CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39 A PRICEY DATE

"Coward!" Mary retorted. She then bounced off towards the interior of the building, arriving at the CEO’s office door and pushing it open without so much as a knock. "Bro, I’m coming in!"

At that moment, Edward was engrossed in reviewing some documents. Upon seeing Mary, he frowned, "Mary, how many times must I remind you to knock before entering?"

"I forgot!" She replied nonchalantly. "Bro, look who’s here!"

She ushered me in, and upon seeing me, Edward’s stern face broke into a warm smile. Rising from his seat, he greeted me, "William, you’re here. Why didn’t you inform me in advance so I could give you a proper welcome?"

"Edward, you’re too kind," I responded.

"Bro, William is here to pick me up," Mary chimed in.

"To pick you up?" Edward echoed, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"That’s right, Edward. Conversations over the phone can never match the fluidity of face-to-face discussions, so..."

"I see," Edward replied, his smile returning. "Finally, you’ve put your brother’s mind at ease."

Mary responded, "Alright. I just came to inform you that I won’t be returning to the office for lunch."

Edward nodded in understanding, "William, I entrust her to your care."

"Oh, and William," Edward called out as I was about to leave. "There’s a gathering tonight, would you care to join me?"

A gathering?

"Of course, he’ll go," Mary answered on my behalf.

"Always the chatterbox," Edward muttered, shooting a playful glare at Mary before turning to me. "It’s a gathering of some close friends. I’d be delighted to introduce you to them."

"Thank you, Edward," I replied, a hint of excitement creeping into my voice.

"Tonight, you’ll return with Mary," he added.

As I left the Walker Company, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of exhilaration. Edward’s friends were undoubtedly company CEOs. He was extending a helping hand, and I was fully aware of it.

The magnitude of this favor was immense.

Perhaps even the CEO of Marquesa Vines company would be present. I had been pondering over how to establish contact with him.

"You’ll be driving," Mary announced, handing me the keys to her Mini Cooper. I was slightly taken aback. Her family was incredibly wealthy, yet Mary drove a car worth merely forty or fifty thousand dollars?

As she settled into the passenger seat, she advised, "You must seize the opportunity tonight. My brother has never invited anyone to these gatherings before. His circle of friends is quite influential; you’ll definitely find them useful in the future."

I made a mental note of her words and asked, "Where are we headed?"

"The pedestrian street," she declared.

"And what exactly are we doing there?" I inquired.

"Shopping, of course!" she responded with a grin.

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the bustling pedestrian street.

Sevan, being a coastal port city, boasted a strong consumer market and high prices.

The Sevan pedestrian street was a hub for luxury brands from across the globe, a veritable paradise for the wealthy!

As we strolled hand in hand, we blended in perfectly with the other couples out shopping. Upon entering a Versace store, she remarked, "You can’t possibly attend the gathering tonight in your current attire. Those people are quite discerning. Versace clothes are stylish and reasonably priced. Plus, with your physique, you’ll look quite handsome."

Versace, reasonably priced? What a ludicrous notion. A T-shirt costing two hundred dollars—was that what ordinary people wore daily?

As soon as we stepped into the store, a sales clerk approached us but stopped midway, the smile on her face fading.

Damn it, what was she insinuating? Did she look down on me, seeing me in my work attire? A knot of discomfort twisted in my gut. It was a common enough experience, but it didn’t make it any less unpleasant when it was happening to you.

Mary, seemingly oblivious to my internal struggle, gestured towards the clothes on the rack. "Take down this one, this one, and these two to try on..."

The reluctance was clear on the faces of the two clerks.

"What’s wrong?" Mary asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I said to take down these clothes."

The clerk pursed her lips. As an employee of the internationally renowned luxury brand Versace, she was well-trained. Despite her reluctance, she still complied with the customer’s request.

However, she couldn’t resist muttering under her breath, "What a hassle. You can’t afford it, why bother trying?"

Mary heard her, despite the clerk’s attempt to keep her voice low. Instead of getting angry, she simply took my hand and led me towards the clothes. "William, go try these on."

I thought to myself, they’re just clothes. If it came to it, I could empty my savings. I could even request an advance on my forty thousand dollar commission. Soon, I would be wealthy too.

I nodded and took two sets of clothes into the fitting room. When I was sure no one was looking, I checked the price tags: the cheaper ones were over five hundred dollars, and the expensive ones were over a thousand.

Two sets of clothes, over five thousand dollars!

That was my entire year’s living expenses.

With a heavy heart, I tried on the clothes and stepped out. Mary nodded approvingly. "Nice, really handsome."

I managed a smile that was more grimace than grin. The clothes were expensive, but seeing the handsome reflection in the mirror was somewhat comforting.

They were costly, but they fit well and were comfortable.

"Let’s take these two sets, wrap them up!" Mary declared.

Her words felt like a punch to the gut.

The clerk was also taken aback. "Miss, you want both sets wrapped up?"

"Wait, we’re missing something." Her gaze swept through the store, finally landing on a leather wallet to the left. "And that one, wrap it up for me, too!"

The clerk was stunned. "Miss, that wallet costs two thousand dollars. Are you sure?"

What?

Two thousand dollars?

Was it made of gold?

With only five thousand dollars in my pocket, adding this wallet, I’d have to use my credit card.

"Mary, that wallet, maybe we should just..."

"It really suits your style." She interrupted, pushing the wallet into my hands. "You look even more handsome with it."

I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth.

Just as I was about to pay with my card, Mary slapped a gold card down in front of the clerk. "Charge it!"

I was stunned. Was Mary planning to pay for me?

I hurried over to stop her. "Mary, how can I possibly..."

"Oh come on, it’s our first date. What’s wrong with me giving you a gift?" She cut me off.

[Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!]