Scarlett's POV:
After a day's work, I walked home in the afterglow of the setting sun. I was both physically and mentally exhausted. All I wanted right now was to go home, take a warm shower, and sleep.
While I was on my way home, a Bentley pulled over next to me. A middle-aged man with a big belly then got out and approached me.
"Hello, Miss Riley," he greeted with a friendly smile.
"Hello. Uh... who are you?" I racked my brains to try and figure out who he was.
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you, Miss Riley, are free now. Our boss is inviting you to dinner," the man explained.
I took a look at the black Bentley in bewilderment.
The car window was rolled down. Inside the car, a handsome man about 30 years old was looking at me with a gentle smile.
He seemed to be a powerful man and had a strong background. I could not help but wonder why he had suddenly came to a small potato like me. He must have reasons for doing this.
"Hello," I greeted back. Just as I was about to decline him, I heard a familiar voice come from behind me.
"Hello, Mr. Walker."
I turned around and saw Rita and Charles standing a few feet away from me. She was wearing a yellow V-neck dress and was holding Charles's right arm. In all honesty, she looked like a lady who was happily in love.
Meanwhile, Charles was wearing a black suit, which exuded nobility and elegance. He had an imposing manner as usual, and his frigid expression seemed as though it was telling everyone to stay away from him. As I gazed at him, I found that he was also looking at me.
When I saw him, I did not feel anything, even longing or regret. Perhaps it was because I had already given up on him.
Mr. Walker looked at Rita and Charles. "What a coincidence, Miss Lively. I didn't expect to see you here." Judging from his words, he and Rita knew each other very well.
"Mr. Walker, this is Charles, my fiance. Actually, we were just about to invite Scarlett to dinner. Is that okay with you?"
Although the man seemed reluctant, he answered, "Of course." With that, he beckoned the driver to get in the car and drive off.
I watched in awe as the black Bentley sped away. All I could think about was how unlucky I was to get entangled by these people on my first day of work.
I just wanted to work hard. Why was it so hard? All of a sudden, Rita let go of Charles's hand and then held mine. "Hey, Scarlett! Today is your first day to work, isn't it? Well, Charles and I wanted to celebrate such a wonderful occasion. Shall we go now?"
"No, thanks. I want to go home now. You and Charles can go instead." I declined politely while getting rid of her hand. I did not want to see them display their affection. To me, it was offensive to the eye.
"Scarlett, people ought to eat something. You're going to eat later anyway. Why not join us now?" Rita was still unwilling to give up.
"No, 100"
Abner Todd, the department leader in the TV station, walked up to me just as I was about to refuse Rita's invitation yet again. "Hey, Scarlett. No wonder I didn't see you in the company. You must've left in a hurry."
"I wanted to go home early, so I left as soon as I could," I explained with a smile. I did not want to show my true emotions so openly in front of other people, especially them.
"I see." Abner looked at Charles and Rita and added, "Are these your friends?"
"This is Rita Lively, and this is her fiance, Charles Moore. This is Mr. Abner Todd, a colleague of mine at the TV station." I introduced them to each other.
As soon as I finished speaking, Rita stepped forward and shook hands with Abner. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Todd. By the way, did our Scarlett do well in the company? I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."
"Actually, Scarlett is an excellent host. Everyone in the department likes her. As soon as she came to the company, she undertook a difficult task on her own. She has been really helpful. How could she cause us any trouble?"
"That's good to hear. I was worried that she hasn't settled in the company yet. Mr. Todd, she's new in this industry and please do forgive her if she makes a mistake in the future." Rita was pretending to be worried that I would cause trouble to the company on my first day. How pretentious.
People who did not know us would think we had a good relationship.
"Scarlett, I envy you for having such a caring friend," Abner said to me with a smile. All of a sudden, his face lit up as though he had just recalled something. "By the way, since today is your first day to work, as the leader of our department, I'd like to invite you for a congratulatory dinner tonight. Would you like to come?"
"I appreciate your kindness, but I don't want to take up your time with your family," I declined politely.
"There's nothing to worry about. Besides, I'm single, and I don't really have any family to company at the moment."
The atmosphere became ambiguous the instant Abner declared that he was single.
A single man had asked a woman out for dinner. What an excellent topic for an after-dinner conversation. For sure, rumors that I hooked up with my boss as soon as I came to the TV station would spread like wildfire. Well, I did not want to get into any trouble, so I would have to turn him down.
Unfortunately, I could not come up with a good excuse to decline his invitation.
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