Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At 11: 30 a.m., a young man delivering flowers came to Mary Co.’s office.
“I’m look for Mary Hanks?”
Mary was at Priscilla’s seat, looking at the proposal for Garcia Group and the edited pictures. Before she could speak, someone shouted, “Here! Mary is here!”
The man passed a bouquet of vibrant red roses to Mary. “Miss Hanks, please sign here.” Mary took a look and signed.
Priscilla took out the card from the flowers and handed it to Mary. She smiled and said, “Mary, quickly take a look at which admirer these are from.”
Yvonne, a neighboring colleague, looked at Mary with admiration. “It’s only right that such a beauty would receive flowers. I want to pursue Mary too! Mary, are you bi? Would you consider me?”
Mary smiled back at her. “Sorry, I’m not interested.” Everyone burst into laughter.
Yvonne pretended to be heartbroken. “Mary, you’re so direct. How can my heart take it?”
“Alright, enough.” Priscilla patted Yvonne’s head. “If you continue, we will have no appetite for lunch.” Mary laughed and she was about to say something to Yvonne, but before she could, her phone rang.
Mary stood up and said to Priscilla, “Distribute the roses to everyone.”
She went back into her office to answer the call. It was John.
His voice was low and pleasant to the ears. “Mary, I’m downstairs now. Shall we have lunch together?”
“John, I…”
“Other than treating you to lunch, I have some business to discuss with you. It’s about your father’s accident.”
John’s tone turned serious.
“John, do you mean you have clues to the accident back then?” Mary said nervously, tightening her grip on her phone.
“I’ll give you the details later.”
“Okay,” Mary answered. After she hung up the phone, she took her bag and entered the elevator.
The Liam family was not as powerful as the Gaston family in the business world. But they had an upper hand in the political arena.
When Mary exited the building, she saw John leaning against his car, waiting for her. It was a scorching hot day.
John was physically attractive – muscular yet classy. Women who walked by all looked in his direction.
Mary waved her hand and greeted John. He opened the car door when he saw he coming from a few meters away.
He looked into her eyes and smiled. “Mary, hop on.”
“Thank you.”
Mary closed the parasol she had been carrying and got into the car.
On the opposite street, Max had just walked out from the gate. He saw Mary getting into John’s car.
John put his hand on the top of the car door to protect Mary from bumping her head as she went in. He was gentlemanly and considerate.
She even looked up and met his gaze before she fully disappeared inside.
From Max’s perspective, it as if they had feelings for each other. His handsome face instantly darkened. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He took out his phone and to call Mary, but instead, his phone rang.
He glanced at the number and answered the call.
“Max, are you free this afternoon? Come have lunch with us at 1587. Let me update you about the progress.”
It was Max’s good friend, Gordon Polt.
Two years ago, he returned to Sheares just two years ago.
“Okay. See you in the afternoon.”
Max did not ask any further. As he was answering the call, he was watching the car until it blended into the traffic and went out of sight.
…
1587 was a restaurant suitable for both business and leisure. It was a quiet location exclusive to members.
In the hall on the first floor, partitions had been installed between tables to separate them, while the second to the fourth floor housed many private rooms.
This was where the elites of Sheares gathered.
John and Mary were part them. They had chosen a private room on the third floor. After placing their orders, the waiter poured some water for John and Mary and left the room.
John stared at Mary’s hand and asked calmly, “Mary, what happened to your hands?”
Mary had thought he wouldn’t have noticed them. Blinking slowly, she said with a dismissive tone, “I fell and my hands scraped against the floor.”
“Really?” An inquisitive look flashed across John’s eyes.
John pursed his lips at the thought of how Max had looked at him when he sent her back that night. Mary quickly changed the topic and asked, “John, you have clues to my father’s accident that happened that year?”
“I looked through the documents and found something suspicious. The case was closed in a hurry because the witness said that it was a normal car accident.”
Mary recalled the day, when she was still only eight years old.
The day of the car accident was her father’s birthday.
Before her father left, he had promised her that he would blow out the candles on the birthday cake with her at night when he came back.
However, when she saw her father again, he was cold and covered in blood.
She had cried so loudly. The rims of her eyes were red and swollen from her tears. But no matter how much she cried, her father did not return.
“This eyewitness, they can no longer be contacted?” Mary asked calmly.
John’s expression turned grim. “Two years after the witness testified, he died in a car accident.”
“And a few years ago, his family left the country. Mary, I’m currently looking for his family. Perhaps I can find some clues from there.”
Mary nodded. “Thank you, John.”
Although Paul was also looking for the witness’s family, there was little hope of finding them.
She had been eight when her father had gotten into a car accident, while Paul was only fourteen.
John said, “Mary, you don’t have to be so courteous with me. I want to help you find out the truth behind the accident. I also want to help you with what happened five years ago.”
He knew something terrible had happened to Mary then, but he didn’t know what it was. He wanted to know, only then could he help Mary.
Just then, there were two knocks on the door. After a moment, the door to the private room was pushed open, and the waiter came in with the dishes.
A faint smile appeared on Mary’s delicate face. “This meal today shall be on me. Thank you for helping me. However, please don’t send flowers, or I will feel so embarrassed that I will no longer dare to sit down for a meal with you.”
“Alright, I won’t send flowers anymore.” John laughed.
Halfway through the meal, Mary got up and went to the washroom. She hadn’t expected to bump into Sandra there.
The plaster on her legs had already been removed. Mary was surprised that she recovered so quickly. It might not have been that serious after all.
“Mary, why are you here?”
Sandra had been slapped twice by Mary that day. When she met Mary again, she was a little intimidated.
Still, she managed to put on a smile quickly enough. “Did you come because you knew that Max and I are eating here? Did you send someone to watch me and follow me in order to find Max?”
Mary sneered.
Matthew had said that Max was going on a business trip for a week, yet Sandra said that they were eating together?
Mary thought Sandra should keep up to date about Max’s business arrangements before lying.
“Do you think that I need to find Max through you?”
“Of course! If you didn’t follow me, why would you be here?”
Sandra recalled Max’s attitude towards her not long ago. He was not as cold as before, and he even gave her a necklace.
She laughed smugly and touched the necklace around her neck. “See? This necklace was given to me by Max.”
Mary’s eyes paused on her necklace for a second before she entered the cubicle.
Sandra sent Max a text message.
[Max, I had fall in the washroom. It hurts. Could you do me a favor?]
Sandra happened to leave just hen Mary came out of the cubicle, .
Mary washed her hands and left the washroom.. Not far from her, she saw Sandra throwing herself at Max, saying coquettishly, “Max, it hurts!”