All the agenda items had been covered, and everyone was waiting for Mr. Maynard to finally adjourn the meeting, but he seemed to be lost in thought. Was there something else to discuss?
Harlan cleared his throat gently. “Mr. Maynard, is there anything else to add?”
Cedrick finally snapped out of it. “Oh, no, that’s all. Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Meeting adjourned.”
Just as everyone was getting up, the conference room door opened, and a sweet, cheerful voice called out, “Oh, you’ve all worked so hard! Lunch is here, let’s just eat in the conference room.”
Maricela, smiling sweetly, walked in carrying two large bags of takeout. “There’s a lot more outside. Let’s open these two first, I’ll go get the rest.”
The conference room immediately erupted in cheers.
“Wow, Mrs. Maynard is treating us!
Thank you!”
“We can’t let Mrs. Maynard carry it herself, we’ll get it!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Maynard! Having you is a blessing for the whole company!”
For a moment, the room was filled with calls of “Mrs. Maynard.” Maricela’s eyes crinkled with her smile. “Oh, you guys, don’t be like that. You all work so hard for the company, bringing some food is nothing.
You’re the real heroes of the company.”
After speaking, she looked at Cedrick. “Cedrick, your lunch is in the office. Do you want to go eat there?”
The people in the conference room started teasing again. “So Mr. Maynard gets a special meal!”
“That’s not fair!
Such favoritism!”
“We should go see if Mr. Maynard’s food is different from ours!”
The ones teasing were all employees who had a good relationship with Cedrick and often joked around, but today, Cedrick wasn’t smiling. His expression was just blank.
Harlan quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Mr. Maynard has been working day and night thinking about the company’s new business expansion plans, so give him a break.”
The tense look in Cedrick’s eyes finally softened, and he let out a low sigh. “You’re not wrong. I know what you were trying to do. We’ve known each other for years, don’t you think I know you? It’s my fault…”
After sighing, he took out his phone, opened his chat with Maricela, and transferred some money to her. “I’ve been busy lately. Go buy yourself something you like.”
“Cedrick!”
But Maricela was furious. “What do you take me for?”
“That’s not it…” Cedrick pinched the bridge of his nose. “I really don’t have the time…”
“I know you’re busy! I know you don’t have time!”
Tears streamed down Maricela’s face. “Other people call me a gold digger, do you think I’m a gold digger too?”
“That’s not what I meant…”

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