Chapter 201 Let Sophia Accompany
The dress was too dazzling, and Tiffany didn't have the aura to support it. Her beauty was overshadowed by the dress, and the amazement of the crowd was more from the luxurious diamonds on it.
"That dress is studded with so many diamonds; it must be very expensive."
"I think I've seen it in magazines. It's a haute couture dress, and the price seems to be over a million."
"A million?! Miss Foster is so lucky."
Everyone envied Miss Foster for being so pampered by Mr. Lancaster; who else could be able to wear a million-dollar haute couture dress on a whim?
Tiffany and Gabriel sat down together. Before the meal, Gabriel gave a few opening remarks.
He never wasted his breath. The company's performance was good this year; they made more money, so everyone's annual bonus would be increased by ten percent.
Everyone was overjoyed. As soon as Gabriel finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted.
Sophia had been here for a few months now and had a clear understanding of the company's benefits and rules. She had to admit, Gabriel was indeed an excellent leader.
No wonder Lancaster, under his leadership, became a leading powerhouse in the domestic technology industry. No wonder he could become a top business tycoon.
Sophia was busy eating.
There were ten people at a table. Larry's mouth was full, but he still praised, "Delicious..."
Gabriel didn't like the drinking culture, so at this New Year's dinner, apart from a few senior leaders having a couple of drinks with Gabriel, no one else dared to cozy up to him.
Everyone ate their own food, with departments sitting together. The table with Gabriel was filled with the company's core senior executives and shareholders.
Harrison nudged Gabriel's shoulder and whispered, "Did Sophia look for you?"
Upon hearing the name Sophia, Gabriel instinctively looked in the direction where Sophia was sitting. But there were people everywhere, and Sophia, sitting far away, was blocked from view.
He had noticed Sophia when he came in. She was sitting quietly in the corner, chatting gently with others. Suddenly, he felt a bit choked up.
This woman could be gentle to anyone, except him... he got angry just thinking about it.
"What does she want from me?" Gabriel asked coldly.
"Didn't she tell you? She wants to plead for those five designers who quit."
Gabriel recalled that five designers had indeed left the design department. If he remembered correctly, those five people were targeting Sophia. Did this woman have such a kind heart?
"You're also to blame for actually approving their resignation. Now, Sophia's reputation in the company has gotten even worse."
"But if you could give Sophia a break and let those five people come back to work; they would certainly remember Sophia's kindness. This would be a good thing for Sophia."
"What are you guys talking about?" Tiffany, curious, leaned in.
Harrison and Gabriel were whispering, and she seemed to have heard Sophia's name faintly.
Harrison rolled his eyes and went off to drink with the director of R&D next to him.
"Nothing." Gabriel responded with just one word.
Tiffany gritted her back teeth secretly. Thinking of the plan to come, her body heated up with excitement, and her face also became flushed. To outsiders, it looked like she had whispered a few words with her boyfriend and then blushed sweetly.
"Mr. Lancaster and Miss Foster are so in love; they’re so sweet.”
Someone at the same table exclaimed enviously.
Sophia bowed her head and continued to eat her food in silence.
“In previous years, Miss Foster never attended the annual meeting. This year, Mr. Lancaster brought Miss Foster personally. Does this mean they're going to announce their marriage?"
"It's possible; they've been together for over five years, right?"
"And they have a child too."
"That child doesn't seem to be Miss Foster's."
They were initially quietly eating but once someone opened this can of worms, the gossip flowed like a river.
Everyone was discussing Gabriel and Tiffany with great interest.
"Is it a child Mr. Lancaster adopted?"
The fact that Gabriel had a child was not a big secret. Sam had been to the company many times, but most people had only heard about him and not seen him.
"I don't know, but I heard he looks like Mr. Lancaster. Maybe it's a child Mr. Lancaster had with his ex-girlfriend?"
"Then why didn't Mr. Lancaster marry his ex-girlfriend? Mr. Lancaster is such a handsome, wealthy, and loyal man; how could his ex-girlfriend bear to leave? Could she be a bad woman? Did Mr. Lancaster get cuckolded?"
Upon hearing this, Sophia nearly choked on her food.
Gabriel got cuckolded?
It was more like she got cuckolded!
Their imaginations ran wild with various speculations, incorporating plots from novels they had read, such as chase and escape scenarios.
Sophia was completely invisible, occasionally responding to Larry's comments about the food being delicious or too spicy.
She, Larry, and Charlotte did not participate in the conversation, and the others didn't seem to want to pull them into it.
After the New Year's dinner, there was a dance upstairs where everyone could relax and enjoy themselves. If anyone got tired, there were rooms upstairs for resting.
But before that, it was time for the much-anticipated raffle draw.
The host delivered a few excited remarks, then instructed everyone to take out their phones, enter a mini-app, and follow the instructions to participate in the raffle.
Half an hour later, the results for all the grand prizes were revealed.
As expected, Sophia wasn't among the winners.
Larry, however, was in luck and had drawn a luxury car.
He was so stunned that he couldn't believe it and handed his phone to Sophia.
"Sophia, can you check if this is real?" He asked incredulously.
Sophia took a glance and smiled, "It's real. Congratulations."
"Ah..." Larry wanted to scream, but mindful of the occasion, he could only suppress his voice.
The big screen rolled the list of winners. A technical PhD from the lab had won the biggest prize—a grand villa.
When the atmosphere was at its peak, Sophia finally received a consolation prize— 1000 dollars.
Around nine o'clock, everyone gradually arrived at the dance floor.
The venue was luxuriously decorated and filled with fine wines and delicacies. Even the servers were pleasing to the eye.
The dance was everyone's favorite part of the evening. They could invite anyone they liked to dance, and it was the best time to network.
For the first dance of the night, everyone clamored for Mr. Lancaster and Miss Foster to take the floor. Gabriel furrowed his brows; he had never brought a female companion to the annual meetings before, so he typically didn't dance all night.
But today, he had brought Tiffany. It seemed inappropriate not to share a dance with her.
In the crowd, he spotted Sophia in a starry night dress. She stood quietly, her face to the side with a smile on her lips. She looked like a goddess of the starry night, which made his heart skip a few beats.
"Gabriel?"
Hearing Tiffany call his name, Gabriel snapped out of his thoughts.
Tiffany smiled, "I remember that Miss Kelly is very good at playing the piano. Why don't we ask her to accompany us?"
Without a second thought, Gabriel refused, "No need."
"But I've already asked someone to invite her," Tiffany said, her brows furrowed in perplexity.
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