Chapter 173 Trial Period
Finished
The HR manager already looked pretty satisfied with him and even tried to put in a good word. “Ms. Mayfield, based on my years in HR, these fresh–out–of–school types are usually hardworking and easy to manage.”
Jace nodded like a bobblehead. “Yeah, I’m just trying to make some money right now–I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”
Honestly, I was a little puzzled. He looked so young, this fresh–faced guy, and yet I couldn’t quite read him. His eyes were clear and honest when he looked at me, but why did I feel there was more to him?
I
“Alright.” I said, “we’ll keep you on for now. Trial period–one month. I did need someone to run errands anyway.
And just like that, Jace was hired. They gave him a spot not far from my desk. As expected, he acted like it was his first time in the workforce. He even spent a good while admiring that half–worn, half–decent office chair like it was some kind of treasure, eyes full of innocent curiosity and that oddly vague smile on his face.
Around lunchtime. I noticed everyone had already headed out to eat, but Jace was still sitting there, flipping through files.
So I asked him. “What are you doing for lunch? We don’t cover meals here, you know,”
He answered right away, “I’m good with anything. Where are you headed, Tiffany?”
Since we’d at least crossed paths a couple times before, I figured I might as well treat him to lunch. There’s a decent restaurant nearby. Want to come with me?”
“Sure!” Jace jumped up without hesitation and followed me out.
We had barely settled in at the restaurant when suddenly a crowd poured in, filling up all the empty tables around us in no
time.
The middle–aged woman taking our order came over with a beaming smile. “Well, look who we have here–our lucky stars! Just a minute ago, this place was half empty. You two show up, and the whole place is packed!”
I glanced around and smiled before turning to place our order.
Jace was casually playing with his phone, but his eyes kept drifting my way.
Right after we finished ordering, a server rushed over to our table, looking a little flustered. “Sorry, but there is only one order of mushroom risotto left. Another table ordered it, too–would you be willing to switch to something else?”
I blinked, just about to say something, when a middle–aged man at the other table raised his hand and said, “We’ll pass or mushroom risotto.
pass on the
The server’s face lit up. “Perfect! They said they didn’t want it anymore–we’ll serve it to you guys.”
Jace turned to glance at that table, and instantly, they all went silent.
The food came quickly. I ate while checking work emails on my phone. Back when I didn’t have a job, I used to think people glued to their phones for work were just pretending to be busy. Now I know–it’s not an act. There’s always something that needs to be done. Sigh. Yet another stubborn assumption of mine bites the dust.
“Tilfany
“Call me Ms. Mayfield,” I replied, still not looking up.
Jace gave a quick ‘Oh‘ and corrected himself. “Ms. Mayfield, you should eat first. Work’s never–ending.”
I froze for a second and looked up at him. “Not bad–still young, but already knows how to look out for people.”
He seemed a little shy from the compliment, lowering his voice. “I just noticed you haven’t eaten much.”
Chapter 173 Trial Period
After the meal, he suddenly got up and headed straight for the counter.
“Hey–wait, I’ll pay.” I waved him back.
Finished
But Jace had already paid before I could even get up. He came back to the table and said. “It’s alright. If it weren’t for you today. I probably wouldn’t even have a job,”
I laughed. Okay, so he knows how to show gratitude. I nodded. “Alright then. Work hard.”
After lunch, we walked back to the office. In the
alternoon, I sent Jace out to handle a promo deal. I’d already gone over everything with the client, but when he got there, they completely backtracked and jacked up the price by 30%.
I called them to renegotiate. They were polite but firm–they weren’t budging.
So I told Jace to return, but he said, “Don’t worry, Ms. Mayfield. Let me see if I can pull a few strings.”
“You have connections?” I was honestly surprised.
“I think one of my upperclassmen works there. I’ll see if he can help smooth things over,” he said with a smile.
I didn’t get my hopes up. But before nightfall, Jace was back–and he’d not only sealed the deal, he even got the price cut by another 30%. That seriously changed the way I saw him.
But Jace didn’t brag. He just quietly sat back down and continued reading those boring company reports.
When it got dark, I told him he could call it a day. He stretched lazily, then left the office.
I was about to head out myself when I noticed several cars with Sylvania plates parked out front, including one with a Zleson plate.
Since I parked here daily. I usually noticed the cars around. So yeah, seeing a bunch of out–of–town license plates pop up out of nowhere did give me pause.
Before heading home, I swung by the supermarket to pick up some groceries. When I returned to my apartment complex, I spotted Shawn smoking outside. As soon as he saw me, he stubbed the cigarette out hurriedly.
Send Gifts
