Chapter 758
Thalassa turned her gaze in the direction of the voice, spotting Betty waving her over.
Betty intercepted her even before she could approach, “I was just telling Mr. Ethan that you had plans tonight and couldn’t make it, but he insisted on calling you. Proves that persistence pays off, doesn’t it?”
Betty’s face held a warm smile as she chatted with Thalassa.
Thalassa listened as she maintained an estranged and courteous smile on her face, “I was first planning to spend the evening with my Mom. But she literally pushed me out the door when she heard the boss was calling.”
“Of course, bonding with colleagues over a meal doesn’t hold a candle to quality time with mom. Your mom understands you and lets you attend this company gathering, which shows you’re doing a good job balancing your personal and professional life.” Betty’s sentences carried no reproach for Thalassa declining her personal invitation, but they alluded to it subtly.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThalassa’s response to that was a decent one as well.
Navigating office politics was like working through a textbook, with lessons hidden between every line.
“Ms. Everhart, you made it. Here, we saved you a seat.” A male colleague pulled out the chair beside him, beaming as he welcomed Thalassa.
Everyone was seated around a large circular table.
Glancing around, Thalassa noticed all present were her co-workers from the top floor. No one else from any other department was there. It seemed to be a gathering exclusive to their floor.
Ethan was seated at the innermost chair of the round table, symbolizing his authority as the big boss.
The seat her colleague saved was on the outermost.
Ethan greeted her with an amused look upon her arrival.
“Thalassa, have a sit quickly, so we can start the meal.” Betty guided Thalassa to the seat that the male colleague saved for her.
She then took the seat closest to Ethan; her gaze was filled with both laughter and longing as she glanced at him.
Thalassa took note. She was already aware of Betty’s feelings for Ethan. It just surprised her that Betty was so open about her desire for Ethan in public.
“Ms. Everhart, your silverware.” The man beside her kindly passed her clean utensils.
“Thank you.” Thalassa responded politely.
She had seen this man around the office a few times. He was the head of procurement at senior levels, responsible for providing Ethan with office supplies and personal items. She didn’t remember his full name but could only recall him as Jason.
“Jason, you’re quite attentive to Ms. Everhart, aren’t you? You’re 28 now, right? And Ms. Everhart is 27. You two are close in age. If you’re both single, there might be a chance, right?” Betty teased, eliciting laughter and agreement from the others at the table.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
Caught in the playful banter, Thalassa didn’t quite know what to do.
Jason, however, took it all in stride, “If it really happens, you all would be the witnesses. And don’t think you can skip out on giving us wedding gifts.”
Ethan remained silent throughout, quietly sipping his wine while casting speculative glances at Thalassa.
Lysander had never publicly acknowledged his relationship with Thalassa, not even in front of their friends. He never clarified what kind of relationship he had with Thalassa.
Ethan was curious to see how Thalassa would handle the playful, half-serious teasing from their colleagues. It was quite clear that Jason was interested in her and intended to pursue her.
‘As long as you two get hitched, I’ll be the first to give you a big fat wedding gift. And none of you here can show up empty-handed, right?” Betty continued to lead the conversation.
Everyone at the table chimed in, “Of course, we won’t forget the gift. Hurry up, or our gifts will go stale.”
Thalassa quickly became the target of the teasing, feeling uncomfortable and flustered.
“We have so many beautiful ladies in our company, and I’m not the only one who’s 27. Lily is in the prime of her life too.” Thalassa tried to deflect the attention from herself.