Chapter 830: The Strategy of Pretending to Be Weak
Alright, so here's the revamped version with a more casual, slangy vibe:
---
Right then, Hannah had just wrapped up her stuff, and it was chow time.
Charles strutted out of the office in a white shirt and dress pants. His blue and white striped tie was left behind, and the top button of his shirt was undone, showing off that sexy Adam's apple of his.
Hannah heard the noise and glanced up. Given her height, her eyes landed right on that sexy Adam's apple, and she was momentarily dazed.
She couldn't help but gulp.
Charles was getting hotter by the day.
Charles sauntered over and grinned, "It's time. Let's grab some lunch together."
Hannah nodded like crazy, trying to cover up by shuffling the papers on her desk, "Okay! Just let me stash these files, and I'll be right there..."
Smart as he was, Charles knew exactly what she was up to, and his smile grew wider.
To him, Hannah was especially adorable like this.
She wore her heart on her sleeve and couldn't hide a thing.
That's why she seemed so innocent and endearingly naive.
Wyatt stood at the office door, watching their little exchange, and quietly backed off.
He could tell Charles had a thing for Hannah.
This Hannah was really something.
They hadn't hung out much, yet she had managed to make Charles fall for her.
Indeed. After losing the woman he loved the most, a guy would unconsciously look for someone similar to her to make up for past regrets.
Hannah was super lucky.
She happened to look like Violet.
Hannah fumbled with the stuff on her desk, and once she felt less jittery and guilty, she looked up again and smiled, "I'm ready. Let's roll!"
Charles looked at her and smiled slightly, his eyes full of affection.
Feeling his gaze, Hannah blushed.
As they took the CEO's private elevator down, Austin's call came in at that moment.
When the phone rang, Charles instinctively glanced at Hannah but didn't peek at her caller ID.
His good manners told him not to invade others' privacy.
Hannah pulled out her phone and was thrilled to see it was Austin calling.
Austin was calling her. Did that mean he wasn't mad anymore?
The elevator happened to open on the third floor.
They walked out side by side.
Hannah, holding her phone, said to Charles, "Mr. Watson, you go ahead. I need to take a call."
Charles nodded, "Alright! I'll go ahead and order."
Hannah smiled and nodded.
After Charles entered the restaurant, Hannah found a spot by the window and answered the call, "Austin, you're finally willing to talk to me. Not mad at me anymore?"
Austin tried to keep his cool and lowered his voice, "Are you at IntelliMerge Technologies right now?"
Hannah thought he wanted her to quit again and quickly said, "I'm not quitting! Besides, I'm only interning for two months. I'll leave when school starts."
Seeing her so worked up, Austin's face darkened.
He tried to keep his anger in check, knowing that if he kept pushing her, things would only get worse between them.
He couldn't fight with her now.
He couldn't give Charles a chance to get close to her.
As long as Hannah didn't clear up her ambiguous relationship with Charles, he would keep pretending he didn't know.
Hannah didn't clarify, and it at least proved that she cared about him and was afraid of hurting him.
Austin said, "I'm near your company. Come out, and let's grab lunch together."
Alright, here's the revamped version with a more casual, slangy vibe:
---
After a quick mental reset, Austin's voice softened, hiding all his anger.
"Now?" Hannah blurted out, instinctively glancing towards the cafeteria.
Austin said, "Yeah, now! My car's parked right across the street from your company. Just come over."
"This..." Hannah hesitated, thinking about Charles, who was already waiting for her in the cafeteria. She wasn't sure if she should agree.
If Austin had called a few minutes earlier while she was still at her desk, she wouldn't have hesitated.
She would've agreed without a second thought and been super happy.
But now? Would it be cool to suddenly tell Charles she had to bail?
Even over the phone, Austin could sense her hesitation. He frowned tightly but didn't show it.
Austin asked, "Are you busy? If so, I'll wait here. Come over when you're done."
He switched up his approach, pretending to be all chill.
Sure enough, Hannah fell for it immediately.
Hannah said, "You go ahead and eat. I'll come find you after work. You can't go hungry all afternoon."
Hannah responded instinctively, and Austin knew his place in her heart compared to Charles.
Even though he already knew the answer, he was still insanely jealous.
Austin said, "Nah, I'm not hungry. I'll wait and eat with you."
Despite his jealousy and anger, he had to endure and keep pretending.
Hannah already felt guilty about secretly interning, and hearing him say this made her feel even more remorseful. She quickly said, "Wait for me there. I'll come over right away."
Hearing this, Austin's lips curled up in satisfaction. Austin said, "No need. You finish your work first and come down when you're done."
Hannah said, "I'm already done. It's no trouble! Wait for me; I'll be right down."
Though he was pleased, Austin still pretended to reluctantly agree, "Are you sure it won't mess with your work?"
Hannah replied, "It won't! I'll be right down. Wait for me!"
Without waiting for Austin's response, she hung up the phone.
After ending the call, Hannah put her phone back in her pocket. After thinking for a moment, she mustered the courage to enter the cafeteria.
By this time, Charles had already ordered the food and was sitting in a spot facing the entrance, replying to emails on his phone.
The moment Hannah approached, he suddenly looked up and smiled at her, "You're here. I already..."
Before he could finish, Hannah apologized, "Mr. Watson, I'm sorry, but something came up, and I have to go out! I might not be able to have lunch with you."
Thinking of the phone call, Charles didn't ask much and smiled, "It's okay. I can eat alone."
Seeing the table full of her favorite dishes, Hannah felt even more guilty.
Hannah apologized, "I'm really sorry. Something urgent came up, and I have no choice."
Charles waved it off, "It's really fine. Go ahead! Just don't be late."
Hannah said, "Okay, I'll be back on time! I'll go now. Bye."
Hannah waved at Charles and hurriedly left.
Charles sat there, and only after Hannah completely disappeared from his sight did he put away his smile and slowly start eating.
In fact, after Hannah left, he had no appetite at all.
But he couldn't waste the food, so he ate a little.
The employees in the cafeteria quietly watched this scene and then lowered their heads to eat.
After a while, someone suddenly said, "Look, Hannah just got into a Bentley..."
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