Chapter 357
“All done? Let’s get going,” Lyman said to Effie and Nita.
Just then, Vinson Elliott cleared his throat.
Nita snapped to attention, suddenly remembering something. She shot Vinson a wounded look, thinking to herself, Seriously? It’s just a simple bowl of noodles- it’s barely a few dollars. Does he really need to squeeze this out of me?
“Alright, alright, I got it. Lunch is on me today,” Nita muttered, sounding like she was being dragged to her own execution.
Effie grinned. “What’s the occasion, Nita? Did you get a raise or a promotion?”
Nita pulled a face. “Do you really think that’s possible?”
Vinson Elliott chimed in, “Actually, Nita just got promoted to sales manager today. Well, assistant manager for now, but if you keep working hard, there’s plenty of room to move up.”
Nita froze, completely stunned. Her jaw dropped, and Vinson, watching her, made a fist and held it up, looking unimpressed.
Are all women’s mouths really that small? Can’t even fit my fist, he thought.
Suddenly snapping out of it, Nita stared at Vinson, her voice trembling with excitement. “Wait-Mr. Elliott, when did I get promoted? No one told me!”
Vinson shrugged, calm as ever. “Just now.”
“Just now…?”
Nita’s tone flipped in an instant. “Mr. Elliott, you’re amazing! I always knew you had an eye for talent. With an employee as great as me, how could you possibly let me go to waste? Lunch is definitely on me!”
She threw up her hands in triumph, grinning like she’d just won the lottery.
Seeing Nita so happy, Effie couldn’t help but laugh too.
After saying goodbye to Effie, Nita was still floating on air.
Vinson glanced over. “You’re really this happy?”
Watching her strut around like she’d conquered the world, Vinson felt a mischievous urge to mess with her.
“I said you were promoted, but I was just giving you a trial card. You get to test- drive the manager job for a day-how about that?”
Nita blinked, her smile faltering. The mouth that had practically split her face a minute ago snapped shut.
She looked at Vinson, searching his face. “You’re joking, right, Mr. Elliott?”
Vinson just stared back at her, expression unreadable.
Nita’s eyes stung, her nose prickled She was on the verge of tears, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and pretended nothing was wrong. “Alright, I understand.”
She told herself she should be satisfied-after all, she’d gone from regular staff to supervisor in record time.
“Understand what?” Vinson asked.
Nita turned away, refusing to look at him.
Does he really think it’s funny to keep teasing me like this?
Seeing her eyes glisten, Vinson felt a pang of guilt.
“I was messing with you,” he
admitted, “With your results, younet
should’ve been promoted long ago. I just thought you were a bit young and wanted to test you first.”
This time, Nita no longer felt the same excitement. Her emotions had been
yanked up and down so many times she’d gone numb.
“Nita, are you okay?” Vinson asked, suddenly worried.
Why isn’t she happy anymore?
In her mind, Nita cursed Vinson’s ancestors, but she didn’t say it out loud. Instead, she forced a smile. “With a boss as wonderful as you, Mr. Elliott, how could I possibly be upset?”
Vinson looked at her, feeling an odd pang in his chest.
“Don’t look at me like that, Nita,” he said quietly. “You’re scaring me. That smile’s
more tragic than if you were crying.”