Chapter 19 Husband Gets Jealous
The R&D department was the core of the company, usually kept away from the public eye.
Fiorello didn't call out Samwise's lies because when Samwise fabricated the truth to save face, he didn't even have the credentials to be Fiorello's rival.
Samwise felt like he was punching cotton - a feeling of ineffectiveness - and seeing the couple standing together, so well-matched, he felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest.
"I'm not too familiar with the R&D department," Samwise said with a forced smile, and pressed on, "The head of R&D?"
"Nope," Fiorello answered openly, making Samwise's pettiness even more apparent.
Not the head, so just an average employee then. People exchanged looks, thinking that they hadn't guessed wrong—Maggie hadn't married particularly well. Just an average employee, nothing more than a good-looking guy.
The large round table was seated with twenty people and was full, with no vacant seats. As the host of the gathering, Samwise hadn't instructed the staff to add an extra chair when Fiorello arrived.
Samwise's attitude was clear. As an ex meeting the current partner, his jealousy was evident in his attempts to show dominance over Fiorello, creating an awkward situation.
Others noticed too, and nobody was willing to offend the up-and-coming, well-known lawyer Samwise over an ordinary company employee.
Seeing Fiorello being excluded, Maggie felt deeply distressed and a surge of anger rose within her.
She took his hand and said expressionlessly to everyone, "My husband came to pick me up, so we'll be leaving now. Our paths are different, so we shall never meet again."
Her statement fell, and silence blanketed the room.
They didn’t give Maggie the respect she deserved, so she didn't mince her words either.
Maggie had already been uncomfortable when Jane tried to grab her phone, and now her frustration erupted.
Fiorello felt Maggie’s support and a subtle warmth flitted across his eyes.
This girl was still fiercely loyal.
As Maggie spoke, she turned to their former teacher and said, "Mr. Lee, I apologize for today. I'll pay a visit some other time."
Mr. Lee, sensing the tension, merely replied with a cheerful demeanor, "Be safe on your way."
When Maggie made to leave, Samwise hurriedly said, "I drove here. Let me give you a ride."
Fiorello declined, "No need, I drove over."
He didn't care much about the attitude of the group, but Maggie clearly wasn't fond of them either, so there was no need to mingle with them.
"I'll walk you out," Samwise insisted. "I've got a bit to do; might as well head out now."
Samwise's response displeased Maggie. She hadn't seen him for many years and felt that the Samwise standing before her had become somewhat of a stranger, a bit too aggressive for her taste.
Jane said with a smile, "I'll walk out with you guys too, Sam can give me a ride."
Samwise called over the waiter and took care of the bill with an obvious attempt to stick close to Maggie and her company.
Fiorello had parked in the open-air parking lot and led Maggie to his car when a nearby Maybach's headlights illuminated.
Samwise caught up from behind and opened the door of the Maybach as if to show off, looking at Maggie, "How about I drive you after all?"
Maggie was well aware of Samwise's intention; he was ostentatiously flaunting his car, worth over two hundred thousand.
"No, that's alright," Maggie said and then turned to Fiorello, "Let's head home."
Fiorello gave a casual smile, deliberately ignoring Samwise's presence and opened the car door, "Let's head back."
Samwise's face grew sullen as he watched Maggie get into an affordable Chevrolet. Fiorello drove off, leaving Samwise with a dark expression, struggling to control his temper as he kicked the tire of a car.
Following them out, Jane saw this and said with a playful laugh, "Maggie's husband seems pretty down-to-earth, and he looks to treat her well—they're a good match."
Samwise scoffed coldly, "Some guy who drives a Chevrolet, what happiness can he offer Maggie?"
Jane could tell that Samwise was not convinced and hadn't given up.
"You haven't seen Maggie for so many years, you're no longer starting from the same place," Jane said. "On ordinary days, she might even prefer it."
Samwise watched Maggie walk away, his heart unwilling to accept the situation. "Effort makes a difference."
Jane's heart skipped a beat. "Samwise, Maggie is already married..."
"That man, he doesn't deserve her."
...
On the way back, Maggie often glanced at Fiorello out of the corner of her eye.
Fiorello maintained an expression that was hard to read, his feelings indecipherable.
Hesitantly, Maggie said, "I'm really sorry about earlier. Are you upset?"
"Not at all," Fiorello said with a smile and a shake of his head.
"Really?" Maggie asked. "My classmate meant to embarrass you, and I thought you would be mad. I'm so sorry. Don't take it to heart, and if you're upset, you can take it out on me."
Maggie's cautiousness made Fiorello chuckle. "I'm really not upset, nor am I taking it to heart. In fact, I'm quite pleased."
The behavior of Samwise and his group wasn't significant enough to bother Fiorello.
Maggie was surprised. "Pleased?"
Fiorello smiled. "The way you stood up for me earlier was powerful. I didn't expect you to have such a strong spirit."
Maggie laughed nervously, feeling embarrassed. "I'm usually very peaceful and never argue with anyone."
She wondered if Fiorello thought she was a shrew.
Fiorello glanced at her with a smile, then suddenly asked, "That guy earlier, is he your ex-boyfriend?"
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