Chapter 18
“Kimberly, you’re really amazing. You just met the boss of One Technology this morning. He’s already sending you flowers? He must be into
you.
“Come on, not like that. Gentlemen like to give women flowers. Haven’t you ever received any?
“My husband would rather have a nice meal out than waste money on flowers.”
“My boyfriend has bought me flowers before, but they were just the cheap ones from the flower shop. They cost just one dollar for each stem. They’re nothing compared to your big bouquet.”
Upon hearing this, Aurelia stared at the roses and frowned slightly.
She thought, “Leslie said Ian doesn’t like women. Mrs. Lynch also said that Ian is a misogynist. Neither of them would lie to her. One is simply too lazy, and the other has no reason to do so. So, how could Ian possibly send roses to a woman he’s only met once? Isn’t his sexual preference a bit too fickle?”
Aurelia didn’t believe it. So, the flowers in front of her were probably just one of Kimberly’s tricks to mess with her.
She asked skeptically, “Nice flowers. Is it lan who bought them for you?”
Kimberly chuckled, “What Ian? Didn’t you hear it right? It was the boss of One Technology who bought them for me. Have you ever received any?”
Just as suspected. If she was that close to the boss of One Technology, how could she not know his name was lan?
Aurelia relaxed her brow and shook her head. “No, I’ve never received any.”
Kimberly’s lips curved in a teasing smile. She didn’t really care about who lan was. She just assumed Aurelia had mistaken him for one of her many admirers. After all, there were so many men interested in her. She couldn’t even remember all their names.
She would be happy as long as she could unsettle Aurelia. It was better to let Aurelia know about her close relationship with the boss of One Technology, so that she would back off.
Kimberly generously offered the roses and suggested, “Then, I’ll give them to you. I’ll have plenty more in the future.”
Aurelia raised her hand to refuse, saying, “No, thanks. I can’t accept something I haven’t earned. It wouldn’t feel right.”
Her words made Kimberly feel embarrassed. Indeed, she was mocking her.
A few colleagues sitting at their desks were watching the scene. They lowered their heads and laughed.
Kimberly put down the roses unhappily and said, “Aurelia, I was just being nice. You’re being too mean to me. What man could put up with that?”
Aurelia walked past her back to her desk and said indifferently, “Oh, so what? Is there anything else? I still have work to do.”
Kimberly became furious and clenched the roses tightly. Her colleagues, who were trying to curry favor with her, quickly approached to comfort her.
“Kimberly, don’t take her words to heart. It’s not worth it.”
“Yeah, jealousy can really make a person look ugly.”
Hearing this, Kimberly felt pleased. She sat down while holding the bouquet of roses and said, “I’m fine.”
But as she watched Aurelia, who was focused on her work, her eyes were filled with malicious intent.
“Aurelia, don’t you dare compete with me! You just wait!” Kimberly thought.
At 5:00 pm, as usual, Aurelia listened to Millie’s gossip before clocking out.
“Aurelia, why don’t you seem worried at all? Kimberly has pulled some strings and gotten close to the boss of One Technology.”
“Don’t worry, he…” Aurelia paused. She couldn’t talk about lan’s sexual preference behind his back.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“No, I mean, no matter how many people Kimberly knows, if she can’t come up with a proposal, who would dare to collaborate with her? The boss isn’t a fool.”
“That’s true. I can’t stand Kimberly’s behavior anyway. It’s just 99 roses. What’s so special about it? When I find a boyfriend, I’ll ask him to give me 999 roses!” Millie said. Her eyes filled with longing.
“Are you crazy? You can’t eat them. Why spend so much money on flowers?” Aurelia exclaimed.
“I must outdo her!” Millie declared confidently.
“Alright, the car’s here, let’s go.” Aurelia was too lazy to indulge in daydreams with her.
Aurelia went to the hospital and consulted with the doctor to confirm her mother’s surgical plan. After exchanging a few words with the caregiver, she then returned home. Upon arriving home, she saw Leslie’s shoes at the door. Had he come back early today?
