The Returning EX (John and Sophia) novel Chapter 2005

Chapter 2005 Men’s Meeting

A few moments later, Ian called. Cindy could hear some background noises, then he asked, "Done with work?"

"Yeah." She got up and left. "Just did, and now I'm getting dinner. What about you? Are you done?"

Ian was done with work a while ago. He didn't have a lot of scenes to shoot today, but he said, "Give me a minute. I'm almost done."

Cindy clicked her tongue. "Don't forget to eat. Get some snacks if you're hungry."

Ian smiled. "Yeah, I will. Did you have lunch with anyone today?"

Cindy knew he was testing her, so she changed her voice to a more alluring tone. "Yeah. A lot of hot guys. I'll introduce them to you the next time you come back."

Ian chuckled. "Try it if you dare."

Cindy wouldn't, so all she could do was mock him. They made some small talk, and Ian said he had something to do, so he hung up. Cindy went to the restaurant near the company again, and while she waited for her food to be served, she scrolled through Yulia's news. Yulia had released a statement, and naturally, she said she wasn't the one who hired the goons to beat the executive director up.

Some other articles popped up after she released her statement, saying that the executive director had gotten on a lot of people's bad side, and how he loved to spread false rumors. They said he would gossip everywhere and anywhere. The article was just there to prove that the rumor he spread about Yulia tripping Ian up was untrue.

Cindy scrolled down to the comments. Even though the executive director was receiving the brunt of the netizens' anger, it didn't help with Yulia's reputation. People who were not her fans never did like her, and the incidents with Ian made her reputation plummet even more. Cindy didn't even want to read the comments under her account, as she knew it would be filled with curses. The netizens were furious so they would say anything online, thinking that the Internet was a lawless place.

Cindy searched for Ian's news, but thanks to his company, there wasn't a lot of that. Not even a single one was trending as well. There wasn't even a single article in the tabloid section. That was a good thing for Ian. Exposure didn't necessarily mean traffic. Sometimes, it meant curses and insults. Working quietly was good enough.

At the same time, Ian went into the room, and he saw Gary inside. Ian said, "Sorry. Traffic's a little bad."

Actually, Gary came early. He smiled. "It's fine. You aren't late."

Ian sat down across from Gary, and the waiter handed them menus.

Ian ordered a few signature dishes and asked Gary, "What would you like, Mr. Frye? This place's food is decent. Order as much as you like."

Gary nodded and ordered two dishes and a soup.

After the waiter was gone, Gary said, "I thought you'd come with Cindy."

Ian smiled. "I want to treat you personally."

Gary arched his eyebrow. He never thought Ian would do that, but he didn't ask why.

Ian crossed his hands and placed them on the table. "I asked you out to thank you, but there's also something else I need to tell you."

Gary looked at Ian. "What is it?"

Gary was really calm. Ian had seen a lot of capitalists, but few could act like Gary. He felt solid, as if he had everything under control. Ian would have been happy if Gary was a friend, but with how things were between them, Gary's calm attitude was making Ian uneasy.