Chapter 268: How Many Years Have You Been with Me
I turned and landed a solid punch on Jerry's arm. "Are you trying to embarrass me?"
Jerry let out a chuckle but then hurriedly wrapped his arm around my waist, picking up on my annoyance. "Okay, okay, don't be mad. They'll get to know you soon enough this way. You'll have no trouble getting into the building anymore."
I felt like a purring cat under Jerry's touch. "You couldn't have come up with a different plan?"
Jerry flashed a mischievous grin. "This was the speediest route."
I was rendered momentarily speechless, a sinking feeling hinting that I might've just walked into his well-laid trap. "Hold on! We're just dating, okay? Who's your Mrs. Hammer?"
Jerry's lips curled up. "You don't want to marry me? Should I marry someone else then?"
"How dare you!" I looked up and met his bright eyes. He glanced at my right hand, which I had been hiding behind my back. "What are you hiding?"
"Soup."
Jerry chuckled and, catching me off guard, grabbed the insulated food container. He opened it and looked inside, somewhat incredulous. "Hope, you're actually this thoughtful?"
"You just realized, huh?" I muttered and sat down on the nearby sofa.
I had indeed grown into a personality completely opposite of my childhood self, no wonder he was surprised.
During the time I was regaining my memory, I often marveled at how time could drastically change a person.
Jerry was silent for a moment, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I really just realized."
As he spoke, he sat down with his legs spread wide, seriously drinking the soup.
However, I felt that something seemed off about his mood, even though he was trying hard to hide it.
I clenched my hands and tried to make conversation. "That Heather, who is she?"
Jerry explained, "My subordinate. Don't worry about it."
I lightly pressed my lips together. "Oh, okay."
After then, I unconsciously felt uneasy, but fortunately, it didn't last long.
Soon, my phone rang. Elissa urged me to come over.
I hurriedly left, yes, hurriedly.
On the way, I realized I seemed to be getting worse at handling intimate relationships.
Whenever there was any subtle change, my first reaction was to avoid it.
The store was next to the busiest entrance of the shopping center, which was not the best location, but it was more than enough for ElevateJoy.
The space was large, with two floors, perfect for separating men's and women's clothing. By the time we finished discussing the initial plan with the renovation company, it was already dusk.
I was somewhat absent-minded and tossed the car keys to Elissa before heading home, letting her drive.
Elissa hesitated several times before finally asking, "What's going on? You haven't been yourself since you came back from Jerry's company. Did you find him entangled with some woman at the office?"
I shook my head. "No."
Heather wasn't much of a concern. At best, she just had a crush on Jerry.
Elissa looked puzzled. "Then what's wrong? Are you doubting his feelings for you?"
I denied it immediately, "No!"
Elissa gave me a sideways glance. "Then what are you worried about? Relax. It's rare to see two people as committed as you guys."
"Love conquers all," Elissa said, sounding surprisingly philosophical, and even she seemed a bit uncomfortable after saying it.
But I had an epiphany.
Yes, with Jerry's feelings for me, I had nothing to fear.
Meanwhile, Jerry sat in his office, staring at the now-empty insulated food container, lost in thought.
He glanced at his watch and impatiently dialed the internal line. "When exactly will Steven arrive at Maple Valley?"
The assistant, sensing his foul mood, answered carefully. "Mr. Hammer, he's already downstairs!"
After hanging up, Jerry immediately messaged Steven.
[Steven, could you hurry up? If you don't show up soon, I'm done for.]
Steven's trip out of town had been planned since last week, originally scheduled to return tomorrow.
But for some reason, Jerry suddenly ordered Steven to return immediately at noon.
All the work over there was left to Steven's subordinates.
The assistant didn't know what had angered Jerry, but he silently prayed for Steven to show up quickly and not drag him down.
When Steven finally appeared, the assistant felt a huge relief and quickly stood up to open the door. "Mr. Hammer, Mr. Evans is back!"
Steven rarely saw Jerry look at someone with such a cold gaze, without a hint of warmth.
Steven's heart tightened, his mind racing as he tried to recall his recent actions. "Jerry, what's going on?"
Jerry eyed Steven without speaking, his gaze growing colder and more poisonous.
When Steven felt cold sweat trickling down his back, Jerry finally spoke slowly, "Steven, how many years have you been with me?"
Steven blurted out, "Eighteen years."
At the same time, he realized it definitely wasn't a work-related mistake.
Jerry was a boss who allowed his subordinates to make mistakes. When Steven was a rookie, he had messed up a multi-million dollar project, and Jerry hadn't even gotten mad at him.
Back then, Jerry was only in his early twenties, shouldering the consequences alone, and had only told Steven that making mistakes was normal.
As he thought about it, Steven suddenly realized.
In eighteen years, the only thing he had done that could make Jerry this angry was something that happened not long ago.
But, after all, there were no bad consequences from that incident, so why would Jerry bring it up now?
Jerry smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Thought of something?"
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