Chapter 2012
Chapter 202
“Good evening, Taylor.” Soren’s voice was low and soft.
The way he enunciated his words made him sound so proper and gentlemanly. It was so refreshing that I felt as if the cold had left me.
My mind started to blank. I suddenly realized I could not speak. In the end, I could only squeeze out lamely, had your dimmer?”
He chuckled, “Yes. You?”
“Me?” I suddenly felt like my soul had snapped back into my body. “You really don’t know?”
“Huh? Is that something I should know?” Soren asked, confused.
Wait. So Richard didn’t report anything to Soren after all! I had been fooled!
“Oh… daron it,” I muttered, smacking my forehead. “Mr. Rockefeller played me like a fiddle…”
“Huh? You mean Ritchie? What did he do?”
“50…
I sat up straight and forced myself to calm down. Well, I started the conversation, so I had to finish it myself.
“I had dinner with that colleague after we finished discussing work. We were eating at a seafood hotpot place. Then, when we were about to finish, we saw Mr. Rockefeller. We had a brief chat,” I explained
“He left before we were done. When I was about to pay, the waitress told me Mr. Rockefeller had already covered our bill, which really stunned me!” I gulped, reconstructed my sentences, and continued. “I thought he would report to you immediately about seeing me, but he didn’t!”
Soren was a clever man.
“Ah. Your colleague is male,” he stated.
“Yeah.”
“And the two of you were dining together.”
“Um, yes…”
“And so you called me…” He paused before continuing, his voice tinged with mirth. “You were worried that Ritchie would tell me about this and make it sound like more than what it really was, right?”
My cheeks burned, even though I was alone. He saw right through me again!
I sat there stewing in embarrassment before a thought struck me. “Wait, who told you that? It’s not like we did anything especially suggestive!
“Why should I explain anything to you? See, I called you because I don’t have Mr. Rockefeller’s number. I just need you to pass my message, okay? And also, tell him I’ll treat him to a meal next time!”
My excuse didn’t convince Soren at all. If anything, he found it amusing–his suppressed chuckle went on for far too long
“What are you laughing at? I’m telling the truth!” I bluffed, masking my embarrassment with bluster.
“Of course! Of course,” he replied after suppressing his laughter with great difficulty. “I’ll send you Ritchie’s number so you can tell him yourself.”
Charter 207
+25 BONUS
“No! I mean, there’s no need! You can be the messenger!”
Calling a guy I wasn’t even close to just to say thanks for paying for my meal would be so weird!
Soren laughed again.
I was starting to get a little irritated. “Hey! Stop laughing, or I’ll hang up!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop,” he said, still sounding amused. So… is he the same colleague you were working with earlier today?”
He was asking about Jamie now. Was he jealous?
“Yeah. He’s a new recruit. Just a young, athletic guy who loves the great outdoors and is pretty good at his job. He’s hardworking and responsible. I feel like I found a real treasure,” I said, praising him.
It was only after I finished that I realized complimenting another guy in front of Soren probably wasn’t the
smartest move.
“You seem to admire him greatly,” Soren remarked quietly
“Well..” I scrambled to fix the situation. “Of course I do! If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have hired him!”
That’s true. It’s hard to find someone who shares your vision.”
Suddenly, both of us fell into silence.
