Chapter 5

It was apparent that the CEO was not in for a bargain, but Lianne was not going to get anything too expensive. After weighing the two options, Lianne put her boss first and took him to the luxury goods department. Lianne watched as Zane walked ahead. The man did not stop to check out any shops. At that rate, Zane would most likely not get anything from aimlessly wandering around. She hastened her speed and caught up to him. “Mr. Atlas, do you want to go into a shop for a look?” Zane nodded his head and proceeded to the nearest shop. A shop assistant stopped him at the entrance. “Sir, please line up there.” For a person of status like Zane, luxury designer brands offered door-to-door service. Zane would have no idea that there was a line to buy handbags. Lianne immediately presented the corporate VVIP card, which prompted an attitude change in the shop assistant. The shop assistant immediately showed them to the VIP lounge. The staff receiving the VVIPs gave the pair royal treatment, bringing out the handbags that regular customers had placed orders on for months. “Feel free to browse, sir and missus.” The form of address put Lianne in an awkward spot. “He’s my boss.” Zane frowned. Although it had been two weeks since his return from abroad, and he had not yet seen his wife, Zane did not want others to get the wrong idea. For once, he explained, “She’s here to help me pick a gift for my wife.” “Sorry.” The staff dealt with people from all walks of life every day. By right, the staff should not commit such a simple mistake. However, the pair looked good together. Somehow, their energy matched, making the staff believe they must be a married couple. Since Zane had no idea about the styles of handbags girls were into, he bought whatever was laid out. His wife would find one that she liked for sure. “I’ll take these.” The four bags came to more than three hundred thousand dollars. Later, Lianne followed Zane to a big-name jewelry store. The sales assistant led them to the Valentine’s Day counter. “This necklace is our Valentine’s Day special. Your wife would definitely look good in it.” Zane replied, “Okay. I’ll take it.” The sales assistant loved to work with decisive customers. She looked at Lianne with a smile. “Missus, do you want to try it on?” “He’s my boss,” Lianne patiently explained, but deep inside, she was yelling. Did the sales assistants have problems with their eyes? Had she behaved inappropriately toward Zane and crossed the boundaries between a subordinate and superior? Lianne was an assistant at her boss’ beck and call. She was cautious in her CEO’s presence, just in case she made a mistake on the job and lost her high-paying job. Lianne did not carry herself like a CEO’s wife. She turned to Zane. Although Zane did not clear the air, and his expression remained unchanged, Lianne picked up on his annoyance. In the end, Zane chose two necklaces. That was another several hundred thousand dollars gone. Lianne swiped the card to make payment, feeling a great deal of distress. She worked tirelessly day and night to make money. Still, Lianne did not have enough to cover the down payment for a house. Zane’s purchase of a few bags and several jewelry pieces was a lot more than her savings from the last few years. Comparison was a thief of joy. Once the items were packed and wrapped, Lianne was responsible for carrying the shopping bags as Liam still had not found a parking spot. Out of the mall, Zane took large strides ahead and callously asked, “Did you get any of your stuff?” Lianne pointed to the left. “The stuff I want to get is not in this mall. It’s several hundred meters in that direction.” “Lead the way,” Zane said but walked on in the front anyway. While the handbags and jewelry pieces were not large items, the gift boxes were huge in size. With Lianne carrying two shopping bags in each hand, she looked like a Christmas tree. Not only was it a grueling task for her, but she also looked hilarious. Besides, Zane’s legs went for miles, so he ditched her far behind in no time. Since the sales assistants mistook their relationship, Lianne got a feeling that the CEO intended to keep her at arm’s length. Maybe he did not want to give people the wrong idea, or perhaps she might get ideas about him due to the other’s wrong perception, but Lianne appreciated that Zane was consciously aware of his marital status. After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at Lianne’s destination. It was a boutique of a certain brand. Sierra had wanted a teddy bear from the boutique for a long time but had not had time to make the trip to Montclaire. Lianne quickly kept up with Zane’s pace. “Mr. Atlas, the stuff I want to get is in there.” Zane nodded his head. “I’ll wait for you outside.” Since Lianne did not want to keep the CEO waiting, she decided to get the gift for Sierra and quickly pick a few accessories that caught her eye. Nevertheless, Lianne could not walk away when her gaze fell on the cute little things. With her inner girl kicking in, she took her time to pick the accessories. Zane had better things to do than wait for people. Nevertheless, he did so to return the favor to Lianne for picking out gifts for his wife. Standing by the road, Zane lit a cigarette and took puffs. Amid the cloud of tobacco, he looked at the girl busy picking out accessories through the display window. Lianne had not been happy to be in the luxury designer shop just now. However, her eyes were sparkling now as if she had found treasure. Were girls into this sort of stuff? Would his wife like them too? Before he knew it, Zane wandered into the shop and picked up a fluffy plushie. He tried to imagine his wife holding the plushie. Alas, Zane could not remember what his wife looked like. Buried deep in his memory, all Zane could make out was her fair and supple face. He looked at Lianne as both faces merged into one in his mind. Nevertheless, Zane quickly erased the ridiculous thought from his mind. Since he never paid much attention to women’s appearances, many faces were forgotten right after he met them. Lianne’s face substituted for his wife when he thought about his wife, likely because Lianne was with him every day. Lianne spotted Zane. “Mr. Atlas, are you getting a plushie for your wife?” Zane answered, “I don’t know if she’ll like it.” Lianne smiled. “It’s not about the present for most girls. It’s the thought that counts, Mr. Atlas. Your wife will love anything you get her since it came from the heart.” “Really?” His wife did not even save his phone number, so Zane doubted she would love his gifts for her. After giving it some serious thought, Zane realized he had left his wife right after getting married for a whole year. It would take more than a phone call to bring her home. He should get his wife more gifts and visit in person to bring her back… Zane said, “I’ll pick a few.” He put a lot of effort into selecting the accessories but was unsure about the preferences of young girls. He said to Lianne, “Just buy anything girls like.” Lianne had no words. She knew that money was no object to Zane. In fact, he could buy the whole store at the drop of a hat, much less a few accessories. However, as his assistant, Lianne had a responsibility to help Zane spend his money wisely. Despite Lianne’s subtle advice to cut back on his spending, Zane picked a lot of stuff. So much so that Lianne had to purchase a suitcase to fit all the gifts the CEO bought for his wife. The CEO’s presents for his wife had to be handled with utmost care.