Looking around, Nicole cleared her throat and announced, “I’m not an employee of your company, and neither am I your superior. We’re all partners, and respect works both ways. For the next few months, I hope that our partnership will be a happy one.”
However, everyone’s head remained low as they kept their silence, and Nicole didn’t say anything else anymore. Since she had already said all these, it was up to them whether they would listen to her or not.
When it was time to get off work in the evening, Nicole went downstairs in the elevator as usual, and she saw a familiar figure from the back when she was at the entrance.
Before she could even react, the figure spoke first. “Hi, Nicole.”
Stopping in her tracks, she realized that the person was Henry, and she smiled, greeting him, “Hi, Henry.”
The smile on Henry’s face appeared a little awkward, and he touched his nose as he said softly, “Nicole, I apologize to you for what happened last evening…” Lifting his head, he gazed at her as he explained, “That guy is from human resources. I… I…”
Seeing how difficult it was for him to say the words, Nicole chuckled nonchalantly; they weren’t a couple any more, so she shouldn’t guilt-trip him into doing anything for her.
“It’s fine. I get it. After all, he’s in a higher position than you, and you still need your job.”
Hearing how casual she sounded, Henry lifted his eyes at her, and the embarrassment on his face finally disappeared. Softly, he chuckled. “Nicole, you’re just as considerate as before.”
In reply, she merely smiled back without a word. She wasn’t exactly being considerate; she had merely seen through life. After years of struggling in the society, she had already been through all sorts of turmoil.
“By the way, are you free tonight, Nicole? I would like to buy you dinner. It’s been a while since we last met, after all,” Henry said immediately, taking a step toward her.
Seeing that the man was approaching her, Nicole took a step back out of habit, and after she did, she saw the hurt expression on his face.
She froze as she didn’t think of this because she had acted almost instinctively. Nevertheless, she gave him a nod, thinking to herself, The nanny’s home to take care of that rascal, so there’s nothing to worry about, she thought.
“There’s a nice restaurant nearby, and it’s dinner time now. Why don’t we go there?” she suggested. As she was feeling a little guilty now, she couldn’t bring herself to turn him down.
“Sounds good.” Henry nodded and followed behind her.
When they reached the restaurant, Henry realized that it was a high-end restaurant, and just a meal here could cost the monthly salary of a regular employee.
His chest tightened, and he felt unbearable upon seeing the prices on the menu. This is obviously a rip-off! he thought. Just one salad costs 388, not to mention other main dishes such as steak or others, which are all listed in four-figure prices.
Flipping open the menu, Nicole took a look at it and asked, “May I order a steak? The steak in this restaurant is pretty good.”
She had been here once with Colton, and it was true that the steak was rather delicious.
Meanwhile, Henry took a look at the price of the steak, but for the sake of his dignity as a man, he tightened his jaw and nodded. “Sure, go ahead and order it.” After Nicole had placed her order, he started, “Nicole, five years ago… did you really have a child with another man?”
Almost everyone in the company knew what happened in the Design Department today; the things Sabrina said had spread throughout the company like bushfire, and there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know. It was just that nobody dared to discuss it because of Colton’s warning.
However, that didn’t surprise Nicole. For this type of issue, even though everyone didn’t dare to say it out loud, they were probably criticizing her behind her back.
Lowering her gaze, she stared at the glass in her hand for a long while before mumbling, “Yeah.”
Although Henry’s expression remained unchanged, his anger was already burning within his chest, and his palms beneath the table tightened into fists as he sneered silently, What a slut! After breaking up with me back then, she just couldn’t wait to crawl into another man’s bed! It’s no wonder she became the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel. So, it’s really because she’s good in bed.
Back then, they had dated for a year, and their most intimate gesture was merely holding hands. He couldn’t believe he thought that she was a pure woman back then as it turned out that she was really just a wh*re!
Despite all the thoughts in his head, he put up a bitter expression on his face as he poured a glass of water. “If we were still together for the past five years, you probably wouldn’t do as well as you are now,” he said in a self-deprecating manner.
Looking at the dejected look on Henry, Nicole hurriedly comforted, “That’s not true, Henry. You have your worth, so don’t belittle yourself.”
He looked at her, staring deep into her eyes with his dark eyes. Gulping, he then uttered, “It’s been five years, Nicole, but I still can’t forget about you. I don’t mind the fact that you have a child, and I can regard him as my own. Do we still have a chance?”
Even though he was disgusted by her and thought of her as a wh*re, at the same time, he couldn’t deny that she was the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel.
As for the promotion which Nicole mentioned, if he could really restore their relationship, there was no point for him to remain in the Gardner Corporation because he could simply choose any position in F&M Apparel then!
Shifting her eyes away, she smiled bitterly and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Henry.”
Henry understood what she meant, but he was unwilling to give up. Seeing the guilt she had for himself, he decided to make use of this guilt, thinking that she would give in to him one day.
“It’s okay. I understand. It’s too random of me to bring this up so suddenly anyway,” he said in a considerate tone.
“By the way, Nicole, there are some rumors going around within the company, but don’t take it to heart,” he said, casting her an earnest look.
A bitter smile spread across Nicole’s face, and she parted her lips as she said, “Okay. Thanks.”
Looking at Nicole, Henry wanted to draw the distance closer between them, so he started a conversation about their times in school.
“These five years flew by so quickly. Thinking back, you were the school belle back then, and there were countless guys chasing after you,” he muttered with a reminiscent look on his face.
Gradually, Nicole slipped into her memories with his words. It was true; although she wasn’t from a rich family, she had good looks, awesome physique, and elegant temperament. While it was tough on her mother raising Nicole by herself, she had never mistreated Nicole in any aspects of her daily necessities.
Back then, she always enjoyed reading alone in the library. One day, someone took a picture of her without her knowledge and uploaded it on the school’s forum, turning her into the school belle overnight.
Despite the amount of guys courting her, she developed a dislike for men with smooth tongues due to her disappointment in her father.
Therefore, even though Henry wasn’t a good-looking guy and came from a regular family, she still picked him in the end.
The reason was simply because he was very caring and considerate; at least that was how he was in school back then.
With a soft smile, Nicole raised her voice and said in a low voice, “Yeah, the relationships we had when we were in school were pure and not mixed with anything else.”
Henry lowered his head and sighed softly. “Back then, I would always go to the library in hopes of bumping into you. Never did I imagine that you’d agree to date me. It was really like a dream.” Fixing his eyes on her, he gulped and continued, “I thought that we’d always be together, but who would have thought that there would be such a change.”
The smile on Nicole’s face seemed a little helpless, and she dodged the topic. “Give it a try. The food here is not bad.”
It was clear to Henry that she didn’t want to speak about relationships with him, and he lowered his eyes, looking at the steak on his plate as the spark in his eyes died out.
In the Gardner Corporation, everyone said that Nicole’s child was fathered by Zachary Yates of F&M Apparel, which was why she could hold the position of Chief Designer steadily in the company.
Looks like there is some truth to these rumors, he sneered indifferently in his heart. Seems like she has found her way into a rich man’s bed and can’t be bothered to date me now. Since she’s being heartless, then don’t blame me for being cruel!
“Okay.” A smile returned on his face before he lowered his head and started enjoying his steak.
When it was time to foot the bill, Nicole beat him to it, and it was already late by the time they finished eating. The weather was still a little chilly, and it became dark very quickly. By the time they came out, the streetlights were already lit.
They strolled back to the company, and Henry looked apologetic. “I should have been the one to buy you dinner. So sorry about that.”
Nicole smiled and shook her head. “It’s alright. It doesn’t make a difference.”
Lifting his head, he took a quick glance at the sky above. “It’s getting late. Go home first, Nicole. It’s not safe for a girl to be alone outside.”
Seeing the concern on his face, Nicole couldn’t tell for a moment if it was genuine, and she mumbled, “Okay.”
At first, she planned to turn around and leave, but something came into her mind and she paused in her tracks, spinning her head to him.
“Henry, no matter what the reason was five years ago, I was the one who owed you. Just let me know if you need anything.”
He nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Nicole.”
Relieved, Nicole then left while Henry stood rooted to the spot, watching her back with unblinking eyes, and a sneer tinged the corner of his lips.
I don’t want this help out of pity! he thought. Since I can’t hook up with Nicole, I’ll just do what Queenie says. Her life and death has nothing to do with me now, anyway.
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