Chapter 10

I stared at Bruce's profile picture and found myself lost in thought. Initially, I had intended to ignore this friend request. However, Bruce still held a significant role as our investor. It would be petty of me to ignore his friend request if he merely wanted to discuss business matters. After careful consideration, I accepted his friend request. Within seconds, an unexpected transfer notification appeared in the chat box. It was a total of 20 thousand dollars. What was he thinking, sending money in the middle of the night? I replied with a single question mark. A voice message then popped up, saying "compensation.“ Instantly, his kiss from last night flashed in my mind. As an investment mogul, Bruce was indeed generous. I didn't hesitate much and accepted the payment. Who would decline such an offering? Bruce might even feel uneasy if I hadn't accepted his money. After receiving the payment, I contemplated whether to say thanks. However, given our current situation, any conversation felt inappropriate. In the end, I said nothing. … The next morning, I went to the company as usual. I couldn't shake the feeling that Cindy was casting occasional glances in my direction, as if she were probing something. It made me quite uneasy. After lunch break, Cindy approached me and asked, "Nance, could I take half a day off?" I sighed in relief. She just wanted time off, after all. Before I could speak, she continued, "Bruce's mom invited me for afternoon tea, and I couldn't refuse." She then lowered her head with a helpless expression. She didn't have to explain in such detail. I replied without hesitation, "Don't worry, just go ahead. You can just leave work directly if necessary. " She looked up with trembling eyelashes and said, " Nance, you're so considerate." I couldn't bring myself to tell her that it was just for the sake of money. Besides, I had already completed her tasks, so there would be no delay in our work progress. I thought my arrangements were reasonable, but shortly after, I received a call from Kate. "Nancy, I trusted you so much, yet you've kept things from me!" Kate's questioning tone, coupled with her loud voice, conveyed her anger through the phone. Puzzled, I asked, "What's wrong?" "Why didn't you tell me about Cindy working in your studio?" She then angrily questioned, "Are you and Bruce trying to deceive me?" Though I had anticipated this, Kate's interrogation still stung. In a daze, I recalled Cindy's timid apology. I rubbed my temples and said, "Hold on, Kate, I'll come over now." Such matters couldn't be explained easily over the phone with just a few words. 15 minutes later, I arrived at the café where Kate and Cindy were. From a distance, I saw Cindy face Kate with her head lowered, and her eyes were filled with tears. Kate, on the other hand, had a stern and angry expression. The scene was far from harmonious. "Kate," I sat down and pushed aside Kate's coffee. I ordered her a juice with less sugar instead. Considering her heart condition, it was best to avoid coffee. Seeing my actions, Kate's anger subsided. She continued, "Bruce is muddle-headed, and you're joining the chaos too. How could you agree to have such a person under your nose?" After speaking, she shifted her gaze to Cindy. Cindy's face turned pale, and she bit her lip tightly. I sighed and replied, "Kate, it was wrong of us to hide it from you. But Ms. Lane was just following Mr. Harold's arrangements; she didn't do anything wrong." Kate looked at me incredulously and asked, "Don't you feel disgusted?" I forced a smile and said, "Mr. Harold is generous, and I couldn't thank him more." Before I could finish my words, Cindy suddenly stood up. She looked behind me and stammered, "B-Bruce..." Tears welled up in her eyes. Bruce then swiftly walked over to stand protectively beside Cindy. "What did you both say to her?" He demanded sharply. He used the word "both", which included me as well. When Bruce spoke, the veins on his forehead became visible. Obviously, he was enraged. It was rare for Bruce to lose his temper as he was usually composed, especially in front of his mother. If my memory served me right, they had never quarreled before. Yet now, Bruce's tone carried a sharp edge—all for Cindy's sake. Kate seemed taken aback by the turn of events. She pointed at Bruce and exclaimed, "Who am I doing this for?" before storming out of the café. While I was about to follow Kate, I heard Bruce say, " Are you hurrying to ingratiate yourself?" I immediately halted my steps as I was dumbfounded. Cindy then spoke up, "Bruce, you've misunderstood. It has nothing to do with Nance. It was my fault for letting it slip." Bruce then glanced at me, seemingly doubtful. It was my mistake. I should have stayed out of this. After a while, I heard my voice say, "I'll return to the company first." "Nance, let Bruce send you back." I smiled and declined, "It's fine; it's not on the way." Back at the office, I grew increasingly uneasy. After today's incident, I doubted I could keep my identity as Bruce's ex a secret. His favoritism toward Cindy gave me a bad feeling. My thoughts were interrupted by another transfer notification from Bruce. This time, he transferred me another ten thousand dollars. I stared at the tempting digits and smiled unnaturally. Should I scold him for being reckless or commend him for being generous? Before I could decide, a message appeared: "You've worked hard; this is your compensation." The message was devoid of emotion. I accepted the payment readily and pondered whether this may be a new avenue to earn money. But I quickly dismissed the idea. After all, Bruce—a financial genius—was naturally adept at handling money. Could I take advantage of him so easily? After some contemplation, I deleted Bruce from my friend list. Looking at the balance on my phone, my frustration eased. Before leaving work, David approached me and asked, "Nance, what time are you leaving the day after tomorrow?" I was puzzled, "Leaving for where?" "For Douglas' birthday party," David finished his words and realized something was amiss. He exclaimed, "He hasn't told you yet?" Douglas hadn't mentioned it to me, but it was understandable as we weren't particularly close. However, David's words gave me the idea to repay Douglas. I browsed an online shopping application but couldn't find a suitable gift. Suddenly, I remembered that Douglas was into photography during his college days. Thus, I decided to visit a shopping mall during lunchtime the next day. … The next day arrived quickly. I browsed through a camera store's display but could not decide on a gift easily. A sales assistant then approached me. "Hello. Is there anything you're looking for?" I answered earnestly, "It's a gift for a guy." The sales assistant responded with an understanding expression. She pointed to a vintage-style SLR camera. "This vintage camera offers great value for money. You may take a look." The price was 2,800 dollars. I thought it was a suitable gift and asked her to wrap it up for me. "Your boyfriend is so lucky to have such a thoughtful girlfriend. He'll be very happy when he receives the gift." I didn't respond and silently thought that I should be more mindful of price tags when receiving gifts in the future. Fortunately, Bruce's transfers came in handy. Otherwise, I might not have fared well. As I sighed, a familiar sweet voice sounded beside me, "Nance, what a coincidence!" Following the sound, I couldn't help but frown. Bruce and Cindy were standing just a couple of steps away. Indeed, it was quite a coincidence.