Retail Therapy at Sea

The girl looked quite young; was she fresh out of school? Could this be her celebratory graduation trip? The girl briefly occupied Maxwell’s thoughts for a few seconds before he refocused entirely on his work.

The cruise had assigned various levels of access to its guests, and the dining area Maxwell had entered was reserved for the highest tier. Suddenly, he noticed a group of staff members busily attending to something. This busyness didn’t seem to be for all the guests, but rather for someone special.

Catching his puzzled look, Cleveland quickly explained, “Mr. Maxwell, they are preparing for the guest I mentioned to you.”

“What’s the guest’s status?”

“Not sure,” Cleveland admitted.

Maxwell didn’t press further. Everyone had a different definition of being lavish. True lavishness meant not having to share a cruise with other guests; one could simply buy their own.

Initially, he had a fleeting thought—if the guest was indeed wealthy or from high society, it might be worth making an acquaintance to expand his own network of contacts. Having spent years abroad, his domestic connections, reliant on his family, occasionally fell short. Building on his family’s foundation with his own exclusive contacts could aid in smoothly taking over the family business.

Now, it seemed pointless to meet the guest. Perhaps the person didn’t have much money after all and was just trying to squeeze into high society, potentially expecting Maxwell to facilitate their entry.

Without further inquiry from his superior, Cleveland wondered if his capabilities were being doubted. He added, “From what I understand, the guest is married. Her husband is second-generation wealthy, and he spent extra to make her happy.”

“Married?” Maxwell repeated nonchalantly, then shifted the conversation back to work matters.

Pleasing one’s wife is not uncommon for the second-generation wealthy, but it was rare to see such behind-the-scenes efforts where the wife seems unaware. Whether the husband was genuinely wealthy was also up for debate. Being from a wealthy background himself, Maxwell knew how to distinguish the pretenders from the real deal.

The cruise was incredibly stable; despite traveling on the sea, it was so smooth that Ellis couldn’t feel any movement. After a nap, she propped herself up with a pillow and decided to check her phone and handle some work before getting up.

Due to her sudden leave of absence, her colleagues often reached out with questions. Although she didn’t feel like replying, the finance department had informed her that she was on paid leave, and the company continued to pay her, so she felt obligated to respond.

Chipler #23 Betall Therapy at Hen

Lok had been generous more than once, and this time seemed excessive for her worth. She had a strong hunch that it wasn’t just because she was the former Mrs. Hudson that Lois was so generous: someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes.

Is it Easton, or Morty? Honestly, she leaned towards Morty. Easton, focused solely on his own feelings, would hardly care about her work benefits. If he got upset, it was a good day if she didn’t end up out in the cold.

If it was Morty, she mentally counted the favors she owed him, growing increasingly concerned about how to repay them. She had told Morty countless times that she would never fall for him. He should stop doing things that moved himself but not her. Even if touched, such feelings couldn’t turn into affection.

At night, the sea lost its daytime azure, turning into a seemingly endless black void that could swallow everything, evoking an instinctual fear and a desire to flee. Ellis got up from her bed, intending to enjoy the sea breeze, but the sight of the unending darkness ahead quickly sent her back to her bed to check what entertainment options the cruise offered.

After some searching, she discovered that the ship had it all—dining, drinking, playing, and entertainment were all available. Recalling what the crew member who escorted her aboard had said, Ellis changed out of her pajamas, had dinner in the restaurant, and then visited the ship’s mall. Every store in the mall was a high-end brand, cheaper than on land but still pricey.

Suddenly, she wondered if all her expenses on the cruise were really covered by the travel company. Maybe I should clarify first?

Just as she hesitated whether to go back to her room for the staff member’s business card to contact them, a store clerk seemingly noticed her dilemma and approached her, “Hello, are you Ms. Harper?”

Ellis was slightly surprised, “You know me?”

The clerk smiled warmly, “Your information was shared in our work group. We know this trip has a lucky guest, and that’s you.”

It had to be said; the travel company’s service was indeed very thoughtful.