The four-figure price on the receipt had me almost passing out. Precisely speaking, it was five thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.
Oh my God, it’s just a dress, yet it actually cost nearly six thousand? Is it inlaid with gold or what?
My pay was only seven or eight thousand a month, so my heart clenched at the thought of spending six thousand on a dress.
I looked at Michael in confliction. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford to buy the dress, but I was really reluctant to spend close to a month’s salary on a dress.
“I didn’t know this dress was actually that expensive…” I muttered lowly as I eyed him sheepishly.
Upon glimpsing the smugness in his eyes, I was gripped by the urge to slap myself hard. Argh! Why did I insist on paying him back? I’m simply making trouble for myself!
“Didn’t you say you were going to pay me back for the dress? Well, you can do so now.”
Michael stared at me, his voice brimming with provocation.
“Um… can I pay you back in a few days? I don’t have that much money right now.”
It’s a king’s ransom of six thousand! How am I going to get so much money to pay him back now? If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve got no clothes to wear, I’d simply whip it off immediately and return it to him. Then, I wouldn’t have to spend six thousand on a dress!
“Sure.”
Michael sounded blasé. Truth be told, the price of the dress was a drop in the bucket to him since the amount of money he made in a day was sufficient for him to buy tens of thousands of dresses.
“Uh… can I pay you back in installments?”
In actual fact, I had wired my pay back home for my father to buy supplements. Every time I was paid, the money was only sufficient for me to survive, so it would really take me forever to pay him back six thousand for the dress.
“It’s just a dress, yet you want to pay me in installments? How poor are you, Anna?”
Quirking an eyebrow, Michael regarded me in astonishment with a skeptical gaze.
“Truly, I’m destitute. I’ve sent all my money home, so I don’t have any extra money to pay you back. Can I pay you five hundred every month?” I negotiated gingerly as I gazed into his eyes.
Propping a hand against his forehead, Michael looked at me speechlessly.
“I don’t need you to give me any money. Just use the money to buy groceries. In the future, I’ll go and have dinner often at the apartment I bought. When I notify you, you’ve got to cook for me.”
Huh? He wants me to cook again? Why is he so adamant about having me cook when he has housekeepers? Besides, my cooking tastes quite awful.
Honestly speaking, I was averse to his suggestion. But what if he asks me to pay him back immediately were I to decline? I don’t have that much money right now.
After mulling it over, I relented with a nod without saying anything further.
When I concurred, I seemingly caught a glint of triumph in his eyes. In a flash, the feeling of having been tricked swept over me.
Nonetheless, I shook my head and convinced myself that I was reading too much into things. Why would a man like him trick me? Besides, it won’t benefit him in any way.
Subsequently, I went to the office in his car. When he parked the car in the underground parking, I hastily alighted when no one was there, afraid that someone would spot me.
In the past, he had warned me more than once that no one was to know about our relationship. For that reason, I had to be on guard every time I was with him due to the fear of discovery.
I knew full well that he didn’t want others to learn about our relationship, nor did I. After all, people would definitely look down on me if they knew that we were friends with benefits.
When I arrived at the office, I swiftly straightened the documents on my table. Having taken the day off yesterday, there was a mountain of documents piled up.
Letting out a sigh, I snagged a document from the table and started flipping through it. Before I had even settled down, Michael made an appearance in our department.
His presence created quite a stir since he rarely visited the advertisement company.
Across from me, adulation shone in Millie’s eyes when she caught sight of Michael.
“Anna, Mr. Shaw arrived just a moment after you. Don’t tell me the two of you came together?”
Millie rapped on my table, staring at me in anticipation.
Hearing that, my heart lurched. I looked at her in panic even as I inwardly wondered whether she had discovered my relationship with Michael.
“What nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly have come with Mr. Shaw? He’s a bigshot, so it’s impossible that I’m that close with him…” I blurted anxiously.
Right then, my heart felt as though it was going to pound out of my chest.
“Whoa, you’re really nervous! I’m just joking with you, so take it easy,” Millie exclaimed in amusement at the sight of my panicked expression.
Only when I heard that did I breathe a sigh of relief. Oh God, I was really on the verge of a heart attack just now, thinking that she’d discovered my relationship with Michael!
“Don’t simply make such a joke in the future to avoid unnecessary trouble,” I chided, throwing her a reproaching look after having calmed down.
“Alright, I got it. I won’t simply make such a joke in the future. Mr. Shaw is the Prince Charming of all the female employees here, so they’ll really cry their hearts out if you’re in a relationship with him.”
Despite knowing that Millie was joking with me, I couldn’t help feeling apprehensive and flustered.
Good Lord, Michael seems to be everyone’s Prince Charming, and many female employees are desperate to get together with him! If they were to learn about my relationship with him, my life in the office would definitely be a living hell henceforth!
Irritated at the subject, I frowned before looking at Millie and saying, “Alright, let’s not talk about this first. Mr. Shaw seems to have something to say.”
Michael’s arrival created a huge commotion. When the newly-appointed department manager heard of it, he immediately rushed over to greet him.
“Is something the matter that you’re gracing us with your presence out of the blue today, Mr. Shaw?” the department manager asked Michael deferentially.
Despite hearing his question, Michael didn’t answer him. Instead, he clapped his hands, getting all eyes on him.
“I’m going to set up a temporary office in Joyful Success for the next six months, and I’ll be here every day for the entire duration. I want to monopolize the advertisement industry in half a year.”
His voice was low and deep, the words out of his mouth inherently arrogant.
If it were anyone else, everyone would have certainly taken it as a joke. But the person speaking was Michael, and no one doubted his capabilities in the business world.
When the female employees heard that, many of them appeared thrilled as if there were stars in their eyes.
Since their Prince Charming was going to spend the next six months with them, those with ulterior motives naturally felt that it was the golden opportunity to bag him.
