Chapter 100: Procrastination Tactics
After having lunch, Martina and Elena returned to their office to work.
Elena seemed to have something on her mind. In this short span of a minute, she had glanced at Martina more than a dozen times.
Having known each other for years, they could practically read each other’s minds.
“Martina –” Finally, Elena couldn’t hold it any longer and called out.
Martina knew exactly what it was about but pretended not to understand. “What’s up?” Elena chuckled. Surprisingly, she had a certain resemblance to Leslie from a certain angle. They both had that innocent and sincere vibe.
“Actually, it’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask if you could accompany me tonight,” Elena said. “Don’t worry, it won’t take too long! Probably just one or two hours of your time will be enough.”
Martina put down the mouse and glanced at Elena, asking skeptically, “What mischief are you planning now? I swear, I won’t go to the nightclub with you again.” The last experience was unforgettable, and Martina didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.
Elena quickly raised four fingers in a gesture of swearing. “No, no, no, it has nothing to do with the nightclub!”
Martina was even more puzzled. “You know my situation, so what do you want?”
Pouting, Elena playfully hooked her finger with Martina’s. “Well. Today is my brother’s birthday, and we’re having a party at home. You know, I have to make an appearance at such occasions.”
“But, I don’t like many people in that circle. I feel like a fool when I’m around them. Coincidentally, my brother has been nagging me to introduce you to him. Can you please accompany me?” Elena rarely acted spoiled, so when she did, it had a unique charm.
Martina pondered for a moment. It was currently 6 p.m., and the sleeping time would at least be after 10 p.m.
Elizabeth didn’t have much going on; she usually liked staying at home or shopping. If Martina went back at this time, she would definitely run into Elizabeth. Although Martina wasn’t afraid of Elizabeth, she still wanted to avoid her as much as possible.
So Martina simply agreed, saying, “Okay then. But for an occasion like today, everyone will be dressed in formal attire, and I haven’t prepared in advance.”
Elena snapped her fingers, saying, “Oh, it’s not a big deal at all. Leave that to me!” She made arrangements without hesitation. It turned out she had already prepared the dress for Martina, showing that she came prepared. The size and style of the dress were perfectly suited to Martina’s temperament.
Elena even called a stylist to help Martina with her appearance, giving her a nostalgic feeling of playing house when they were kids.
An hour later, Martina walked out of the makeshift dressing room in the office. Wearing a black formal dress, Martina looked like a stunning beauty.
This dress was the latest design from a renowned designer, and there were only two of them in the whole world.
Elena managed to get it after her brother spent a fortune. Elena’s brother probably didn’t expect that the dress wasn’t prepared by her for herself at all.
Elena looked at her “masterpiece” with satisfaction, unable to stop smiling. “That’s right! This is my girl, looking beautiful. How can we hide such a gorgeous beauty?”
“You definitely need to make a grand entrance! Otherwise, it would be a waste of your face and such a stunning figure!” Elena’s words amused Martina once again.
Martina’s long, curly eyelashes and expressive eyes were truly captivating. She smiled and asked, “Weren’t you worried about dinner earlier? Not worried anymore?”
Elena pinched her own nose and said in a spoiled tone, “Tsk, looking at beautiful women is more important than being on time. Besides, my brother won’t really do anything to me!”
Martina signed, wondering whether having a friend like Elena was a good or bad thing. After some thought, Martina decided to send a message to Benjamin proactively. With Leslie accompanying her, even if she didn’t say anything, that man would still know. But explaining it herself was a completely different feeling from having someone else say it out loud.
Martina messaged, “It’s Elena’s brother’s birthday, and I’ll attend the banquet. I should be back before 10 PM, so you don’t have to wait for me.”
There seemed to be a genuine sense of role reversal between Benjamin and Martina. Previously, Martina had always been the one who cared the most about when Benjamin would return. Unexpectedly, now she found herself proactively reporting her plans.
She didn’t know what came to her mind, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Not to mention what Benjamin was up to, as he was definitely not selling genuine love.
When Leslie learned that Martina was going to attend the banquet, he paused for a
moment.
After some thought, he quickly made an excuse about needing to use the restroom and hurried off. In reality, he was secretly making a phone call to Benjamin. However, it wasn’t Benjamin who answered the call, but his assistant, Simon.
As Simon answered the call, he quickly walked outside, afraid that he might accidentally delay the business discussion.
“Leslie, why are you calling at this time? The boss is currently in a meeting discussing cooperation and doesn’t have time to respond,” Simon whispered as quietly as possible. However, he didn’t notice that as he left, Benjamin’s thoughts were also carried away with
him.
Leslie said seriously, “Does the boss know that Miss Martinez wants to attend the
banquet hosted by the young master of the Rodríguez family?”
“Although the boss said that as long as I accompany Miss Martinez, she can do
whatever she wants, now Miss Martinez wants to meet another man. What if the boss finds
out later? He might skin me alive,” Leslie expressed his concern.
Despite Leslie appearing formidable on the outside, when facing Benjamin, he was just
as anxious as anyone else.
Simon paused for a moment and finally understood why Leslie called at this time. He
knew that the current situation couldn’t disturb the boss’s concentration, but if the boss
found out that Miss Martinez wanted to attend the banquet, he would definitely be
displeased..
He strained his mind and eventually devised a solution, although it wasn’t a good one.
“How about you find a way to delay for some time? Say that you have a stomachache and it’s inconvenient. Just try to delay as much as possible. The boss’s meeting will probably end in about 10 minutes, and I’ll contact you then,” Simon suggested.
Leslie was initially inclined to agree, but suddenly, they heard Elena’s urging voice from outside. “Leslie, are you done or not? Benjamin pays you a salary, not for you to worry about taking a dump!”
“If you’re still not feeling well, we’ll leave without you. You should know where my house is anyway. If things don’t work out, you can come on your own later!” Elena exclaimed.
Leslie was immediately frightened, realizing that the plan to delay wouldn’t work.
Simon said, “Hello? Leslie?”
Leslie resignedly responded, “Looks like the delay won’t work. If the boss wants to skin me alive, please try to stop him.”
Simon didn’t reply but pondered. What should he do now? Should he disturb the boss
or not?
