Chapter 543 I Don't Like You
Lyric frowned, wrestling with her thoughts. A maid? Did she really need to work as a maid for someone else?
What was Daniel thinking? Sure, she was pretending to be poor, but did he really think she was so desperate she needed to take on a maid job?
"A gambling dad, a mom who favors men over women, and a single brother—didn't you say all that?" Daniel squinted at her through the half-lowered car window as she rode her electric scooter. He sneered, "Forgot your own story?"
Lyric realized she had forgotten the casual lies she had told. But he remembered them so clearly!
Yeah, her current image was that of a pitiful girl...
"Right, right, Mr. Taylor, you've got such sharp eyes. You see through everything," Lyric said with a forced smile.
Payday came around soon enough. When Lyric got her paycheck, she thought the finance department had made a mistake. Just then, she saw Daniel's assistant approaching and quickly asked, "Mr. Wood, is there a mistake with my salary? Wasn't it supposed to be four thousand dollars?"
"No mistake. Mr. Taylor gave you a special raise," Walter said nonchalantly before heading into the office.
Daniel gave her a raise, more than doubling her salary. Why? Had the capitalist suddenly grown a conscience?
She called her friend to talk about it, and her friend wasn't surprised at all. "Daniel's using his position for personal gain. Don't you get it?"
"What?" Lyric was confused.
Her friend laughed, "He probably recognized you. The raise is to win you over. He's pursuing you."
"Should I invite Mr. Taylor to a big dinner then?" Lyric asked.
"Smart move. You need to reciprocate to make sure he doesn't look down on you. Invite him to dinner." Her friend replied.
Lyric gathered all her courage and knocked on Daniel's office door.
She felt a bit embarrassed. After all, she had been single for a long time and was clueless about relationships. But her friend had plenty of experience, so she trusted her friend's judgment.
A warm, gentle voice came from the office, "Come in."
Her heart pounded. She took a deep breath. Would he agree to have dinner with her?
She pushed the door open and walked in. Daniel, dressed in a business suit, was focused on the documents on his desk.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked again, perhaps because she hadn't spoken.
Lyric liked him so much. Just standing in front of him, looking at him from a distance, made her nervous. Asking him to dinner should be the guy's job, right?
Would taking the initiative make her seem too forward and make him look down on her?
She believed Daniel liked her because he had given her a raise, which was special treatment.
She didn't believe he didn't like her.
Taking a deep breath, Lyric steeled herself and spoke her mind, "Mr. Taylor, are you free tonight?"
Daniel didn't look up, still holding his pen and signing his name.
She noticed his handwriting was beautiful.
In fact, she had even imitated his handwriting before, well enough to pass for the real thing.
"If you're free, let's have dinner together."
Daniel's pen tip instantly pierced the paper at her words.
He looked up, surprised, "Dinner? You and me?"
Why would she invite him to dinner?
To Lyric, his reaction seemed like he thought she was freeloading. She smiled confidently, "No, I'm inviting you to dinner."
"You're inviting me to dinner?"
Daniel repeated her words, throwing them back at her. She was so poor, working two jobs a day, and she wanted to treat him to dinner? How naive. She had no idea how much his meals cost.
"Mr. Taylor, can't I invite you to dinner? Or are you busy tonight, already have plans?" Lyric was confused. Was he playing dumb?
She had made it clear, so why wasn't Daniel responding?
'Daniel, what are you up to?' she thought to herself.
He leaned back in his chair lazily and smiled as he refused, "Using your two-job salary to treat me to dinner isn't appropriate."
"But you gave me a raise. I should show some appreciation, right?" Lyric frowned and asked.
Daniel understood now. She wanted to bribe him. His expression turned serious, and he stopped smiling. "Doing your job well is the best way to repay me. No need for dinner invitations. The Taylor Group doesn't play favorites. If your performance isn't up to par in three months, The Taylor Group won't keep you. Don't think a raise means you can slack off."
"I don't plan to slack off. I just wanted to have a simple dinner with you," Lyric was shocked by his words.
He still refused, "I said it's not appropriate. Use your salary to improve your life, buy some nice clothes. Dress up a bit. You're a young girl, why dress so poorly? People might think you're wearing your grandma's clothes to work."
Lyric blinked innocently and adjusted her black-framed glasses. She didn't want to dress like this; it was part of her disguise. And now he was complaining?
But she didn't want to give up. She still wanted to have dinner with him.
"Money isn't the issue. It's the thought that counts. We can eat somewhere cheap."
"If there's nothing else, get back to work," he said, dismissing her.
Lyric felt a pang of sadness but tried again, "You can treat me too. I don't mind if you treat me."
God, why was it so hard to have a meal together?
Daniel's face darkened instantly. He put down his pen, his gaze turning cold. "Della, I gave you a raise hoping you'd seize the opportunity and make something of yourself. Not to trick men."
Trick men? Usually, people tricked her.
Lyric pressed her lips together, her face falling.
"You're smart, but I hope you use your time and energy where it matters, not on me. To be blunt, I don't like you," Daniel said plainly, not wanting her to waste her time.
Lyric looked at him, "You forgot about that night?"
She couldn't hold it in anymore.
He was momentarily confused, "What night?"
Her heart sank.
Lyric smiled bitterly. He was pretending to forget!
"Nothing. I'll get back to work. I won't bother Mr. Taylor again," Lyric straightened her back and walked out of the CEO's office.
She muttered to herself, "Daniel, you jerk. Denying what you did. Fine, I get it. Don't regret it."
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