said, “Can we eat now?”
Romeo tenderly stroked her face; the gloomy atmosphere from before disappeared in an instant, replaced by sweetness and happiness.
Bella said he was alright.
That meant he was doing a pretty good job.
He grinned and happily began to feed her.
“I can eat by myself.”
“Do you want me to feed you with a spoon or with,” Romeo leaned in and lightly kissed her lips, as if hinting at something.
“You” This guy was causing trouble again!
After they finished their meal, Romeo dropped her off at her company, got out of the car, and opened the door for her, saying, “I’ll go up with you.”
“The company operates 24/7”
If he went up, he might be seen by people of the production department.
Seeing Romeo’s disappointment, Arabella said helplessly, “You wait here; I’ll be right back after grabbing my bracelet.”
“Then give me a hug first.”
“Hug me, and I’ll let you go.” Romeo opened his arms, asking for a hug like a child.
She thought it would just be a light touch, but Romeo’s arms wrapped tightly around her. “When are you going to announce our relationship?”
“Huh?”
“When can people know that I’m your fiance?”
Arabella was speechless. “Does it matter?”
“It matters.” Romeo held her tightly and asked, “Has anyone in the company been hitting on you?”
Arabella found it amusing. She had been stirring up so much trouble these past few days that not only men but even women didn’t dare approach her.
“No.”
“I like that.” Romeo took a deep breath of her scent and said, “I really like it. You’re already my fiancee; you need to keep a distance from others. Okay?”
“I got it; I need to go now.”
She entered the company, punched in the office code, walked in, and her bracelet was still quietly lying on the desk.
Thinking about what he said tonight, Arabella felt warm inside.
To avoid keeping him waiting, Arabella put on the bracelet and left the office. Just as she was about to get on the elevator, she heard a voice from the stairwell.
It sounded like an argument with a tone of complaint.
Arabella walked over quietly, opened the stairwell door, and realized the sound was coming from a few floors below.
Because of the echo in the stairwell, the sound was quite loud.