The place was buzzing, packed with booths and a lively crowd, typical for a new spot. Navigating through the sea of people took some time.
Finally, up on the second floor, Leo spotted Vincent Lee in a booth, surrounded by a few other industry bigwigs. Leo recognized a couple of them—they were the same folks he'd once sent his resume to, only to be met with silence.
As he watched them, arms slung around each other, Leo started to piece together the real reason behind his job hunt woes.
Quietly observing, Leo stayed put until Paige spotted her dad. She dashed over, tears streaming down her face. “Dad,” she cried, taking in the sight of him with women on each arm.
Vincent, clearly tipsy, squinted at his daughter. “Jenny, what brings you here?”
Once Leo found Vincent, he gently tugged Anya’s hand, signaling their departure.
“Hey, where are you off to, Chad?” Paige's voice rang out, stopping them in their tracks.
Vincent, now clued into Leo’s intentions, chuckled knowingly, appreciating his daughter's timely intervention.
“Leo, come on over, meet everyone. We were just chatting about you,” Vincent slurred, hinting that he’d instructed his contacts to reject Leo’s job applications as a favor for keeping him in the loop about Leo's job search.
Leo had already suspected their game—big companies wouldn't touch him, small ones couldn’t pay him, and medium-sized ones, like theirs, could easily shut him out with a few words over dinner.
Having seen through their ploy, Leo kept his worries hidden behind a calm facade, “Vincent, now that I’ve found you, I won’t keep you. We’ll be on our way.”
Lee, also a bit buzzed, got up, eager to play the matchmaker.
He nudged Leo and Anya toward the group. “Why rush off? Have a drink with us. Vincent’s been saying nice things about you.”
As the focus shifted to Anya, and the hand Leo held, a drink appeared in front of him. “Come on, have a drink, meet the crew.”
Leo politely declined, “I have to drive later.” He tried to steer Anya out, but their path was blocked.
The drink, refused by Leo, was then offered to Anya. “How about the lady takes a sip?”
Leo pushed it back, “Sorry, she’s allergic to alcohol.”
Anya nodded, “Yeah, it could be fatal.”
The awkwardness was thick, even if they doubted her, no one wanted to risk it.
Not long after, Lee swiftly handed Anya a soda. “Here, this should be fine, right?”
Anya recalled her boyfriend’s advice, “I don’t drink soda.”
“What do you drink then?”
Scanning the table, she finally said, “Tea.”
Vincent motioned to his guys, “Get the lady a tea.”
Anya added, “...Not from here. I’d prefer the tea from my uncle’s office.”
“Oh? Where’s your uncle’s office?” The group was intrigued as Vincent approached, his breath a mix of smoke and alcohol.
Anya stood firm, “At the police station.”
The crowd paused, police?
Leo smirked slightly, “Vincent, knowing you're in good hands, we'll head out. If she’s late, her uncle might come looking.”
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The readers' comments on the novel: Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Please edit seems like a nice novel but not readable...
the novel status is showing as completed but it is not and what About the left over chapters...