Chapter 261: Membership Mysteries
After the meeting, Maya was handed several barbecue restaurant membership cards by Caleb. Each card was preloaded with funds, and the barbecue chain had numerous outlets across Stonebridge.
Confused, Maya couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Caleb, why are you giving me so many membership cards?”
Realizing her tone might have seemed off, she quickly adjusted, “I can’t accept these; it’s too much of an expense for you, Mr. Caleb.”
Caleb chuckled, “I didn’t spend a dime; these are bulk-purchased by the company for employee benefits or as small gifts for partners. They really don’t cost much; please feel free to accept them, Ms. Maya.”
Unwilling to accept something for nothing, especially a seemingly trivial gift, Maya tried to return them to Caleb. Despite her insistence, Caleb firmly refused to take them back. After several exchanges, she reluctantly accepted the cards.
Finally, Caleb reminded her, “Ms. Maya, just provide your phone number when you use them.”
That comment made Maya realize these cards weren’t part of a routine purchase; it seemed like Caleb had acquired them just that day. Having already agreed to accept them, trying to return them now would be impolite, so she kept them, albeit with lingering doubts, and headed back to her law firm.
That evening, she mentioned the incident to Ellis. He dismissed it nonchalantly, “Nexus Group loves handing out gifts to partners. Remember last Christmas? Our company got luxury items from them. I even received an Hermès bag: I’m sure I told you about it, didn’t I?”
“You never mentioned that.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Maya was certain Ellis had never brought it up.
“I must’ve forgotten to mention it, but it’s no big deal. Just enjoy those cards; they’re not worth much anyway.” Ellis seemed to imply the value of the membership cards was trivial compared to the Hermès bag he had received.
In the workplace, it wasn’t just about working diligently; understanding the nuances, including the conventional practices of gift-giving, was important, and it wasn’t wise to appear overly anxious about receiving gifts.
“Since you put it that way, I’ll keep them. Maybe I’ll take you out to eat with them sometime.” Maya thought, knowing her busy schedule might not always allow her to dine with Ellis. She decided to give him a couple of the cards.
Lying in bed, Ellis was too lazy to get up to accept them, gesturing for Maya to place the cards on the dresser.
As soon as Maya left his room, she experienced the real-life version of speaking of the devil; Morty, who hadn’t contacted her in a month, suddenly appeared in her WhatsApp messages.
“Just heard from your boss, you’re back in the country today?”
The message was surprisingly timely; she had only been back for half a day, and Morty was already in the know. It must have been Lois who told him. He hadn’t given up, had he? To reply or not?
After a moment’s thought, she decided against responding, but the next second, the screen showed the sender had retracted a message. Following that, Morty sent another message. “Sent that by mistake.”
Seeing the message, it was impossible to pretend she hadn’t. Morty’s actions left Maya with a big question mark. What was he playing at? Trying to capture her by letting go? No, that didn’t make sense. He had been gone for a month. She wasn’t going to play these games!
Chapter 261: Membership Mysteries
No matter what Morty tried, she wouldn’t change her mind. Ultimately, Maya chose to ignore Morty’s messages.
Whether Morty was playing games or not, she really wasn’t interested in love talks or entanglements with any man, especially since she had work the next day.
Perhaps subconsciously, she felt her return to Stonebridge wouldn’t be peaceful; she had a night filled with nightmares, which left her visibly tired the next morning.
Seeing her lackluster condition, Maya couldn’t help but ask, “Haven’t gotten over the jet lag?”
There was a significant time difference between Stonebridge and Averton, but Ellis had only been away for a month, which shouldn’t have been enough to cause major jet lag issues.
She shook her head and yawned several times, “Had nightmares.”
“By the way, are you still using a bodyguard when you go out?” Maya looked concerned about Ellis’s safety. “Did you renew the service?”
“I didn’t renew,” Ellis hesitated on whether to rehire a bodyguard, knowing her finances were tight; even a modestly competent bodyguard could cost a four-figure sum daily. Hiring a bodyguard for a prolonged period made her feel almost bankrupt.
The thought wasn’t just an illusion; it was a stark reality. Suddenly, her predicament seemed to resurface, and she rested her head in her hands in distress. Whether to go out or stay in was a dilemma.
Seeing Maya trying to think of solutions for herself, Ellis glanced at the briefcase in Maya’s hand and pointed towards the door, “You’re busier than I am, don’t worry about me; get to work.”
“Be careful! Keep your eyes and ears open when you’re alone, and call the police if something feels off,” Maya advised, still worried as she left for work.