The atmosphere at the table grew tense again.The waitress wasn't sure whether to pack the leftovers or not. She didn't understand the foreign language Ellen spoke. Even so, she could roughly guess what Ellen and Rebecca were arguing about.Luckily, Rebecca wasn't one to surrender after getting yelled at. She stood her ground and smiled at the waitress. "Please pack it, still. Sorry for scaring you."The waitress shook her head, then smiled at Rebecca before lowering her head to resume her task.After that, Rebecca looked into Ellen's angry blue eyes and sighed. "I didn't ask you to finish the leftovers. I'll eat it by myself tomorrow if you don't want it. That was my plan. Now, let's move on to whether or not we should help others. "Economically, it's your responsibility and duty to aid public welfare. Of course, it's not compulsory. So, nobody will say anything if you can't afford to help the less fortunate. After all, not everyone knows you."I, on the other hand, received yo
Rebecca froze while she picked out a dress. She didn't understand why David had asked her that, so she frowned. "I like both. Is there a need to compare the two?""What if I insist that you pick one?" David stared her down like a wolf focused on its prey.That was also when another burst of fireworks went off at the end of the street. Vibrant speckles of light bloomed in the sky.It happened fleetingly. The fireworks flashed, then dissipated almost immediately. It left a moment of awe in the watching crowd before it fell to the ground like dust.Rebecca didn't rush to answer David. Instead, she waited until the fireworks stopped before voicing, "Although the fireworks are pretty, they don't last. If I had to choose, I'd probably go for this lively street filled with dazzling curiosities. "It'd take about two hours to walk down the entire street, and I'd get to buy things I like. Based on that, this street is worth much more.""Do you genuinely feel that way, Becca?" Her response
It was a stylishly woven straw hat that would suit many outfits. She could wear the hat to the beach or when sightseeing in Fairport. It was necessary to have a hat during the current weather.Rebecca immediately fell in love with it. Even her eyes twinkled. Yet, she wasn't sure if it was right to accept the gift, so she waved the man off. "It's okay, mister. You can sell it to us for its original price.""That won't do. I'm giving it to you because fate has made us cross paths again. If I sell it to you, our chance encounter today won't feel as meaningful. Don't you agree, kid?" the man refused. He grinned at David before patting his shoulder."I met you four years ago, and here we are four years later. I hope you two last a long time. This hat is the same kind from four years ago. We only have one in our shop. I'm giving it to you two. Consider it a present from a kindred soul."That pleased David. He initially hit the unknown man, who had interrupted his day with Rebecca, with a
Sam and Alex studied Rebecca's recent work in Fairport back at the Johnson residence. They had overhead some helpful information during dinner earlier. On top of that, they were also able to analyze data from the photos of that day's Golden Tiger Film Festival Awards.They soon concluded that Rebecca had attended the Golden Tiger Film Festival Awards because the organizer invited her. Yet, she was forced to leave because the psychopath, David, didn't allow her to go.Soon enough, Caleb found out why Rebecca received an invite. The event was in collaboration with a magazine that provided accessories to celebrities. The magazine had also set up an exhibition hall that accompanied the event.Not only had they showcased Rebecca's design samples, they also showed off clothing and jewelry from other designers. Of course, it also featured creations from other artists. It was an exhibition where celebrities could try on the design samples for photo opportunities. The exhibition took place
Rebecca received a collaboration invite from GN Jewelries. The email came the next day when most office workers would've gone to work. She washed up, came downstairs for breakfast, and clicked into her inbox. The email's contents surprised her so much that her eyes widened before she could bite into her toast. She couldn't help exclaiming mentally, "Holy shit!"Rebecca was an unknown designer who had just started joining design competitions. She couldn't believe a company was approaching me for a collaboration deal. So, she wondered if the opportunity had come because they were now in a big city.She wasn't sure if this was because of yesterday's Golden Tiger Film Festival Awards or if the email was a scam.Because she didn't know what it was, she couldn't eat her breakfast in peace. She held the slice of toast in her mouth while researching the company's history.GN Jewelries started as part of a company from Riverwood. Four years ago, they opened a branch in Fairport.The pare
David's eyebrows narrowed, surprised at how ridiculous he was being. Rebecca had already crossed paths with Daniel and the Johnson brothers. Yet, the men dared not do anything. So, why was David so afraid? After a self-deprecating laugh, he looked up into Rebecca's eyes. "When are you going? I'll drive you there."He wanted to see if Daniel and the Johnsons could refrain from making a move. After all, he shouldn't be the nervous one in that situation.Rebecca wasn't expecting him to agree without a fight. Her eyes widened in shock. "You'll drive me there? Really?"What? Don't you want me to?" David glanced up at her with an unreadable expression.Rebecca shook her head. "No, I'm just shocked. I didn't think you'd agree."A soft chuckle tumbled from David's lips. "Would you stay home if I disagreed?"Rebecca had snuck out to the award event on the first day after landing in Fairport. She didn't even say anything to David before leaving. Rebecca did all that just to look at her
Rebecca chuckled too. Her eyes left the contract briefly as she held her chin and pondered. "People like you might have nothing on their phones except for essential work-related apps. You'd probably look at stock market trends or the news and have no interest in the gossip column."Daniel chuckled upon hearing her accurate description. He couldn't help his deepening smile. As she said, he didn't have any other apps except those he used for work. Even his personal phone only had the necessary apps for communication purposes. The other app he had was for reading the news, but he didn't care about entertainment or gossip columns. Otherwise, Jessica wouldn't have fooled and kept him in the dark for so long. He had a disinterest and lack of attention to social affairs, so he only focused on company matters and ignored everything else.That habit stayed the same even now.However, last night, he was so happy to see Rebecca that he reacted in the spur of the moment. He asked someone
Daniel altered the initially fixed salary inclusive of performance bonuses into a profit-sharing arrangement. He offered Rebecca ten per cent of the profits.In simple terms, for every design she created, she would receive an additional ten per cent bonus on top of her regular salary, which was calculated after deducting operational costs from sales.This generous incentive was undoubtedly substantial if Rebecca had confidence in her work.Even if the designs didn't perform well, her base salary would still provide financial security.However, Rebecca couldn't help but feel like she might be taking advantage of the situation and felt somewhat self-conscious. She asked, "Would this adjustment potentially lead to losses for your company?"Daniel couldn't suppress his smile. "Ms. Sylvia, do you know how your current attitude might be described in the words of poets?"Rebecca blinked, appearing puzzled. "How?"Her innocent and clueless expression only heightened Daniel's amusement.