Sorry, I'm the Final Boss Now novel Chapter 5

Seeing the message, Theobald finally remembered why he had come to the mall in the first place.

The sudden reappearance of his sister, dead for eleven years, had completely scrambled his brain.

He’d forgotten all about Hannah.

He frowned, his left fingertips instinctively fiddling with the black rosary beads on his right wrist.

Anna knew him well. That frown, combined with the fidgeting, meant he was thinking. She had heard the notification sound too. Theobald had a custom alert for Hannah. Since they were sitting side-by-side, a slight turn of her head was all it took to see the message.

Was the CEO trying to figure out how to tell Marguerite he had to leave?

Even if the mall wasn't cleared, they could go somewhere else. As far as she knew, this was the first time Hannah had ever suggested going shopping with him. It was a golden opportunity.

Marguerite, the glutton, was busy ordering and didn't notice the subtle exchange.

After placing her order, she asked, “Theobald, what do you want to eat?”

Theobald looked up but before he could speak, Anna cut in. “I’ll order. The CEO is busy.”

“Busy with what?” Marguerite asked.

Theobald shook his head, his fingers tapping out a reply on his phone:

[They didn’t clear the mall today. I have something to take care of, so I can’t go shopping with you. Next time.]

Marguerite had just returned. He could tell her about Hannah later, when the time was right. Hannah was so charming; Marguerite was sure to like her.

Anna’s eyes widened in shock.

This was the first time her boss hadn't dropped everything for Hannah.

Excellent! He's a sister-complex! There’s hope for him yet!

In her luxury van, Hannah was equally stunned.

Just a short while ago, Theobald had been messaging her repeatedly, asking if she had arrived. Why the sudden change of heart?

She had already arranged for paparazzi to secretly photograph them. When Joshua saw the news that Theobald had booked an entire mall just to shop with her, he would be furious. He was already full of regret and begging for her back, but she wasn’t that easy to win over.

She wanted to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

After a moment’s thought, she replied to Theobald.

[Theo, are you mad at me? I fell asleep in the car and didn't see your messages. I wasn't ignoring you on purpose.]

The custom alert tone was long, and it rang twice in quick succession.

This time, Marguerite heard it. She asked directly, “Who’s texting you?”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, her chest heaving. She snapped at her assistant, “Let’s go! Tell the paparazzi to leave too! The nerve of him, standing me up!”

But she still sent one more message to Theobald.

[I’m leaving, Theo. You go ahead and take care of your business. I won’t bother you.]

This time, he replied almost instantly.

[I’m not angry, I just have something to deal with.]

[Bank Transfer: $100,000]

[I’m sorry, Hannah. I’ll make it up to you next time.]

Seeing the three messages, Hannah scoffed and ignored them.

A hundred thousand dollars? Was he trying to pay off a beggar? She wasn’t accepting it.

As long as she didn’t accept, Theobald would send more. It was his usual tactic.

She would decide whether to acknowledge him based on the sincerity of his apology—in cash.

Meanwhile, Marguerite saw Theobald casually transfer a hundred thousand dollars and nearly fainted.