Chapter 5

Abigail thought her boss didn't seem like the type to buy cheap things, but she also knew that what she wanted to buy wasn't something expensive. After weighing her options, Abigail decided to prioritize her boss's needs and escorted him into a luxury department store. As Abigail followed Xander from behind, she noticed that he didn't seem interested in browsing any of the shops. She thought that if he kept aimlessly wandering around, he might not end up buying anything. Abigail picked up her pace and caught up with Xander. "Mr. Zane, would you like to check out the stores?" Xander nodded and headed toward the nearest store. When they reached the entrance, a store employee stopped them. "Excuse me, sir. Please line up over there." Abigail thought to herself, 'Someone of Xander's status probably has high-end luxury brands catering to him at his doorstep, and he may not even be aware that regular customers have to queue for a bag.' Therefore, she quickly brought out the company's VVIP card. As soon as the staff saw it, her attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. She led them to the VIP lounge and treated them like royalty. She offered them bags that were so exclusive, even regular customers couldn't book them for months. "Please, Sir and Madam, feel free to choose," she said graciously. When Abigail heard this, she was so embarrassed she could have crawled under a rock. "He's my boss." Xander also frowned. He had been back home for over two weeks, but he still hadn't had the chance to see his wife. He didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, so he rarely bothered to explain himself. "She's just helping me pick out a gift for my wife." "I'm sorry!" The staff member who dealt with customers every day, knew better than to make such a simple mistake. But seeing Abigail and Xander sitting together like a perfectly matched couple in a painting, looking great together with their matching temperament, made her inexplicably assume they were married. Xander was clueless about women's bag preferences. He thought, 'Why not just buy them all? There's bound to be one she will like.' So he said, "I'll take all of them.' The total cost of the four bags came up to over thirty thousand dollars. Later, Abigail accompanied him to a fancy jewelry store, and the salesperson took them straight to the Valentine's Day collection "Sir, this necklace is our special edition for Valentine's Day. It will make your wife look stunning," she said. Xander said, "Hmm, I'll take it." The salesperson liked straightforward customers like him and smiled at Abigail. "Ma'am, would you like to try it on?" "He's my boss," Abigail explained patiently, though she was cursing inside. She thought, 'Do these salespeople have any sense? Have I given off any signals that would suggest that Mr. Zane and I are anything more than just a boss and his assistant? I know my place and I always tread carefully around Mr. Zane. I can't afford to mess up and lose this well-paying job. So, there's no way I'd ever act like I'm interested in becoming Mrs. Zane.' Abigail gazed at Xander, but he remained silent and stoic, although she could sense his displeasure. In the end, Xander picked out two necklaces that totaled tens of thousands of dollars. While Abigail helped him with the credit card transaction, her heart sank. She had been working relentlessly day and night, but still hadn't saved enough for a house down payment. Meanwhile, Xander's splurges on multiple bags and jewelry items amounted to more than her accumulated savings in the past few years. She reminded herself, 'Comparison steals your happiness.' After packing up the items, Abigail naturally took responsibility for carrying them, since the other assistant Keith was still looking for a parking spot. As they left the mall, Xander asked coldly, "Haven't you made your purchases yet?" Abigail pointed to the left front and said, "The things I want to buy are not in this mall. We'll have to walk a few hundred meters that way." "Lead the way," Xander said, taking big strides and walking ahead. Abigail was struggling to carry two big bags, filled with small bags and jewelry boxes. However, the packaging was way bigger than the items themselves, making it a bit of a challenge. She looked like a Christmas tree adorned with lots of gifts, which was amusing. As she struggled to keep up with Xander's long strides, it became apparent that she was having a hard time. After the salesperson mistook Abigail for Xander's wife, he became distant. Abigail assumed he was worried about being mistaken again, or maybe he was afraid that she had feelings for him. Abigail appreciated Xander's awareness as a married man. After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at their destination. It was a gift shop that Melody had been wanting to check out for a long time. She wanted to buy a teddy bear from there, but she never had the chance to visit Valtara. Abigail ran after Xander and said, "Mr. Zane, the things I want to buy are inside." Xander nodded and said, "I'll wait for you outside." Abigail didn't want to keep the CEO waiting for too long, so she decided to buy Melody's gift first. She also planned to pick out a few items she liked for herself. But when Abigail saw all the cute little things, her girly instincts kicked in and she started meticulously picking out each item. Xander, on the other hand, didn't have much patience for waiting around for anyone. He was only there to return the favor to Abigail for helping pick out gifts for his wife. Standing on the sidewalk, he lit up a cigarette and took a few puffs. Through the thin smoke and the glass windows, he saw Abigail picking out accessories. He thought to himself, 'Do all girls like these little trinkets? I wonder if my wife would like them too?' Before he knew it, Xander found himself inside the store, holding a fluffy plush toy, trying to envision what his wife would look like holding it. However, he couldn't quite remember what his wife looked like. He only had a vague memory of her having a clear and fair complexion. When he caught a glimpse of Abigail, her face blended into his wife's in his mind. He quickly pushed the absurd thought away from his mind. Xander had never paid much attention to a woman's appearance. He tended to forget many faces easily. He thought that he had subconsciously imagined Abigail's face when he thought of his wife because Abigail was always around him. Abigail noticed Xander and said, "Mr. Zane, do you want to buy a plush toy for your wife?" Xander replied, "I don't know if she'll like it." Abigail smiled and said, "Mr. Zane, it's not the gift itself that women care about, but the thought behind it. You clearly care deeply about your wife, so anything you give her will bring her joy and happiness." "Really?" But he couldn't shake the thought that his wife hadn't even saved his phone number, so how could she possibly like anything he bought for her. Xander thought for a moment, 'I left her right after we got married and didn't even contact her for a year. But now I want to bring her back home with just one phone call. It's not going to be that easy though. I should buy her some more gifts and personally go pick her up...' He then said, "I'll choose some." Xander did his best to choose thoughtful gifts, but he was at a loss when it came to what young women liked. He turned to Abigail and said, "Just buy whatever girls are into these days." Abigail was at a loss for words. She knew Xander had no shortage of money. Even if he bought out the entire store, it would just be a matter of words. But as his assistant, she had to rein him in. Despite her gentle suggestions to buy less, Xander insisted on purchasing numerous items. As a result, Abigail had to buy an extra suitcase just to hold all the gifts Xander had bought for his wife. These were all gifts that her boss had purchased for his wife, and they had to be handled with utmost care during transit to avoid any scratches or damage.