Chapter 120

120 Recovery Dinner

“Well, now that that is out of the way, want to go out for dinner with me tonight?” Ace asked in such a cheerful voice that my eyes snapped up from the tightly clenched hands on my lap to his face.

His sudden invitation caught me by surprise. It seemed like the formal part of this chat was over and now Ace had reverted into the version that he was usually like when we were alone.

“Umm...” I murmured hesitantly.

I had no idea how to react to that.

“This is for you...” Ace said as he passed me a couple of tissue after pulling it out from the box on his desk.

“Thank you...” I thanked him while taking the tissues from his hand.

Realizing that my face was probably still a mess, I quickly dabbed at the tears in my eyes and the tear stains on my cheeks. Ace watched me with a look of pure sympathy and a strong feeling of guilt flooded my chest again. Now that I was at it, I decided to blow my nose as well.

The loud sound that my nose made brought out a chuckle from Ace. I glanced over at his smiling and laughing face and a small smile formed on my lips.

Yes, the situation was detrimental, and I may not have this job for long; however, it wasn’t the worst of the worst yet. After all, Ace seemed to believe in me, and he was still willing to stay by my side.

.....

“Let’s...go out for dinner...” I said softly yet decisively.

“Let’s skip work and then go out for dinner,” Ace declared with a satisfied grin on his beautiful lips.

Now it was my time to giggle a little. Overall, I felt extremely beaten, sorrowful, and remorseful. However, Ace’s presence did cheer me up a little.

“Cheer up, Rina. It’s very far from the end of the world. It’s shit but these shitty things can happen to the best of us,” Ace said comfortingly.

I looked down and nodded my head when I felt the warmth and weight of his large hand on the top of my head. There was no need for me to look at him to tell what kind of face Ace was making at that moment.

Thank you, Ace...

...

The private and well-hidden restaurant that Ace took me to was a very surprising change. Needless to say, I have never heard of or seen this restaurant before and I doubt that it was within the price range that my salary could afford. A middle-aged man who introduced himself as the manager of the place greeted us warmly. The way that Ace chatted with the man told me that this wasn’t his first time here.

The restaurant resembled more of a house than a proper restaurant. After entering the house that was decorated in the cowboy theme, we were led to the second floor. I let him take my hand and lead me up the narrow flight of stairs that led to the second floor of the house. Unlike the first floor that had many tables and a bar, the second floor only had a single table. Clearly, privacy came at a cost.

“I like coming here. It’s very peaceful and quiet...on the second floor...” Ace said before flashing a smile at me.

I could see that. The second floor had a single private room and that was where we were. It was peaceful and very quiet with us being the only ones there. To match with the theme of the decoration, the place served steak as the main dish.

“Some wine?” Ace asked.

I smiled at him and nodded.

Ace went ahead and ordered for us after asking me for my preferences. We were left alone once again and that was when I started asking Ace the questions that were on my mind.

“Honestly, I’m impressed that you and Jeremy had a spare storyboard...” I said to start the conversation.

'

“We always have it. It’s not everyday that ideas will get stolen in such a brazen manner like what happened today but there are other reasons why we may need a backup storyboard,” Ace replied smoothly.

“I see...” I mumbled.

“The committee or the client may hate the storyboard that we presented so having a backup that is different can help save the day and turn the meeting around. Sometimes, it can play a big role in determining whether we get to keep the contract or not. Jeremy is a pro at creating storyboards in a short amount of time. It may not be 100% like the main one but it’s definitely presentable,” Ace explained matter-of-factly.

Having a Plan B is probably one of the reasons why Ace does so well in his career and his relationship with his clients.

“It really did save the day today...” I said in agreement.

I sipped the red wine in silence. Drinking wasn’t really for me, and I had learnt that the hard way but a glass of wine shouldn’t hurt. I really needed something to lift my spirits up after all that took place today. For the life of me, I still couldn’t believe that Elizabeth, the woman that Kyle married, is the brand-new CEO of Chase Creatives. If what Ace said about her family background is true then she’s not just the CEO, she’s the heir to Chase Creatives.

‘I’m quitting...I’m leaving the company,’

Kyle did tell me that he was leaving the company when he came over to my place. I cursed him silently as anger started to boil up inside of me again. He should have just told me that he had married the heir to our biggest competitor and that was why he had to quit his job. Plus, he just couldn’t quit without taking my idea over to sell it to the other side just to please his wife.

“Don’t look so down or you’re going to make the food taste bad,” Ace warned playfully.

I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to realize that a waiter had turned up to the side of our table.

–To be continued...