Somebody heard our conversation and chimed in, “Since it’s on you, you can’t just treat one person, can you? Sienna, you should celebrate your promotion with all colleagues.”
“That’s right. I’m dead bored. I haven’t been out for two months.”
Colin just smiled and did not make any comment.
I suggested, “Shall we all have dinner and drinks tonight?”
“Wow, sounds like a plan!”
The young girls were over the moon. Feasting and having fun were their weekly themed activities.
When the frenzy died down, Colin laughed at me. “With a total salary of eight thousand, you’ll be left with nothing after treating over twenty colleagues to dinner and drinks. Dinner will most probably cost one or two thousand, excluding the expenses at the bar.”
I grinned. “It’s okay. I don’t spend much anyways. Let’s just hang out and have some fun as long as everyone’s happy.”
“All right. I’ll let my mom look after Summer and Michael this evening in case we get home late. What do you think?”
I agreed.
The restaurants in R Province were relatively cheap. I found a big one and made a reservation for two rooms on the first floor.
A few colleagues were busy ordering food while someone teased me, “This must be the best restaurant in R Province since it’s picked by Sienna. An average expenditure per person here is about two hundred. How generous of her!”
“Indeed. Half of your pay will be gone after this meal.”
Someone else added, “Why are you worried? Ms. Stanhope doesn’t depend on her salary alone, so why should you feel bad for her?”
It was Joyce. Without saying anything, I smiled as they continued placing orders.
There was no need for any introduction since everyone knew one another. Chats were heard immediately when all sat down together.
Someone asked, “Sienna, do you plan to settle down in R Province? Or are you here temporarily?”
I answered, “I haven’t decided.”
“I heard that the two young heirs of Featherstone Corporation in K City and White Corporation are locking horns in the corporate world. They both plan to get support from the Stanhope family. Sienna, can you share some inside news with us?”
Their topic could never go beyond gossips. “I only stayed in K City for three years, so I’m not too familiar with all the happenings there.”
Joyce had always been in the limelight. Conversely, she was no longer the center of attention without his father’s backing.
She jeered. “You want to hear something interesting? I recall Ms. Stanhope having a four-year-old daughter. I wonder why a person born with a silver spoon like you would run all the way to a rural province and hide with a child. May we know why?”
That was a massive piece of gossip.
Instantaneously, everyone fixed their eyes on me curiously. “Sienna, we’ve not heard you mention anything about the father of your child.”
I took a sip of the wine and pursed my lips. Right then, the waiter served us food. I quickly changed the topic. “All of you must be starving. Let’s dig in.”
I don’t like to gossip about others and I don’t like to be talked about either, especially when the topic is brought up intentionally by Joyce.
People from a small province may be kind-hearted, but due to too much free time on their hands, they tend to be very nosy.
A topic like this should either be clarified or forever kept under wraps. There’s no way I can clear the air right now, so I can only choose not to mention it at all.
Seeing that I had no intention to explain further, they did not pursue the matter. The dinner ended pleasantly around nine o’clock.
As the host, I had promised everyone to hit the bar for some drinks. I could not go back on my words.
We went to a bar in the city center.
It was quite crowded. We picked a good seat on the first floor and had a great view of the stage performance on the ground floor.
The latest songs were being played on the screen while three men, who seemed to be in their thirties, were performing a soundcheck.
After ordering some drinks and snacks, we continued yammering on. The place was not too noisy but very lively.
With flashing lights and the upbeat music playing in the background, men and women danced merrily and bobbed their heads to the rhythm.
Colin sat beside me. He leaned over and asked, “Is Anthony Summer’s father?”
His unexpected question stunned me. I looked at him; we both smiled.
Adults would let it slide, and we both left the question unanswered.
It was quite dull to just sit and drink, so we ended up playing some games. Colin did not touch a drop of alcohol because he had to drive.
I was not a big fan of drinking games. After a few rounds, I lost quite a bit and had to down a couple of glasses.
Feeling rather tipsy, I saw a bouquet of flowers appearing in front of me.
At that moment, everyone was observing me with anticipation.
A boy in his early twenties introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Matthew. Can we be friends? You’re the nation’s sweetheart, Nancy, right?” His bashful expression could be seen even under the dimly colored lights.
I froze for a few seconds. “I’m not Nancy. You’re mistaken.”
He was quite persistent. “How could it be? You are Nancy. Although you look slightly different without make-up, your beauty is ethereal. You just stand out in a crowd!”
Hmm.. how should I put it? It’s great being young and reckless.
I thought about it for a while and came up with an idea to debunk the boy’s perception. I showed him my identification card. “See, I’m not Nancy Goldstein.”
He scrutinized my photo with disbelief. “You both look alike.”
I replied politely, “There’re indeed many doppelgangers in this world.”
Blushing, he presented me with the bouquet. “This is for you, Ms. Stanhope. You’re very pretty. I don’t think I’ll ever see Nancy in person within my lifetime.”
With that said, he left.
The group of colleagues started clamoring for attention. “Sienna, you really look like Nancy, especially your eyes. I was also mistaken when I first met you.”
I let out a faint smile in response.
It seems like I have a lot of look-alikes. In the past, people said I resembled Joyce, and then it was Cameron. Now, I’m apparently a twin of a top celebrity.
“Don’t take it seriously. Beautiful faces are mostly similar,” said Colin as he switched the glass of wine from my hand to a glass of fruit juice.
I was not bothered. “It goes to show that I’m quite good looking.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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