Chapter 4: Good Qualities

Words : 1810 Updated : Feb 19th, 2024

Candice's hands trembled with anger. She had thought her brother and sister-in-law had invited her to dinner to mend their relationship, but instead, they were using her son's future to blackmail her into submission. At that moment, her cousin-in-law and the others glanced at Candice with smug, self-satisfied expressions. The thrill of manipulating someone else's fate seemed to fill them with excitement. "So, you want to transfer me to a branch office and make me your driver, huh?" Marty suddenly spoke up, his tone calm but sharp. "Of course! It's to create better opportunities for you. If you follow me, your future will be limitless!" Lewis said with a smirk, his voice dripping with arrogance. Marty raised an eyebrow. "Follow you? You're just a lowly deputy general manager. What kind of future could I possibly have with you?" Lewis' face darkened, his arrogance cracked. "You little driver, who do you think you are to look down on my position as deputy general manager?" Marty chuckled. "Deputy general manager? Big deal. Even if your general manager were here, I'd still look down on him." "You bastard!" Lewis, usually so composed, was losing his cool. Marty had hit a nerve, and his mask of politeness began to slip. Gritting his teeth, Lewis snapped, "Fine! You've got guts. Since you're so ungrateful, just wait and see how I'll make you regret it! Tomorrow, I'll have you transferred to work under me, and we'll have some fun. You still have time to apologize." Marty smiled. "Sure, but why don't we wait until my girlfriend gets here? You can ask her what she thinks of that plan." The entire room fell silent. Marty's family exchanged confused looks, unsure of what he meant. A transfer? What did that have to do with his girlfriend? Wait… did Marty really have a girlfriend? That couldn't be right. Lewis, frowning, pondered for a moment before sneering. "What, you hooked up with someone in HR? Ha! Good luck with that. HR doesn't have much power. Even if they tried to block me, I can always appeal to Ms. Eileen." Just then, there were two soft knocks at the door, and it swung open. A stunning woman with a confident stride and a presence that commanded attention entered the room. It was Eileen—the CEO of Allure Group and Marty's girlfriend. Candice's brother and sister-in-law didn't recognize her, but Lewis, who worked at Allure Group, knew exactly who she was. His jaw dropped. "Ms. Eileen?" Lewis blurted out, quickly standing up to greet her, his mind racing. What was Eileen doing here? Could it be she had come to congratulate him on his promotion? Yes, that had to be it! There couldn't be any other reason. As his imagination soared, Lewis' ego inflated. He felt like he had reached a new pinnacle, his thoughts soaring to new heights. "Honey, you're here!" Marty greeted Eileen warmly, walking over to take her hand. Screech! The entire family looked as though they had been struck by lightning, frozen in place. Lewis, too, was trembling. This… this guy is calling Ms. Eileen his girlfriend? Has Marty lost his mind? How could he speak to Ms. Eileen like that? Was he trying to get himself killed? And worse—would he drag me down with him? Cold sweat formed on Lewis' brow. "You fool! How dare you insult Ms. Eileen! Do you have a death wish?" Turning to Eileen with a groveling smile, Lewis said, "Ms. Eileen, I had no idea this idiot would be so disrespectful toward you. I'll make sure he's punished severely!" Eileen ignored him, smiling instead at Marty. "Sorry, I got caught up with work and arrived late." "No problem," Marty replied. "Let me introduce you to my mom." Eileen smiled warmly at Candice. "Hi, Mom!" Gasp! The room filled with the sound of sharp intakes of breath. Lewis' confusion deepened. Candice's brother and his family were equally dumbfounded. Did we just hear that right? Did Eileen just call Marty's mother… Mom? Surely she must have made a mistake. But no, this was the CEO of Allure Group—there was no way she'd make such an obvious error. Candice, still in shock, managed a nod and a small smile. Could my son really have managed this? Did he somehow hire Ms. Eileen to pretend to be his girlfriend for the night? Impossible. With Eileen's status, she would never do such a thing. Marty turned to Eileen. "Honey, the deputy general manager of our branch, Lewis, tried to blackmail my mom into giving up a family heirloom by using my future as leverage. What do you think about that?" Lewis' entire body tensed, and beads of sweat dripped down his face. So… Marty really is with Ms. Eileen? How on earth did that happen? If she decided to hold him accountable for this, his career would be over. In a panic, Lewis threw himself at her mercy. "Ms. Eileen! I was wrong, I was wrong! Please give me another chance!" Eileen raised an eyebrow and took out her phone. Calmly, she dialed a number. "Hello? Manager Angelo? Fire Lewis and promote a new deputy manager." Lewis felt the world collapse around him. Candice's brother and sister-in-law were just as shaken. They had miscalculated terribly. "Marty, for the sake of family, please… please help us," his uncle pleaded. "Yeah, Marty," his cousin chimed in, her voice trembling. "We were wrong earlier. We beg you!" Marty cast them a cold glance. "Do you remember how you were bullying my mom just minutes ago, acting so proud of yourselves?" They hung their heads, faces flushed with shame. It felt like invisible slaps were landing across their cheeks. The irony was not lost on them—just moments ago, they had been lording Marty's future over his mother, and now here they were, begging for mercy. Lewis being fired was the kindest thing Marty could have done to them. "Mom, let's go find somewhere else to eat," Marty said. "Okay." Candice gave one last disappointed glance at her relatives before heading to the door. Marty and Eileen followed her out, leaving the others in stunned silence. Once they were outside, Candice turned to Marty, still in disbelief. "Ms. Eileen… she's not really your girlfriend, is she?" Eileen was so perfect, so far beyond what Candice had ever imagined for her son, that she found it hard to believe. "Of course she is, Mom!" Marty said, grinning. "Don't be fooled by her CEO status. She's actually really down-to-earth. She's not interested in those spoiled rich guys. She prefers someone like me—poor but handsome, hardworking, and honest." Eileen shot him a look, feeling a wave of exasperation. Handsome? Maybe. But hardworking and honest? She rolled her eyes at him.

Chapter 4: Good Qualities

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