'You'd be hard-pressed to find another person in this world as picky as him.' Abigail had not forgotten how finicky Xander had been about his food when she first started working for him. He would not eat anything too cold or too hot, nothing even slightly greasy, and nothing too bland. It had to be prepared precisely to his specifications. He had nearly driven the chef to the brink of despair. That being said, Xander did seem to have become less picky recently. 'Could it be that hanging around with the spice-loving CEO's wife has made him less fussy?' she wondered."Lost in thought?" Xander's mellifluous voice flowed gently into her ear."Just thinking about nothing in particular." Abigail tried to use the act of drinking water to mask her embarrassment, but she could not manage to twist the cap off after several tries. Xander took the bottle from her, effortlessly unscrewing the cap and handing it back to her. "Thank you, Mr. Zane!" After taking a few sips, her throat, parched from
Seeing Abigail's unwillingness to dine with him etched all over her face was a blow to him. 'Why is she so averse to spending time with me privately when I, Xander, haven't done anything wrong by her?' Xander thought it crucial to get to the bottom of this, or he would have to deal with her constantly evading him in the future.Before he could respond, Abigail stepped forward. "Mel, Mr. Zane is a busy man. He doesn't have time to dine with us."'Clearly, she doesn't want to dine with me, yet she sugarcoats her excuse so nobly.' Xander, who was originally planning to decline Melody's invitation, changed his mind in an instant. "Actually, I don't have much on my plate today. If Abigail doesn't mind, let's have dinner together."With him putting it that way, Abigail could not say she minded—not unless she wanted to lose her job. "I'd be more than pleased. Why would I mind, Mr. Zane?"Felix chimed in with a sour comment, "Abigail doesn't want to dine with you; she's being pressured by
Abigail asked, "So, you're suggesting I should agree to have dinner with him tonight?"Melody responded, "If we can dine at the place we've always wanted to go but never did because it was too expensive without spending a dime, why on earth would we decline?"Feeling like she had been hoodwinked by Melody, Abigail nevertheless agreed to have dinner with Xander. The Parlour was notorious for its exorbitant prices, yet it was never short of patrons. Reservations were mandatory, so Abigail had no choice but to use the Zane Corporation's VIP status to book a private dining room.With the restaurant reservation taken care of, Abigail had to continue with the property paperwork. Not knowing the procedures, she just did whatever the property management instructed. Unbeknownst to her, Xander had quietly joined her, taking the checklist from her hands. He scrutinized it meticulously, cross-checking every item the property management had provided."There's a missing access card here. You nee
Xander was at a loss, chain-smoking one cigarette after another, his mind becoming more perturbed and helpless with each drag. The more he wanted to make his marriage with Abigail work, the less he knew how to go about it. He was born into business, taught how to conduct it, and possessed a natural talent for it. Over the years, he had never had a failed business, leading many to hail him as a king in the business world. Yet, nobody had ever taught him how to manage a marriage, and he certainly was not a love genius. Faced with what many found an easy task – marriage – he felt like a clueless child, not knowing where to start.He tilted his head back slightly, gazing at the slowly rising moon in the sky, and a memory from many years ago surfaced in his mind.He could not recall how old he had been when the event occurred, but he remembered clearly walking in on his mother in bed with a man he did not recognize. He was too young at the time to understand the concept of betrayal or inf
His voice was not only pleasing to the ear, but the sincerity laced with a hint of helplessness and vulnerability was something Abigail had never seen in him before. As inexperienced in marriage as she was, she found herself wanting to help him."Mr. Zane," she said, "I personally believe the fact that you're even thinking about this is key to the success of your marriage.""Really?" Xander paused before asking, "Let me ask you: what do women expect from their husbands?""I can't speak for all women," she began, "But for me, I don't need my husband to be wealthy. He should be faithful, respect me, my family, my career, and make decisions with me. A married life is definitely something both partners need to work on together." From her perspective, Nathan had already met several of these conditions, which was why she was willing to give him a chance. When he had misunderstood her before, he was still willing to visit her sick grandmother, which showed his respect for elders.Hearing
While Felix and Melody were engaged in an animated debate, Abigail and Xander were unusually quiet. With a top-tier executive in the car, Abigail was entirely focused on driving, barely daring to glance aside.Xander, sitting in the front passenger seat, wanted to strike up a conversation a few times, but could not find a suitable topic. He knew all too well that if he wanted Abigail to engage, it had to relate to work; otherwise, she might brush him off with a polite decline to discuss personal matters. At times, he felt as if his role as the boss was subject to the whims of his assistant. With these thoughts, he shook his head helplessly. 'What could I do? After all, the name on my marriage certificate is Abigail.'Abigail noticed his gesture. "Mr. Zane, is something the matter?"Xander chuckled. "Just thought of something amusing."Abigail responded, "Oh."Xander asked, "Aren't you curious about what's so amusing?"Abigail asked, "May I ask?"Xander reassured her, "You can as
"This gal sure knows how to nurse a grudge. Just called her a little silly a couple times, and she's already ticked off." He chuckled. "If not a little silly, then what? Little smarty?"Abigail remained silent.Xander continued, "You're very intelligent, and you should believe in your own abilities. The Zane Corporation doesn't carry dead weight. You've climbed to your current position through your own hard work, which speaks volumes about your excellence. Don't ever doubt yourself because of anyone, including me, understand?""I understand."His words resonated with her. If she did not believe in her own capabilities, she would not have had the guts to bring up these issues. But his response surprised her once again. He never held back on praising his subordinates and acknowledging their capabilities, which was something only truly competent leaders could do. Unlike some company leaders who constantly belittled their subordinates, claiming they would be worthless without the compa
Malcolm tried to retort, but one icy glance from Xander had him promptly shutting up.Felix, who had just parked the car, approached. "Bullying women all day, what kind of man does that make you?"Melody looked Malcolm up and down with clear disdain. "Just because he looks like a man doesn't mean he acts like one."Her words were not damaging, but they were a massive insult. Malcolm was so enraged he could have swallowed Melody whole. "Xander, you heard that. They're ganging up on me. You can't keep siding with them."Xander replied, "Why is a grown man like you picking a fight with a girl?"Feeling defeated, Malcolm admitted he should act like a bigger person. "Alright, I'll listen to you. Why should I, a grown man, argue with a little girl? Wise men have said that petty men and women are hard to deal with. Why bother?"Melody shot back, "Who are you calling petty?"Malcolm smirked. "If the shoe fits.""You lousy male chauvinist. You're asking for it!"Furious, Melody lunged