Zayne seized the opportunity to impress Franklin. "Mr. Saunders, I had no idea you knew Mr. Lewis! You should have seen the owner of Glamorous Designs' face when I paid him! He was so scared he almost knelt! It was incredibly satisfying!"

Franklin had never been treated with such respect. Zayne shamelessly gloated, "Just let me know if your company needs anything. Although I'm just a departmental manager, there's nothing I can't handle in Horington." He wasn't concerned about being exposed; nobody at the table knew Tommy.

"From now on, I'll rely on you for company matters," Franklin said. "Since Maria is my only daughter, everything I have will be yours." His admiration for Zayne grew immensely.

"Don't worry, Mr. Saunders. I'll love Maria unconditionally!" Zayne replied excitedly. "Enough talking, I'm starving! Can we eat now?"

Maria pouted. "A little longer, okay? I've invited Mr. Chance and his family. They should be here soon!"

Franklin exclaimed, "Why invite outsiders to our family dinner?" Maria's face fell when she learned Jared was invited. Franklin glared at her. "He saved my life!" he said. "Speaking of which, how did Jared's interview go?"

Zayne brazenly took credit. "Mr. Saunders, it was a success. I worked my magic as departmental manager!" Franklin gratefully thanked him.

Jared and his family entered. "We're sorry we're late," Gary apologized. "It's fine," Franklin replied warmly. "We just arrived ourselves."

Jared was startled to see Zayne. Zayne taunted him, "Hey, Jared, we meet again! Maria and I had to apologize to the staff for you disobeying company rules."

Gary glared at Jared. "What's going on, Jared?" Hannah echoed the question. Franklin was also puzzled.

Maria raged, "After his successful interview, he was supposed to buy everyone dinner—departmental tradition! He said he had no money and left. It was so embarrassing for Zayne and me!"