Sitting in his seat, Sheffield fixed his eyes on the female CEO who shone like a goddess not far from him. He appreciated her skills. He didn't expect that Evelyn was so good at winning people's support.
People in the programming department were quite excited, but the employees of the finance department were quite envious of them.
Some of them were dissatisfied, saying that Evelyn was playing favorites. But someone who knew how hard the programmers worked said, "The programmers code day and night, their lives dedicated to their projects and the company. No one's saying we don't work hard, but they do it at the cost of their health."
Those who were still unconvinced didn't dare say anything more for fear of being scolded by others.
As everyone started to relax, a brave young man thought he was clever. "Miss Huo, are you single? I'd love to go out with you."
"Hahaha! In your dreams." Another employee laughed out loud.
"She is the eldest princess of our CEO. Don't even think about it. Go and earn tens of billions of dollars first, then you can ask again!"
"Tens of billions? You kidding me?"
"Hahaha…"
That end of the restaurant was loud with laughter and chatter.
Evelyn hadn't paid much attention to the people in the finance department. With a smile, she told everyone in the programming department, "I'm sorry. I already have a boyfriend. But I hope you guys find someone even hotter than me."
"Wow, she has a boyfriend? Who is he, Miss Huo? He must be something special to be with you. Those other idiots never had a chance," someone joked.
Evelyn asked Nadia to refill her glass with wine and apologized, "I'm sorry. It's not the right time yet. I'll tell you later. Thanks for asking, though. To a bright future!"
She raised her glass to propose a toast. They all knew that Evelyn couldn't stay long, so they all stood up with glasses of wine or juice in their hands. Under the starlight, the employees of the programming department raised their glasses and toasted the booming business of ZL Group.
The employees greeted Evelyn warmly as she walked from one side of the restaurant to the other. That was where the finance department's table was.
She nodded to everyone there with a smile. "Mr. Huo is on a business trip, so he couldn't be here. I came here to propose a toast on his behalf. Thank you for your hard work…" Her voice paused when her gaze landed on a man among them.
It was just a short pause, and she continued in a calm voice, "Just now, we upgraded the grand prize for the most outstanding employee of the programming department. But we'd never forget our guys and gals in finance." She turned to the manager and said, "Miss Wang, I'll let you do the honors."
"Yes, Miss Huo."
Everyone was now excited. Evelyn shifted her gaze back to them. "With so many women in the finance department, I think a Lamborghini is not good enough. How about we set the grand prize to be a house in Y City? What do you think?" Her voice was soft and gentle, as if she was negotiating with everyone.
Everyone was shocked, and then just like the programming department, the finance department was in an uproar. They exclaimed, "Wow! Amazing!"
"Do you know the average price of an apartment in Y City? Tens of thousands per square meter? Even a 100 square meter house would run you several million."
"Did Miss Huo mean it? A house in the city?"
Inadvertently, Evelyn's eyes met Sheffield's, then she looked at the silent Gillian sitting next to him. She realized Gillian probably invited him.
Concealing the disappointment in her eyes, Evelyn moved her eyes away and interrupted their musings. "Every employee will have this opportunity. I hope you'll work hard from now on and work your way up in ZL Group."
"Thank you, Miss Huo!"
Evelyn downed another small glass of liquor.
She was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, she waited patiently for the two departments to announce their winners, and then personally awarded the prizes to them.
Interestingly, the employee of the finance department who won the grand prize this time around was none other than Gillian.
Although she was just demoted a few days ago, she was a pretty hard worker. It was true that she got the position as supervisor of the finance department through her connections, but she actually had the acumen to back it up.
After giving the other nominees the prizes, Evelyn began to give out the grand prizes to the best of the best.
She remained calm facing Gillian. The other colleagues tried their best to keep their voices down while gossiping about Gillian's demotion.
Checking her attitude at the door, Evelyn said to Gillian, "Miss Chi, on behalf of our company, I would like to thank you for your contributions to ZL Group. Since we've just decided to change the grand prize to be a house in the city, we haven't had a chance to secure one. After we go back to work, I'll ask Nadia to handle this. I'll send you a deeds as soon as possible."
Gillian wasn't as forgiving as Evelyn. She felt Evelyn was talking to her in a condescending tone, which made her angry. But everyone was looking at them, so she couldn't make a scene. She replied perfunctorily with a smile, "Thank you, Miss Huo."
'Do I care about a house? Why are you so arrogant?' Gillian thought to herself.
"You're welcome, Miss Chi. Congratulations. Keep up the good work!" As she was done speaking, Evelyn took a step back to keep her distance.
Tracy, the manager of the finance department, whispered to her, "Miss Huo, Mr. Tang from Theo Group is also here. He's related to Miss Chi. Do you want to talk to him?"
Evelyn looked at the man sitting not far away, playing with his phone. He was now the CEO of Theo Group after all. She supposed she should say something to him. So Evelyn nodded,
"Yes. Get me a glass of wine."
Tracy felt baffled. "Mr. Huo never let you drink like this. You've had a couple glasses already. How about we switch to water?"
"No need. Just liquor." Nadia had gone easy on the wine, pouring just 2 or 3 ounces in each glass. She didn't have that much.
Besides, she and Sheffield had never had a drink together. She had an excuse tonight.
Just as Evelyn and Nadia were walking toward Sheffield, he suddenly stood up with his phone to his ear and walked to a quiet place. She didn't know if he really needed to take the call in private, or whether he was avoiding her.
Evelyn slowed down. While walking, she considered whether she should follow him. Three seconds later, she made up her mind. She shadowed him as he tried to slip away from the party.
She stood less than two meters away from him and listened to him while he talked on the phone. She guessed it was a woman on the other end, because he was speaking in gentle tones.
"Yeah. We'll get together after I finish my work."
On the other end of the line, Joshua, who had just picked up the phone, was confused. "Why did you call me? I don't remember asking if you wanted to hang out."
"Honey, be good. I'll be home soon."
"Oh, my God. What's wrong with you?" Joshua got goose bumps all over his body.
"Don't be afraid. I'll keep you company." With his back to Evelyn, Sheffield stared at the night. He felt nauseated inside when he talked like this to the guy on the other end.
"Fuck! Listen, Sheffield! I'm Joshua Fan, not Evelyn Huo! If you want a girl, then go find Evelyn. Quit bugging me."
"I know, I know. Don't be angry, honey. I'm headed home now, okay?"
"Will you cut that out? Don't come over, bro. You're a pervert. I'm afraid to go to sleep now because you might **** me. Sober up and call me later!" Joshua yelled.
