"Sir, can I invite a friend to join?" Fergus thought of Shelly.
Fergus was no fool and knew that Shelly was not interested in him, but since they were from the same hometown, he genuinely hoped she would find a good match someday.
"I'm not sure. Are you planning on inviting single friends or married ones?" the manager asked.
"A single friend. If it's not allowed, then forget it. My friend might not want to come anyway." Fergus did not want to complicate things.
"I'll ask Eliam."
The manager called Eliam and relayed Fergus's question. Eliam asked in return, "Did he mention who he wanted to bring?"
"He didn't. I don't know any of his friends either!"
Eliam guessed that Fergus wanted to bring Shelly and said, "Tell him that, if he wants to bring someone, it can only be one friend. And keep it low-key. Otherwise, everyone will want to bring a friend, and the hotel banquet hall might not be able to accommodate us all."
The manager conveyed Eliam's response to Fergus, and Fergus immediately messaged Shelly.
[Shelly, our company is having a meet-cute gathering this weekend with Tate Industries and Sterling Group. It's a free event. Do you want to join me? After all, you're single, too. I just asked the supervisor, and he said I can bring one single friend.]
Upon seeing the message, Shelly rejected it without hesitation. [I'm not going. I'm not even part of those companies. It would be too awkward for me to go.]
[Maybe others will also bring friends! Just accompany me, okay? Consider it as expanding your horizons. The event is free, so it's like getting a free dinner!] Fergus argued.
[Fergus, be honest. Are you afraid of attending alone?] she typed.
[Haha. You caught me.]
[Let me check if I have any other plans this weekend. If I don't, I'll accompany you.] Shelly wrote.
[Great.]
"I told you about the gathering between Dream Maker, Sterling Group, and Tate Industries, right? Are you free tonight? Let's go together," Fergus said.
"Oh... Can't you go alone? I don't really want to go," Shelly said.
Just then, her mother walked over and looked at her in confusion.
Shelly covered the speaker and whispered, "It's from Fergus. His company is organizing a meet-cute event for all their single employees. He wants me to go with him, but I don't really want to go."
Shelly's mother chuckled. "It's not like you have anything to do tonight. Just go! Maybe you will meet someone you like."
Upon hearing her mother's advice, Shelly said to Fergus, "Where will the gathering be held? I will go later at night."
"I will come pick you up," Fergus said before letting her in on a rumor he overheard. "I heard that there are far more single men in the gathering than women, so I think my chance of finding a girlfriend there is slim, but you might find someone!"
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