Chapter 74 - REFUSING HIS DINNER INVITATION
writer:_frieyaVida      update:2022-08-15 15:13
  "Why are you still asking me? We've been eating dinner together for a month now. What's the difference tonight?"

  "Uhm. I will have a meeting later and I would be done by six or seven in the evening. If we take travel time into consideration, I'd be home late."

  "So, you want me to come to you and have dinner?"

  "Yes."

  "Can't we have dinner at home? I'll wait for you no matter how late. I'm worried that someone might spot us again."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Hn. You can just wake me up if I'm asleep by the time you are home."

  "Okay."

  Cayenne refused his offer of having dinner outside. She was getting paranoid already with the thought that someone might see them together.

  They talked about other things before they finally decided to end the call. Cayenne was actually happy to receive another dinner invitation from him but she had to let it go.

  Few minutes before her shift ended, a bouquet of tulips was delivered to her.

  "Wow! Your boyfriend is really sweet." Celine commented when she saw Cayenne holding a bouquet of flowers. "I thought you won't be going to have dinner with him."

  "Well, let me see the card." Cayenne flipped the card and found the printed message. "Can't find potted tulips for you. Hope you'll still like this." Cayenne looked towards Celine. "It didn't mention anything related to dinner. I'm glad we have understood each other."

  "I'm a bit curious of your boyfriend." Celine mentioned. "I am not really prying with your private life. I'm just wondering why you are hiding him?"

  "I'm not really hiding him." Cayenned told her workmate. "We just want to make our relationship private. In that way, no one would be expressing their opinions about your partner. And no one will say if your partner is good enough for you or not."

  "That makes sense." Celine retorted.

  Cayenne smelled the flowers and she liked it a lot. Tulips were her favorite flower and she always wanted to receive one. The first time she received a bouquet of tulips was during her eighteenth birthday. Kyle and Luiz saved their allowance just to buy her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. And the second one's from Stefan.

  Her heart beats so fast and she was happily hugging the flower close to her heart. Stefan had been making her happy and she didn't know how to repay him. She had so many things in mind but she was worried that he won't like them. The world of the rich and the world of the poor are polarly opposite and she's afraid of getting embarrassed if he won't like her idea.

  "Something wrong?" Luna questioned when she came inside to the employees' lounge. She just finished doing her work and was preparing to leave as well. She saw Cayenne holding the flower with a wide smile but her eyes weren't showing the same happiness. She was staring into space while holding the bouquet.

  Cayenne shook her head and faintly smiled as if to reassure them when her heart wasn't the least bit assured by someone. "I'm going home now. See you guys tomorrow."

  "See you."

  Cayenne left under the envious gazes of other employees.

  "Do you really believe that Cayenne has a boyfriend?" one of her colleagues gossiped when the subject of their conversation left.

  "I believe she has a boyfriend." Another colleague responded. "And it should be someone rich. A man who can buy her the latest iPhone, send her lunch and give her flowers."

  "Correct. And if she doesn't have one, she might have been buying those things for herself and just pretended that it was from her boyfriend."

  Manager Kim saw this group of gossipmongers and she couldn't help rolling her eyes at them. "Instead of talking someone behind their back, why don't you go home and look what kind of life you have. Stop talking about people when you couldn't even take a little time to improve yourself."

  "Sorry, Manager Kim." The ladies apologized.

  Luna smirked at them before turning around and left. Celine just glared at them and also left the lounge. They don't have time to deal with insecure and jealous people.

  Manager was about to leave when she remembered something. "The boss hates people who gossips their own colleague. He might fire you if he knows about this."

  "Sorry, Manager Kim. We won't do it again. Please don't tell the boss. We're begging you."

  "Apologize to Cayenne, not me."

  "But she doesn't even know that we are talking behind her back. Wouldn't that expose us?" one of the ladies responded.

  "Do you want to come out with your own honesty or would you like her to know about your actions from someone else?" Manager Kim warned them. "I don't favor any of you here. As much as I possible, I want you to help each other. I don't want you to backstab your own colleague."

  "We understood."

  Getting their confirmation, she left the hotel since it was the end of her shift as well. Moreover, she didn't care if they really understood what she said or if they're going to repeat their negative behavior. If they get fired by Stefan, it will not be her fault anymore.

  Manager Kim believed that Cayenne and their boss had a secret relationship and she was trying her best to avoid having the other employees mess up with Cayenne.

  Cayenne had no idea that she had been taken as a food for gossips. She was busy dealing with her own thoughts and issue.

  "Ma'am Cayenne we have arrived." Leon, the taxi driver, informed her.

  "Thank you, Leon." Cayenne got out of the car but she was surprised to see that the lights were on. "Is he home?" She pressed her thumb and typed the pin to get inside of the house.

  What came into view was Stefan holding a potted tulip flower while wearing a smile on his lips. "Welcome home, Ayen."

  "I thought you'll be home later."

  "Having dinner with you is better than having a dinner meeting."