Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Her CEO didn’t seem like the type to buy cheap stuff, and Cornelia wouldn’t be buying anything too expensive either. Considering their needs, Cornelia decided to prioritize her boss’s preferences and took him to a luxury store.
Cornelia watched Marcus walking ahead of her. He kept walking without showing any interest in going into a store. They might end up not buying anything if they just wandered around aimlessly.
Cornelia sped up to catch up with him. “President Hartley, wanna check out some stores?”
Marcus nodded and headed to the nearest store, only to be stopped by the staff at the entrance. “Sir, please line up over there.”
Usually, big luxury brands would actively cater to someone like Marcus. He probably wouldn’t even bother looking and would have no idea that they needed to queue up to buy a purse.
Cornelia quickly took out the company’s VVIP card. As soon as the staff saw it, their attitude changed instantly, and they ushered them into the VIP room.
The staff serving VVIPs were as polite as if they were welcoming royalty, even bringing out bags that regular customers had to wait months to buy. “Sir, madam, please feel free to choose.”
Hearing this address, Cornelia felt embarrassed. “He’s my boss.”
Marcus also frowned. Although he hadn’t been able to see his wife since returning to his country, he didn’t want others to misunderstand. It was rare for him to clarify, “She’s helping me choose a gift for my wife.”
“Sorry!” The staff dealt with all sorts of people daily and shouldn’t have made such a basic mistake.
But when they sat together, they looked like they belonged together, and their vibes matched so well that people subconsciously assumed they were a couple.
Not knowing what kind of handbags girls like, Marcus decided to buy them all. There must be one his wife would like. “Wrap up these bags.”
Four bags, totaling over a hundred thousand dollars.
Next, Cornelia accompanied him to a high–end jewelry store. The staff immediately took them to the counter. “Sir, this necklace is our special release this year. Your wife will look stunning wearing it.”
Marcus said, “Alright, wrap it up.”
The staff loved decisive customers like him. She smiled at Cornelia, “Madam, would you like to try it on?”
“He’s my boss.” Cornelia patiently explained while seething inside.
What was wrong with these people’s eyes?
Was there anything about her and Marcus’s behavior that went beyond a boss–employee relationship?
She was clearly just his little sidekick, always cautious and afraid of doing a bad job, losing her high–paying position. How could she resemble a CEO’s wife?
Cornelia looked at Marcus. This time, he didn’t explain, and his expression didn’t change. But she could clearly sense his displeasure.
They ended up choosing two necklaces and spent several thousand more.
When Cornelia helped swipe the card for payment, she felt like her heart was bleeding.
She tirelessly works day and night to earn money. Up until now, she hasn’t been able to save up enough for a down payment on a house. The amount of money she has saved over these few years is still less than what others spend on buying a few designer bags or jewelry pieces.
The gap between the rich and poor was truly heartbreaking.
After the items were packed, Cornelia naturally took charge of carrying them since Ben hadn’t found a parking spot yet.
Upon leaving the mall, Marcus led the way and casually asked, “Do you still have things to buy?”
Cornelia pointed to the left, “What I want to buy isn’t in this mall. We need to walk a bit.”
“Lead the way.” Although Marcus said this, he walked in front.
Although the bags and jewelry they bought weren’t large, the packaging boxes were huge. Cornelia carried two big bags in one hand, looking like a Christmas tree loaded with gifts. It was not only tiring but also comical.
Since her strides weren’t as big as Marcus’s, she fell behind him.
When people mistook them for a couple, Cornelia felt that Marcus’s attitude towards her had become much colder.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Maybe he was worried about being mistaken again or concerned that she might develop unrealistic thoughts about him. Regardless, Cornelia appreciated his awareness as a married man.
12:46
After about ten minutes, they finally arrived at Cornelia’s destination a boutique gift shop.
Abigail had always wanted to buy a teddy bear from this store, but she never had time to come to the Capital.
Cornelia ran over to greet Marcus, “President Hartley, I need to buy something here.”
Marcus nodded, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Comelia thought she definitely shouldn’t make Marcus wait too long. So she first bought Abigail’s gift, then randomly picked out a few accessories she liked.
Seeing all kinds of cute little things, Cornelia stopped and began to carefully choose.
Marcus was not a patient person when waiting for others. He only agreed to wait for Cornelia because she had helped him choose gifts.
He stood by the roadside, leisurely smoking a cigarette, watching the girl picking out accessories in the store through the smoke and glass window.
He noticed that Cornelia seemed happier in this small shop than in the high–end stores. Her eyes sparkled, as if she was selecting extremely precious treasures.
Do all girls like these trinkets?
Would his wife like them too?
Marcus decided to go into the store and picked up a fluffy toy, trying to imagine his wife holding it.
However, he couldn’t remember what his wife looked like, just that she had a delicate face.
He subconsciously looked at Cornelia, and the faces of the two women overlapped in his mind.
But Marcus quickly dismissed this absurd idea.
He rarely paid attention to women’s appearances, and many people were forgettable. He thought he might have subconsciously replaced his wife’s face with Cornelia’s just because she was often around him.
Cornelia saw Marcus, “President Hartley, do you want to buy a toy for your wife?”
Marcus said, “I don’t know if she’ll like it.”
Cornelia laughed, “President Hartley, girls usually don’t care about the gift itself but the thought behind it. Since you’re putting so much effort into it, she’ll like anything you buy.”
“Really?” His wife didn’t even save his phone number. Would she like the things he bought?
Marcus thought long and hard about it. He had ditched his wife after they got married, not caring for her for a whole year. And now, he thought he could just call her and expect her to come home? That shouldn’t be how things work.
He should buy her more gifts and pick her up in person…
“I’ll do the choosing,” he said.
He took the task very seriously, but he had no clue what young girls liked. So, he told Cornelia, “Just buy everything that girls would love.”
Cornelia
knew that Marcus was loaded and that buying a few trinkets was no big deal. Heck, he could even buy an entire store with just a word. But as his assistant, she couldn’t just let him go wild like that.
Cornelia gently persuaded him to buy a little less, but Marcus still went all out.
So, she had no choice but to buy an extra suitcase to hold all the prezzy’s the big boss got for his lady.
After all, there couldn’t be any damage to the gifts from the boss to his wife.