Chapter 204 Asking for a Favor
“Good luck, Elliot!” Nigel yelled from across the yard and put up a fist in the air in a show of moral support.
Elliot’s eyes crinkled as he nodded at the younger man.
Anastasia, on the other hand, was helping Jared fasten his seatbelt, so she didn’t notice anything strange going on between the two cousins.
After that, Elliot took the passenger seat while Anastasia sat in the back with Jared, grateful for the ample leg room in the sedan. They first had lunch at a high-end restaurant, where Jared ate his food in high spirits. When they were done, the little boy suddenly asked to go to the museum, and Elliot agreed to it without a second thought.
As such, Anastasia could only go along with them. Rey went as well to keep an eye on Jared, thinking that he could babysit the boy and give Elliot and Anastasia a break to enjoy some quality time together.
Presently, Anastasia had only just stepped into the museum when her phone rang. Upon seeing that it was a call from Francis, she picked it up and greeted, “Hey, Dad.”
“Is Young Master Elliot alright? I hope he didn’t get a hangover this morning,” Francis said worriedly on the other line. “My friends shouldn’t have forced him to drink all that liquor.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. He’s fine,” she reassured.
“By the way, I was wondering if Bourgeois is still hiring at the moment. Erica is thinking about going to work at your company.”
Anastasia resisted the urge to snort at this. Yeah, right, as if Erica wants to work! She just wants to get close to Elliot, and the only way to do that is by working in the company.
“Sorry, Dad, but I don’t think Erica is a suitable candidate for the company.”
“I know she’s no designer, but she could be a clerk or an assistant or something. It’s not every day she claims that she wants to be a working girl, after all. I’d appreciate it if you could help me ask President Presgrave about this; perhaps he can make some arrangements for her.”
“Dad, I can’t just ask him about these things. He’s not even the one in charge of recruitment,” Anastasia argued. After all, she did not want to see Erica loitering around her workplace.
Francis sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to call him myself. He gave me his name card last night.”
She faltered, and it looked like her father was dead set on having Erica work in Bourgeois. Guess he’s getting tired of bankrolling for her. “Fine, I’ll ask him about it! Don’t go calling him on your own, Dad,” she said tiredly, knowing that Francis wouldn’t take no for an answer at this point.
“Great. Give me a call and tell me how the discussion went. Erica’s finally taking life seriously, and we have to help her get a good head start, right?”
“Sure,” Anastasia replied emotionlessly.
After she hung up the call, she looked up at the man who was currently bringing her son from one exhibit to the next. She let out a sigh and brisk-walked up to them.
Elliot had brought Jared to his favorite part of the museum, which was the dinosaur exhibit. While Anastasia had brought him here before, Jared was still excited, and he was having a whale of a time.
She watched as he trotted alongside Elliot’s towering frame, and she thought they looked like father and son. Elliot would occasionally pick him up, and there were moments when he would let Jared pull him around the museum. Jared would also tilt his head to one side curiously while he asked questions about the artifacts.
Elliot, on the other hand, played the role of the ever-patient father who elaborated on the history and the scientific evolution of the dinosaurs, and Jared was all ears.
“Miss Tillman, isn’t it wonderful how President Presgrave and Jared get along so well?” Rey asked as he came over to where Anastasia was standing.
She smiled and nodded. “It is! Jared really likes him.”
“I think President Presgrave would make an excellent father,” Rey added meaningfully.
The implication behind his words did not escape Anastasia, but she knew that she and Elliot could never work out, and Jared’s affections for him were only temporary.
When they left the dinosaur exhibit, they ventured into other exhibits that Jared liked. Eventually, they found themselves on the third floor of the museum. When Rey walked up to her, Anastasia said, “Could you help me look after Jared for a bit? I need to speak with President Presgrave alone.”
“Very well,” Rey said with a polite smile.
Anastasia then sauntered over to Elliot. “President Presgrave, there’s something I need to talk to you about. Rey can keep an eye on Jared for a while.”
Elliot glanced over at Rey and instructed coolly, “Don’t let him out of your sight.”
When all was settled, Anastasia led him over to the more quiet end of the gallery where there were hardly any visitors. As Elliot drew closer to her, she pursed her lips and thought about how she was going to phrase things. She didn’t want to owe him any more favors, but it seemed unavoidable right now.
“What is it?” he asked softly as he fixed his dark gaze on her.
“Here’s the thing—my dad wants to know if Bourgeois is still hiring. He wants my sister, Erica, to find work there,” Anastasia explained and looked up at Elliot. Even in the dim lighting, she could still see the chiseled planes and angles of his handsome features, and for a moment, she thought she could drown in those magnetic, obsidian eyes of his.
