Chapter 223
After Joyce left, the colleague sitting next to Marina gave her a dirty look, h
she put on when Joyce was around,
attitude totally different from the humble act
“Marina, what’s your problem? You just got here and you’re already causing drama,” the colleague snapped.
“Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? Do you even know where Ms. Milner was taking us for dinner? That’s the kind of place you could work your whole life and never even get a chance to eat at!”
Marina watched her colleague lose her cool, rubbing her ear, still sore from all the yelling.
“I don’t take handouts for nothing. My family always taught me, if you take something from someone, you end up owing them. Me saying no to Ms. Milner’s offer doesn’t hurt you, does it? So now, having good manners at work is a bad thing?”
“Are you mocking me for not having any upbringing?” the woman shot up from her seat, her eyes practically burning holes. into Marina.
Marina remained perfectly composed, even as her colleague flew into a rage. She simply glanced up at the security camera overhead.
“From what I know, Zamora Group has a cafeteria. Yet here you are, arguing with me over a single meal. Is the cafeteria food at Zamora Group really so beneath you?” Marina retorted.
As soon as Marina finished, the ones who’d been eagerly waiting for Joyce to order for them suddenly caught on, and their expressions shifted dramatically.
The chefs at Zamora Group’s cafeteria were all high–end, seriously top–notch.
Okay, maybe they were not the ones cooking for state banquets, but in this business, they were standouts, pretty much the best you can get.
This could turn into a huge deal or just blow over. If Daron caught wind of them fighting over a meal in the office, the punishment would be way more than any free dinner was worth.
Honestly, this whole mess wasn’t even Marina’s fault.
She just didn’t accept Joyce’s kindness. That was all.
“Amari, just drop it. It’s really not worth making a fuss over. Ms. Milner probably thought we’d all ordered already, and she did end up getting food for everyone, didn’t she?” someone chimed in.
Someone tried to calm things down.
Amari Lewis had to back down, even if she didn’t want to.
She’d clearly noticed how Marina glanced up at the security camera earlier.
She knew Marina was laying a trap for her, and it made her seethe inside.
Even if Marina was personally hired by Daron for the CEO’s office, Amari was determined to find a way to kick her out.
Marina just kept working on her documents, didn’t bother to look at Amari at all.
She’d only glanced up at the security camera earlier to signal Amari. She just wanted to avoid more drama with her.
When Chloe got back to the executive office, she could tell right away something was off in the workspace. She didn’t bother to ask, so long as nothing major was going down, she wasn’t about to get involved.
Chapter 223
When lunchtime came around, Marina’s meal, ordered by Daron, showed up at her desk.
Marina still had a bit of paperwork to finish. She’d just set her lunch down when Amari gave her a nasty look, clearly trying to start something.
“What are you eating, crap? It reeks! This is a workspace, not a cafeteria! Stop messing up my work with your food, Amari snapped.
Just then, Bella stood up to smooth things over. “Alright, alright, let’s not fight.”
She turned to Marina.
“Come on, let me show you to the dining area,” Bella said.
Marina picked up her lunchbox, got to her feet, and gave Bella a quick thank you.
As Marina walked past, Amari threw some shade at her in a low voice.
“I thought you were eating something gourmet, but turns out it’s just some thrown–together meal from some no–name joint,” Amari sneered.
Marina raised an eyebrow, glanced at the logo on her lunchbox, and couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous Amari was.
Silkwind Kitchen might not be on the same level as the state banquet place Joyce booked, but it was still a pretty famous restaurant in Vrufield.
She didn’t bother wasting her breath on someone so clueless, and just followed Bella toward the dining area.
Bella didn’t ask Joyce to order for her. She just ordered her own takeout.
Once she got her food, Bella came over and sat down next to Marina, lowering her voice.
“Why didn’t you shut Amari down just now? Getting delivery from Silkwind Kitchen is no joke. They say only super VIPs can even get delivery from them,” Bella whispered.
Marina replied coolly, “Work’s already exhausting. Who has the energy to argue over something so petty?”
Bella nodded with a smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”
As she talked, Bella glanced over at Marina’s lunchbox a few times.
Marina noticed and pushed the lunchbox toward the center of the table.
“Let’s share. There’s way too much here for me to finish alone,” Marina offered.
Even though the way Bella had checked out her food earlier made Marina a bit uncomfortable, at least she’d stepped in to help her out.
Bella was polite at first, but after Marina insisted a couple more times, she finally grabbed a few ribs.
When Marina finally got home from work, she was completely drained, body and soul.
Elnora was still in Port City and hadn’t come back yet, so it was just her and Gauri at home.
Gauri had made dinner for Marina, and after eating, sleepiness washed over her.
She’d barely slept last night, and now she was exhausted.
‘Tonight, no one’s going to disturb my rest!‘ Marina thought to herself.
Chapter 223
After washing up, she flopped onto her bed and put her phone on silent.
If Elnora couldn’t reach her, she could always call Gauri, so Marina didn’t have to worry about that.
Other than that, there really wasn’t anyone else she needed to stress about.
In Frency, inside Garret’s hospital room.
Garret had just woken up and saw Daron busy on his phone, sending messages and making calls.
Clearly, nobody was picking up or replying to his messages.
Garret rubbed his eyes.
“Daron, don’t tell me you didn’t go back to the hotel at all last night,” Garret said.
Daron put his phone away, his tone flat. “Didn’t
go
back.”
Garret raised an eyebrow.
Noticing Garret’s curious gaze, Daron answered flatly.
“Just jet lag. I’m wide awake,” Daron said.
Garret called him out, no mercy.
“Hey, Daron, it’s ten o’clock at night back home. You really think Ms. Finley’s still up?” Garret said, raising an eyebrow.
Frency was several hours behind; it was only six in the morning over
here.
Daron frowned.
“She never goes to bed early,” he said.
Back when she was in Sicester, she’d stay up late every night.
Garret gave a little smirk. “You’re not the one sharing her bed, so how would you know she doesn’t go to bed early?”
Daron was at a loss for words.
Noticing Daron’s eyes darken with worry as he stared at his phone, Garret lowered his voice and said, “If you’re really that anxious about Ms. Finley, why not just call Elnora and check in?”
Daron’s brows knitted together.
Garret could tell what was bothering Daron, so he lowered his voice. “Hey, you’re the one who went and fell for her little sister. A couple of sarcastic comments are way better than spending the whole day stressing out, right?”
Daron gave him a frosty look, his eyes dark and unreadable.
“She works at Zamora Group. If she goes home after work and then just disappears, and anything goes wrong, Elnora will totally blame me for it,” Daron said.
Garret just gave a noncommittal “Oh.”
“Then hurry up and call Elnora. Go on, show some concern for your employee’s safety,” he teased.
He wasn’t buying any of it.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
