“Are you stupid?” another person said.
“Who do you think Oscar Quincy is?
He’s a Group Director, part of the core management.
What’s so strange about him having dinner with the president?”
Oscar Quincy’s tightly pressed lips relaxed into a smile.
“The young master can be cold, but that’s only to outsiders.
In my experience, he’s very easygoing.”
Being friends with the heir of a major corporation was an honor no one else at the table could claim.
Sounds of admiration rose one after another.
Maya Rivers also secretly envied how dazzling Oscar Quincy had become.
She hadn’t eaten much Western food before and couldn’t even name some of the dishes on the table.
Her clumsy use of the knife and fork drew secret ridicule from others, but no one dared to say anything out loud.
While responding to the small talk around him, Oscar Quincy discreetly took the plate from in front of Maya Rivers.
He skillfully cut her steak into small pieces, then naturally placed it back before her.
Hilary York nudged her shoulder lightly and gave her a knowing look.
She had clearly seen Oscar Quincy’s gesture and was implying he was interested in Maya.
Maya Rivers glared at her and mouthed: *Shut.
Up.*
She chewed her steak.
‘Expensive food really is different.’ It was fresh, tender, and tasted incredible.
Her first thought was: ‘When I get rich, I have to bring Morgan Carter here to try this.’
But then she had another thought.
‘Morgan Carter’s life used to be so extravagant.
He’s probably long since gotten tired of food like this.’
A smile involuntarily touched Maya Rivers’s lips at the thought of Morgan Carter.
Partway through the meal, she went to the restroom.
When she came out, she didn’t immediately return to her seat.
She’d had two glasses of red wine, and her head was spinning a little.
She stood by a window in the hallway to clear her head.
A message from Morgan Carter came through: Maya, is your party over?
Leaning against the wall, Maya Rivers replied: Almost.
Have you eaten?
Morgan Carter sent a voice message: The lady boss gave me a bento box.
I saved the chicken leg for you.
His voice was very pleasant to listen to, but his tone was a bit childish and seemed out of place.
Maya Rivers replied with a voice message of her own: You’re so sweet.
My doting on you wasn’t for nothing.
But I ate very well today, all kinds of meat.
You eat the chicken leg yourself, and don’t you dare leave a single bite.
Morgan Carter: Okay, then.
Morgan Carter: Maya, come back early.
Maya Rivers held down the button on her phone to reply: I know, I know.
Go take a shower and get to bed.
I’ll just be a little longer and then…
“Maya.”
Maya’s voice message wasn’t finished when Oscar Quincy’s voice cut in.
Maya Rivers immediately put her phone away.
Oscar Quincy walked over, a smile playing on his lips.
“You were gone so long, I was starting to get worried.”
The two of them hadn’t been in contact for nearly ten years, and they hadn’t even been that close back then.
For him to say something so intimate now was truly inappropriate.
It was no wonder Maya Rivers read into it.
Especially since, just a moment ago at the table, Hilary York had secretly sent Maya a WhatsApp asking if she really didn’t know that Oscar Quincy had a crush on her back in the day.
Now, Maya Rivers pretended not to hear the ambiguity in Oscar Quincy’s words.
“I’m a little drunk.
Just getting some air to sober up.
I’ll head back in now.”
She started to leave, but Oscar Quincy didn’t move from his spot in front of her, blocking her path.
“I’m a little dizzy too.
Stay and keep me company for a bit.”
Maya Rivers didn’t care what his intentions were now; she would absolutely not give a man she wasn’t interested in the slightest opening.
“I need to talk to Hilary York about something, so I’m heading back in.” She tried to walk around Oscar Quincy.
But he grabbed her arm.
“Maya, do you really not know that I like you?”
With the truth out in the open, Maya Rivers could no longer play dumb.
She gently pulled her arm out of Oscar Quincy’s grasp.
With a polite but distant smile, she said to him, “I’m sorry, but I’m already married.”
“What?
Married?
You’re lying to me!”
Oscar Quincy hadn’t spoken with such an urgent tone all evening.
“Didn’t Hilary York say you weren’t?
Maya, are you really going to make up a lie like that just to reject me?
That’s so low.”
Maya Rivers said slowly, “Hilary York was joking.
I really am married.”
Oscar Quincy didn’t give up.
“When did you two meet?
What does he do?”
Out of consideration for him having helped her out of a jam earlier that night, Maya Rivers patiently explained, “He’s not as rich as you, but he’s an excellent person, and we have a wonderful relationship.
Oscar, I appreciate the sentiment, and I’m sure you’ll find a wonderful girl who’s worthy of you.”
She transferred the money for the skincare products back to Oscar Quincy.
“Thank you for today.
I know you don’t really need my products, so I’ve refunded you the money.
The extra thousand is for my share of dinner tonight.
I don’t know if that’s enough.
If it’s not, then I guess I owe you one.
My husband is waiting for me at home, so I have to go now.”
She had drawn the line so clearly; her meaning was obvious.
But Oscar Quincy wasn’t ready to give up.
Emboldened by the alcohol, he grabbed her arm again.
“Maya, I know better than anyone how exceptional you are.
You shouldn’t be stuck in a place like this.
I can take you to Stenham.
If you want to keep running a shop, I can provide the capital.
If you want a job, I can get you one at my company.
As it happens, I’m short a department manager!
Maya, you’re a smart woman.
You should know which choice is the wise one.
Don’t throw your life away here over some fleeting romance.”
The polite smile vanished from Maya Rivers’s face.
Her voice and expression turned cold.
“Oscar, I’m already married.
What you’re saying now has crossed a line, and it’s beneath someone of your status.
I hope you’ll show some self-respect.”
Oscar Quincy grew angry too.
“Can’t you be more realistic!
What kind of happiness can you get from a man who lets you struggle to run a small shop by yourself, who makes you swallow your pride and pitch products to your old classmates?”
Maya Rivers didn’t want to make a scene and attract everyone’s attention.
She took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to get rid of Oscar Quincy’s pestering.
She remembered a supposedly foolproof trick she’d seen someone share online.
She looked up at Oscar Quincy.
“Oscar, I don’t want to be shameless and push my products either.
But I’m in a bit of a tight spot right now and I need a lot of money.
Could you lend me some?”
Just as she expected, Oscar Quincy’s expression changed.
“Lend you money?”
Maya Rivers looked completely serious.
“You’re the richest person I know.
I’ll pay you interest.
I can pay you back in five years at the most.”
Oscar Quincy frowned, but then briskly took out his phone.
“Of course, no problem.
How much do you need?”
Maya Rivers: “Two hundred thousand.”
Oscar Quincy, who had already opened the transfer page, froze.
The surprise in his voice was unconcealable.
“Two hundred thousand?!”
Maya Rivers had expected this.
For a sum that large, even if Oscar Quincy wanted to keep up his act, he wouldn’t be willing to lend it to her.
She said, “If it’s inconvenient, then forget it.
I’ll figure something else out.
Sorry to put you on the spot.
I’ll be going now.”
This time, Oscar Quincy didn’t try to stop her.
Maya Rivers turned around, the corners of her lips curling into a sad yet amused smile.
‘Back when I was trying to borrow money to open my shop, I learned all I needed to know about human nature.
Oscar Quincy’s reaction was completely expected.’
‘This stupid class reunion.
Anyone who wants to come in the future can come, but I’d rather die than attend another one!’
Her phone vibrated.
She picked it up to look, and her steps came to a sudden halt, her pupils dilating.
Slow footsteps sounded from behind her.
Maya Rivers spun around to face Oscar Quincy, holding up her phone, and stammered, “Two hundred thousand…
You…
you really lent it to me?!”