Chapter 3

Everyone on our team sighed in relief now that our financial crisis had been subdued. Caroline arranged for a welcoming party on Cindy's first day of work to show her how much she was valued. The venue was upgraded from our usual karaoke club to the pricey Shangari-La Hotel. The eight of us reached on time and proceeded to await Cindy's arrival. Caroline ate a pastry while waiting for Cindy, feeling bored. "Cindy really does live a pampered life, having to go back and change into different clothes all for this." "She's our sugar mommy," I said truthfully. "Looks like we'll need to take care of her needs even though she's working for us." An uncomfortable feeling rose in my chest. Just then, there was a commotion outside the room. We looked over only to find Bruce and Cindy, the latter dressed in a pink satin dress and looking like a princess. Caroline said mockingly, "Looks like our actual sugar daddy is here." I didn't expect Bruce to come. I'd always thought he didn't like crowded events. He used to avoid all sorts of activities in university, even if the dean himself was present. Thus, he often gave off a distant and unsociable air. I'd even try to appease the dean whenever Bruce refused to show up. But now, it all seemed unnecessary of me. I downed my drink and walked over to Bruce and Cindy. "I'm so sorry. Bruce insisted on sending me over when he heard you guys were hosting a welcoming party," Cindy said sweetly. No one could possibly get upset at her with that tone. I said courteously, "Welcome, Mr. Harold. What an honor for us to have you join us." After all, most of the people who usually stood by Bruce were either from elite society or just plain rich. Caroline added, "What a coincidence! Nance initially wanted to extend an invitation to you, Mr. Harold, but she didn't because she was concerned that you might be busy." Caroline truly was silver-tongued. I smiled slightly but when Bruce shot me a questioning gaze, I felt guilty. I quickly signalled the host with my eyes, officially launching the welcome party. Caroline was indeed talented when it came to hyping the crowd up; the room was buzzing with excitement in an instant. She suggested we play charades, a game we always played during team bonding sessions. In the past, the seven of us—excluding Caroline as the judge—would divide ourselves into three groups of two each. Now, there was a need for another team with the addition of two people—Bruce and Cindy. You guessed it. Cindy made Bruce join the game too. She seemed eager to begin. When we were drawing lots to decide who would be grouped together, Bruce and I ended up being on the same team. Cindy was standing by my side when she saw this. Disappointment practically dripped off her face. To avoid conflict, I swapped our lots while no one was paying attention. Cindy looked at me in surprise before grinning. "You're amazing, Nance." You're welcome, I thought silently. Ensuring our company's sugar daddy enjoyed himself was our rightful duty, after all. The party went on into the night. When I saw that everyone had too much to drink, I had the waiter hand them glasses of hot water. When the waiter handed the water to Bruce, I stood a distance away, watching Cindy carefully wipe away the beads of sweat on his forehead. Bruce's eyes were half-shut as he leaned on the sofa. The top two buttons on his shirt had been undone, revealing his chiseled collarbone. He looked tired under the dim light. He was probably drunk. I turned around, not wanting to disturb them. "Cece," Bruce's raspy voice rang out from behind me. I stopped where I was, unable to move even an inch forward. Bruce then called out, "Don't go, baby." The word "baby" struck me like a lightning bolt, making my heart stutter. When I turned around to look at Bruce, I saw the look of shock on Cindy's voice. Curiously enough, our eyes met just then. I reminded her, "Mr. Harold is calling for you." That lovey-dovey tone of his was definitely not meant for me. Cindy was surprised for a moment before she pouted and tickled Bruce's nose. "The party isn't over yet, Bruce." Bruce opened his eyes and smiled in response, affirming my thoughts. Half an hour later, Bruce and Cindy finally left. Caroline elbowed me as we watched the Maybach disappear into the distance. She consoled me, "You did well today." I said half-jokingly, "Then maybe you should give me a bonus, Ms. Whittaker." Caroline rolled her eyes at me. "Bold of you to ask." Still, Caroline kindly dropped me off at my apartment and privately gave me the next day off. It was an adequate mental compensation in my eyes. But I didn't sleep very well that night. All I could think about was being held close in Bruce's arms like we did countless nights before. When we were deep in the throes of passion, he would grab my waist tighter and say teasingly, "Louder for me, baby." That was a side of Bruce no one else knew about. A possessive, lustful side, never to be shown to anyone else. I didn't end up sleeping that night. The next morning, I left the subway amidst the crowd of tightly packed people, only to notice that one of my wireless earbuds had gone missing. When I was feeling upset about it, I happened to notice a black Maybach parked a short distance away. Bruce was opening the front passenger seat door, clad in a suit and tie. Moments later, Cindy stepped out of the car dressed in a coral pink dress, looking youthful and sprightly. Bruce was personally dropping her off at work. Roeval Group was a great distance from our office, which meant Bruce, who wasn't a morning person, had to spend an extra hour getting ready. I felt bitter when I recalled how I used to wake him up and make him breakfast every morning. People really did treat one another so differently, huh. I was going to avoid Bruce and Cindy when Cindy's sweet voice rang out, "Good morning, Nancy!" I couldn't ignore them, so I walked over calmly instead. As I glanced at Bruce, I greeted politely, "Good morning Mr. Harold, Ms. Lane." Cindy said affectionately, "You can just call me Cindy, Nancy!" I hummed in assent, unsure of whether I should stay or just leave. Bruce didn't look like he was planning to leave, so I asked purposefully, "Are you here to perform an inspection, Mr. Harold?" Cindy giggled. "No, Nancy. Bruce was worried I might get lost and wouldn't be able to find your company, so he drove me here himself." It wasn't too far off from what I originally guessed. I continued courteously, "You're always welcome at our office, Mr. Harold." Bruce glanced at his watch before turning back to me and saying calmly, "Please lead the way, Ms. Fisher." Wait. Did he want me to bring them upstairs? Cindy grew excited upon hearing this. "Are you coming with us, Bruce?" Bruce smiled faintly. "Mhm. I want to check out your working environment." So not only did Bruce want Cindy to reap our hard work, he was also concerned about her office environment.