11:05
Chapter 78
Ines was taken aback. This wasn’t some cheesy romantic proposal, but the most ordinary and warm promise: to be with her for life. It was the promise that every couple made in front of the priest when they stepped into the alter.
At this moment, a sense of satisfaction she had never felt before surged in her heart.
After dinner, they went to see a movie as planned, which was a comedy.
The audience around them were laughing their heads off, but the two of them, who had a high threshold for humor, didn’t even crack a smile. They had no idea what was so funny but still, they watched it until the end.
When they walked out of the cinema, they both started laughing simultaneously, feeling like they had just sat through two hours of nonsense.
Later, they went for a walk by the river, until they were tired and went home.
Ines had thought that such a deliberate date would be awkward, but it turned out surprisingly well, judging from the satisfied smile on her face.
Ines fell asleep in the car. After carrying her into the house, her phone in her bag rang again.
Ethan immediately picked up. The person on the other end of the line stopped when they heard a man’s voice, only speaking when Ethan was about to hang up.
“I’m the butler of the Galeana family. Could I speak to Ms. Ines?” said Silas.
“My wife is asleep. Whatever it is, you can tell me,” said Ethan coldly. The thought of them taking her back to the Galeana family against her will, making her go through so much, made him angry.
If it weren’t for the fact that Ines still had some affection for them, he wouldn’t even bother communicating with them and would just deal with it his own way. Silas had spent most of his life by Hunter’s side and had met many distinguished people, but the young voice on the phone, even through the line, gave him an inexplicable pressure. He steadied himself and said, “Ms. Ines left her phone and bag at the Galeana family. I was wondering when she would be free so I could return
them to her.”
“No need. Please tell Mr. Galeana that since he didn’t want this daughter five years ago, he should let go of her now. She’s my wife now. Don’t take her away again without my consent, or I don’t know what I’ll do. I mean what I say.” After saying this, Ethan hung up the phone.
“Hello? Hello…”
Silas called out twice, but all he heard was the hang–up tone. He had put the call on speaker, so Hunter, who was standing next to him, heard everything clearly.
Hunter couldn’t help but slam the table and raise his voice, “This arrogant man, how dare he threaten me. What on earth did Ines see in him? Why would she marry someone like this?”
“Chairman, I think the man Ms. Ines married is not an ordinary person,” said Silas. Some people exude an aura of respect just from their tone and attitude. Without a doubt, Ethan was one of them. “You don’t have to tell me that. I know,” Hunter. said in a deep voice. If the guy wasn’t something special, how could he not find out anything about him? Just from this fact, he knew that the guy wasn’t someone to be underestimated. Plus, he addressed him as Mr. Galeana, clearly showing his audacity even after knowing his identity.
“What should we do now? It seems that Ms. Ines has decided not to come back to the Galeana family. She’s so stubborn, it’s going to be a problem.”
-Hunter snorted dismissively, “We’ll see who’s more stubborn.” That was his daughter, whom he had watched grow up. He
didn’t believe that he couldn’t handle her.
Ethan turned around and saw Ines standing behind him, quietly looking at him.
He smiled, “Did you hear all that?”
Ines nodded.
Ethan walked up to her, lifted his hand to ruffle her hair, “Do you want me to get you a new phone number?”
Ines shook her head and calmly said, “No need. No matter how many numbers I change, as long as he won’t let go of me, I can’t be at peace.”
“Okay.”
“You should go to bed early. You have work tomorrow.”
Early in the morning, Ines received a call from Jaime asking her to come to his office. When she arrived, she found Amella was there too.
“Ines, you’re here. Please, have a seat,” Jaime said.
Ines nodded and sat down on the sofa next to Amelia Young.
“Amelia, Ines, I’ve called you here so early because there’s a task need to entrust to you.” He handed them two invitations.
Ines opened hers to find it was an invitation to a cocktail party. The chairman of Evergreen Ventures, Luis Dotson, was celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary. “As you can see from the invitation, this is something we worked hard to get. Ines, since you’re new to A City, let me give you a brief overview. Evergreen Ventures is the second largest company after the Meyer Group. What’s more noteworthy is Luis’s rise to success. He held various government positions when he was young, before he entered the business world and founded Evergreen Ventures. His network is very extensive, and tonight’s party will be brimming with celebrities.
Our leaders place a lot of importance on this event and have high hopes for us. You two will come with me. I believe you both know what to do, so I won’t repeat it. Ines, you can follow Ms. Young. She has attended many such parties and is experienced.”
Although Ines didn’t like it, she nodded in agreement. The reality was that whether it was negotiating contracts or securing business, it often happened over the dining table. Especially for the firm, auditing financial statements was their main business. If they could secure more annual audits from companies, the bonuses and benefits would undoubtedly be substantial. Not to mention that Luis had connections in the SEC. If they could get to know these people, it would greatly facilitate their future work.
Ines had rarely been to such cocktail parties before. Aaron was good to her, knowing she didn’t dig places like this. She usually wasn’t stuck with the job of schmoozing for business deals.
“Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you guys. You’re off the hook from the office this afternoon. Amelia, take Ines to our go–to boutique and pick out some suitable clothes. As usual, the office will pick up the tab. We’ll meet up at the hotel entrance tonight.”
After leaving Jaime’s office, Amelia halted, spun around to face Ines, and after a few seconds of silence, asked, “How’s your booze tolerance?”
Ines answered honestly, “I don’t usually drink alcohol.”
Amelia responded with a poker face, “Then be careful.”
Ines felt a warm glow inside and her eyes crinkled a bit at the corners, “Thanks, Ms. Young.” Amelia was taken aback at hearing this. It seemed she hadn’t expected to receive gratitude from Ines, given she wasn’t usually very friendly to her. Amelia glanced at Ines, then took off.
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