Chapter 435 You Don't Have to Wait for Me
The busy signal buzzed in Daniel's ear, and his face twisted in anger as he hurled the phone to the ground. The screen shattered instantly, mirroring his furious expression.
Meanwhile, Kirk was getting anxious when he couldn't get a hold of Grace. Panic started to creep in. Did Grace take the money and bail on her promise to send those pieces of evidence to Seb?
Thinking about Grace's usual antics, Kirk felt his worry grow. But he had no clue where she was and could only wait for her to reach out.
"Mr. Marshall? What's wrong?"
Kirk snapped back to reality, glancing at Violet beside him. He forced a smile, "What's up?"
Violet handed him a document. "Mr. Marshall, there are some issues with these data points. We need to verify them with Ms. Roach. If they're wrong, we'll have to redo the experiment."
Kirk skimmed the document and said, "Got it. I'll go find her. You handle your other tasks."
Violet had planned to check herself but was surprised when Kirk volunteered. She figured he wanted to see Ariana. Violet lowered her eyes, a flicker of emotion passing through them. She thought she was just as good as Ariana, so why did Kirk like Ariana?
"Okay, Mr. Marshall, please hurry. These data points are urgent," Violet said, her voice steady, though a note of disappointment lingered.
Kirk nodded. "Alright," he replied, taking the document and heading for the lab.
At the lab, he found Ariana recording data in front of the equipment.
Kirk approached her. "Where's Ms. Roach?"
Ariana frowned at his voice and turned to him, "She went to get the experimental materials. Do you need something, Mr. Marshall?"
Seeing her tense face, Kirk's eyes darkened. He handed her the document. "There are some issues with these data points. Can you check them out?"
Ariana put down her notebook and took the document, examining it seriously. The problematic data points were already circled by Violet, and Ariana recognized them as the ones with issues last time.
"Mr. Marshall, please wait a moment. I'll find the correct data for you, along with the latest set. Please take them together," Ariana said.
Kirk's gaze followed her closely, "Alright."
Ariana didn't look at him again, putting down the document to find the new data that had just come out today.
Soon, she returned with a document. "Mr. Marshall, this set of data is correct. We've cross-checked it several times."
Kirk took the document but didn't leave immediately, "Do you have time tonight? I'd like to have dinner with you."
Ariana pressed her lips together, instinctively avoiding his gaze. "I might have to work late tonight."
Kirk said, "No problem, no matter how late it is, I can wait. I'll send you the restaurant info. You can go straight there after work."
Without giving Ariana a moment to refuse, Kirk turned and departed quickly. As she watched him go, a sense of helplessness washed over her. She thought she had made herself clear, but Kirk still kept bothering her.
In her view, genuine affection meant ensuring the other's comfort. Kirk's relentless pursuit felt intrusive and overwhelming, not the actions of someone who truly cared. His behavior seemed driven by a need to prove himself or perhaps some hidden agenda.
Not long after Kirk left, she shot him a text. [Mr. Marshall, I'm swamped today and might not make it to dinner. No need to wait for me. Sorry.]
Kirk didn't reply.
Later that evening, as Sharon was packing up to leave, she noticed Ariana still at her desk and raised an eyebrow. "Ariana, why are you still here? I thought we were done for the day."
Ariana stiffened and forced a smile, "Sharon, there are a few data points I want to double-check to avoid any issues. You go ahead."
Sharon nodded. "Alright, but don't stay too late. Get home early."
Ariana replied, "Okay."
After Sharon left, Ariana lingered in the office for a bit before finally shutting down her computer and heading out. An hour earlier, Kirk had sent her the restaurant address along with a pitiful photo of himself with a cast.
Ariana pretended not to see it, but it still affected her mood.
Kirk was basically using his "kindness" to pressure her into meeting him, but she didn't want to be with him out of obligation. After mulling it over, she decided to ignore it and went straight home.
Meanwhile, when Sharon got into the car, she was surprised to see Seb driving himself. "Did Aubrey take the day off?"
Seb glanced back at her, smiling, "Hop in the front. We're going out to eat tonight."
Noticing his good mood, Sharon moved to the passenger seat, buckling up as she asked, "Why the sudden dinner out? Did the company land a big order today?"
Seb started the car, raising an eyebrow. "It's a celebration, but not for a big order."
Sharon asked, "Then what for?"
Seb replied, "Guess right, and I'll give you a reward."
Sharon thought for a moment. It wasn't anyone's birthday or any anniversary.
"I can't guess. Just tell me," she said.
Seb grinned, "Today is the anniversary of our first meeting."
Sharon was silent. The first meeting?
"Didn't we first meet at my wedding with Alex?" she asked.
Even though Alex later betrayed her and she hated him, she still remembered their wedding day. Before she married Alex, she was sure she hadn't met Seb.
After all, Seb was so striking that if she had met him, she wouldn't have forgotten.
Seb pouted, "Of course not. You remember your wedding day with him so clearly but don't remember the day we first met. Isn't that unfair to me?"
Sharon said, "If you got married, you'd remember your wedding day too."
Seb followed her lead, "That depends on when you agree to marry me."
Sharon glared at him, "You still haven't told me when we first met!"
Seb replied, "I'm not telling. Think about it yourself. If you can't remember, then forget it."
Sharon's curiosity was piqued. If Seb said their first meeting wasn't at the wedding, it must have been before the wedding.
After thinking for a while and still having no clue, Sharon couldn't help but look at him, "Mr. Smith, did you have designs on me from our first meeting?"
A smile flashed in Seb's eyes, and he admitted without hesitation, "Yes."
Back then, Sharon was with Alex, and they seemed really happy together. Even though Seb was drawn to Sharon, it wasn't enough to make him fall out with Alex over her.
If he had known Alex would cheat later and that he would end up liking her so much, he would have definitely taken her away from Alex back then.
Sharon had just said it casually, not expecting him to admit it. The unexpected honesty left her feeling a strange mix of excitement and sudden shyness.
She didn't expect that he had been interested in her so early, but if she and Alex were very much in love at that time, she wouldn't have noticed anyone else. If Seb had pursued her then, she definitely wouldn't have agreed.
She said, "I didn't expect... you had a crush on me so early. It seems being too charming isn't always a good thing."
Her playful, narcissistic look made Seb's smile deepen, his eyes full of affection.
Sharon added, "But I'm still curious, what was our first meeting like? Was I very beautiful and pretty, so you noticed me at first sight?"
Seb replied, "It wasn't quite like you think. You were actually quite disheveled at the time."
Sharon was silent. The image she had in her mind of her walking gracefully past Seb and him falling for her at first sight was completely shattered. She didn't expect to be disheveled?
She had to admit that Seb's taste was quite unique. But in her memory, she didn't have many disheveled moments.
Except for one, It was when Robert Pharmaceuticals had gone bankrupt, and her father had fallen gravely ill. Desperate to cover his medical bills, she'd asked her father's old friends for help, but each visit ended in disappointment, with polite refusals..
It was pouring rain that day, and she got soaked. She approached the last door she could think of, devoid of hope. As expected, the man was entertaining guests and, seeing her disheveled state, coldly told her to leave and had the servant shut the door.
Sharon was nearly in despair, standing at the door for a while before turning to leave. Shortly after she got home, the man's assistant contacted her, saying they were willing to lend her the money, which helped her father pull through.
Later, during her university years, she worked part-time whenever she could and finally paid back the money by the time she graduated.
She remembered that when she repaid the money, the man had a complicated expression and said he didn't expect her to actually pay it back.
Sharon rarely reminisced about the past. For her, the past couldn't be changed. Looking forward was the most important thing. Thinking carefully, she found that the time when Robert Pharmaceuticals went bankrupt was about a month from today.
Based on the date and Seb's description of her image, it must have been when she went to borrow money.
She looked at Seb. "The first meeting you're talking about, was it when I came to borrow money?"
Seb nodded. "I didn't expect you to guess so quickly."
Sharon was confused. "But when I borrowed the money, I didn't see you at all."
Suddenly, Sharon thought of something and unconsciously bit her lip. "Was the money that the man lent me actually from you?"
At that time, she had wondered why the man suddenly changed his mind. Thinking about it now, she thought if it was Seb, it all made sense.
Seb said with a smile, "Yes."
Sharon said, "It really was you!"
If that was the case, then her first meeting with Seb was even earlier than her first meeting with Alex.
Seb said, "I originally planned to wait for you to grow up, but I didn't expect Alex to get to you first."
Sharon pressed her lips together. If she had known it was Seb helping her back then, she might have really fallen for him. Unfortunately, there were no ifs.
Fortunately, they still met in the end and were together now.
Half an hour later, the black Cayenne stopped in front of a restaurant.
The two got out of the car and walked inside. Just at the entrance, they ran into Ayla.
Ayla was walking out with a middle-aged man in a suit, both of them smiling. Seeing Seb, they both stopped.
The middle-aged man smiled and greeted Seb, "Mr. Smith, are you here with your girlfriend for dinner?"
Seb asked, "Mr. Jerry Simmons, are you here to discuss business with Ms. Bridges?"
The man called Jerry nodded with a smile, "Yes, we almost finished our discussion."
Seb didn't continue to ask, "Alright, let's have dinner together next time."
Jerry replied, "Sure."
Throughout the encounter, Ayla didn't get a chance to speak to Seb. After the incidents with Demetrius and Jerold, she didn't dare to appear in front of Seb and left with Jerry in a hurry.
This brief interruption did little to faze Seb and Sharon. Without further ado, they resumed their course and entered the restaurant.
At the restaurant entrance, Ayla saw Jerry off.
Ayla said, "Mr. Simmons, I'll discuss the project with the company's board tomorrow. Once I get their approval, I'll go to Starlight Corporation to sign the contract."
Jerry got into the car, rolled down the window, and looked at her. "Alright, I'll wait for your news, Ms. Bridges. Don't disappoint me like last time. This project was secured from the government, and many companies are eyeing it. Give me an answer as soon as possible."
Ayla replied, "Okay, I'll definitely give you an answer before the end of the day tomorrow."
Jerry said, "Alright, no need to see me off, Ms. Bridges. I'll wait for your good news tomorrow."
Ayla smiled, "Okay."
After seeing Jerry off, Ayla immediately called Leo to tell him about securing the Starlight Corporation project.
Leo was also excited, "Ayla, you're amazing! Grandpa will be very happy to know you secured this project!"
This project was led by the government, unlike the previous Golden Water Resort project, which was an internal project of Starlight Corporation and carried significant risks. But the project Ayla secured this time was absolutely solid.
Ayla's face was full of excitement as she walked to her car, "I'll go tell Grandpa right away. I'm about to drive, so I'll talk to you later."
Hanging up the phone, Ayla quickened her pace, eager to fly back to the Bridges Villa to tell Garry the news. With this project, Damon wouldn't be able to shake her position as the general manager of the Bridges Group! She would definitely become the head of the Bridges Group!
Inside the restaurant, the waiter led the two to a private room on the second floor. As soon as they walked in, Sharon saw a cake in the center of the table, with a line of words written in cream, "5113th day since meeting Ms. Roach."
Sharon was stunned for a moment, feeling a surge of emotion. She didn't expect Seb to have fallen for her at first sight and to remember the day they met so clearly.
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