Chapter 2: Chapter 2

The rest of the night passed in silence.

Bowen expected Jolene to say something, anything.

But she didn’t.

As usual.

During the day, he was simply her boss.

This book had been added on your bookshelf.

No matter what orders he sent her way, she answered with the same level of discipline.

“Of course, right away.”

When it became night, she was his companion.

She knew every little detail and preference of his.

What temperature he liked his water when showering or bathing.

The exact degree that he wanted the air conditioning to keep the room at.

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488 (Vouchers How strong certain fragrances should be applied.

She was like his personal answering machine on speed dial.

She was smart and clever, with the right amount of cunning.

The next morning, Bowen woke up to an empty bed beside him.

Once he washed up, he went downstairs and found breakfast already waiting for him on the table.

A small glass of milk sat beside a plate. The plate held several slices of toasted bread cut into small strips. Off to the side, a delicate bowl carried a pool of jam for spreading.

Since Bowen’s mother was from the South, she and Bowen often enjoyed simple meals like this.

Among this set–up, there was also a little slip of paper carrying a note in flowery cursive: “Bowen, I’ve already left. to meet with Vatin Company.”

That was all it said.

He sat down and reached for one of the plates he hadn’t noticed before. It was a light green plate that had a small stack of pickled cucumbers.

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788 Vouchers Compared to the sweet bread and jam, the pickles offered a nice contrast with its crunchiness and sour taste. There was even a slight spice that lingered on his tongue before getting washed away with the milk.

Today, he was craving a simple snack that could go with milk. It seemed that these pickles could satisfy this.

Jolene Marsh, that sly fox. She always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

After paying a visit to Vatin Company, Jolene had just gotten back to Earth Group when she heard that a package was waiting for her at the front desk.

Emily, who worked downstairs, greeted her with a smile when she approached the desk. “Miss Marsh, you’ve received such a beautiful box. Is it from another admirer?”

Jolene smiled back at her, “If you like it, I’ll give it to you.”

“As if I’d dare to ask for it. It’s from the SAKA counter. Even a small bracelet from there would cost five figures at least. I definitely don’t deserve something that expensive.” Emily’s features pinched together as she frowned with envy.

Maintaining her friendly grin, Jolene leaned over to hand Emily a small bunch of roses that had accompanied the box. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.”

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Emily laughed so hard that, for a moment, only her gaping mouth and teeth were visible. “You’re very good with your words, Miss Marsh. If you were a man, every woman would be sold by your charms.”

“Well, you’re so beautiful that I wouldn’t even be able to afford you.”

Upon finishing speaking, Jolene cradled the box in her hands and entered the elevator. She waited until she returned to her office before unwrapping the mysterious gift.

Inside it lay a glimmering diamond necklace. Even the tiniest diamond on it must have cost a fortune.

She assessed its weight and found that it was heavy enough to strain her neck.

A gift as expensive as this could only come from one person:

Bowen Evert.

In public, he was a very generous boss.

:བ As his employee, he provided her with a large and comfortable apartment. This also came with a luxurious car to help her commute to work.

With all of her benefits, labor compensation, and vacation 52.09%

days, she was on par with some of Earth Group’s top executives.

788 Vouchers In private, he was just as generous as her lover.

Jolene couldn’t bring herself to call him a boyfriend.

Over the years, it wasn’t unusual for him to gift her with expensive items.

A house, a car, a limitless credit card…

But jewelry as expensive as this was only given on special occasions.

For example, when they first got together three years ago, he’d bought her an extravagant bracelet.

Two years ago, on their first anniversary, he’d given her a pair of earrings that he’d personally designed.

Then, for her birthday last year, he’d commissioned a bust of her head that was carved out of jade.

When she’d received it, she’d made fun of him, saying that only elderly people are gifted with jade.

Today, however, there weren’t any anniversaries or special 70.57%

occasions that she could recall.

Oh, that’s right. She suddenly remembered.

This was supposed to be a break–up gift.

She tucked the necklace back into the box and placed it inside a safe.

288 Vouchert It was about time for her to bring the Vatin Company contract to Bowen anyways.

When she arrived, his eyes immediately honed in on her empty neck.

She slid the contract across his desk. “Mr. Evert, the details have been worked out and clarified. Please take another look before we finalize any decisions.”

Bowen, however, made no move to take the folder from her. Instead, his focus was on something completely unrelated.

“Didn’t you like the necklace?”