Ellen smiled. Of course, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to bother him in the future.
“By the way, did you know how big the apartment unit that the company assigned to me was? It’s at least two thousand square feet!” She nearly forgot to tell him about this.
Jared froze for a beat before he played dumb and replied, “Is that so? The company randomly assigns the units sometimes. You should take it.”
“But I’m just a receptionist. How can I stay in such a nice place?”
“Just enjoy your stay!” Jared assured her, worried that she might notice something.
With a sigh, Ellen continued, “I even asked Miss Curry if she gave me the wrong unit, but she said she didn’t make a mistake.”
Immediately, Jared coughed and said, “The HR team is usually in charge of these things. Since there weren’t any mistakes, you should just make the most out of it and stop overthinking things.”
Suddenly, she turned her gaze to him and blinked as she asked, “President Presgrave, don’t tell me it was of your doing?”
Jared was drinking from his glass and nearly choked on a mouthful of water. After hurriedly controlling his expression, he denied, “I don’t have time for this sort of thing! I’m swamped with work after all!”
Although Ellen was a little skeptical, she couldn’t press him any further, so she propped up her chin and said, “In that case, I’ll work hard in the future and live up to the excellent benefits the company has given me.”
At this, Jared finally let out a sigh. It seemed that she had her bright moments at times as well.
After they finished dinner, it was already half past eight by the time Jared dropped her off at her house. After getting out of the car, she reminded him, “Be careful while you’re on the road.”
He looked at her and said, “I’ll leave once you’re inside.”
Her heart turning warm, she turned around and went in, looking back with each step she took. Meanwhile, Jared was surprised by his concern for her, which seemed to have emerged involuntarily.
The following day was a rest day, but Ellen had been accustomed to getting up early. Right after she woke up, she sat in front of the French window while looking at the morning scenery as well as the crowd in the nearby square, feeling inexplicably lonely. She knew that after
her grandmother’s death, she was really all alone now. Her uncle, Connor, the only one who was related to her by blood right now, was someone she couldn’t rely on. Besides, her aunt, Olivia, prevented her from depending on him as well, so she was on her own for the rest of her life.
When she thought about her future marriage and having children, she suddenly felt fearful and terrified that she would meet the wrong person and be unable to find someone to rely on if she was hurt in any way. Hence, she made up her mind to spend the rest of her life alone. In any case, she had enough money in her account to live comfortably, and as long as she worked earnestly every day and received a stable salary, she could live a moderately wealthy life alone.
While she was doing her laundry, she received a call from Connor.
“Ellie, I’ll take you out for lunch today,” Connor said on the other end of the phone. “Uncle Connor, it’s fine, I…
“Do you not have any respect for me anymore? It’s just a simple meal. We haven’t seen each other for some time, no?” he pressed, his tone holding a hint of elderly authority.
At that, Ellen had no choice but to agree. “Okay, Uncle Connor.”
“I’ll pick you up at noon.” “It’s fine. Just tell me the address, and I’ll take a cab myself.”
“Fine by me. I’ll send the address to you later,” Upon saying that, Connor hung up. Ellen let out a sigh. In fact, she preferred to be by herself as eating with her uncle’s family was constraining for her.
At half past ten, Connor sent the address and urged her to be there on time. She agreed, and at eleven o’clock, she went out and took a taxi, heading straight for the restaurant.
Due to the traffic, she arrived a little late and was led into a private room by the waiter soon after. There, she saw three other people that looked like a family at the table in addition to Connor and Olivia.
“Ellie, you’re here. Quick, come and have a seat.” Connor greeted her enthusiastically, pulling out a chair for her.
