During the lunch break, Elena's colleagues quickly scrambled towards her with their lunch trays, forcing her to sniff off their colognes from that proximity.
Thanks to the solid air condition in the store, they were not sweaty otherwise the nerves in her nose would have been thoroughly damaged before the end of lunch.
As her gaze fell on every one of them, she could read the curiosity and the excitement buried in their eyes.
There could only be one reason they were suddenly acting all kind to her. Their interest had everything to do with Mark Wang and her shopping experience with them.
But the important question lay here; to indulge them or to leave just one word that would have them snorting and scathing away?
No matter which option Elena would choose in the end, she had to be thoughtful.
---
One might think that Eric would rush over to the penthouse just to hear the gist he has been dying for as soon as the call dropped. But contrary to expectations, Mark's little brother decided to take his time on this one.
At most, it would take him nothing more than 2 hours to arrive at his brother's secret place no matter where in the city he was, but Eric decided to take an extra hour before making a grand entrance.
"Hello! House owner. Did you miss me?" He grinned while carrying the takeouts towards the modern dining area.
At the centre of the room, there was a white rectangular dining table with gold-plated edges. The six chairs were white with soft leather for a backrest and on the neck-rest, an intricate design was carved using real gold.
'Actually, no one in their real mind would use a real gold for that.' That's what everyone would be thinking except that Mark didn't have a sound mind when deciding every item that would be in his penthouse.
Mark's dining room was not anything less than that of a rich celebrity who couldn't help splashing some money just to have that place appealing to his sight.
You know, one glance at it and there would be no need to eat.
Mark scoffed and threw his gaze back to his phone. He was sitting on a white leather sofa with his leg crossed over the other. "I thought your car tire got busted in the middle of a race."
What a creative way to ask, 'What took you so long? I was worried.'
"I was out getting food for your soul?" Eric replied with his lips still curled at their ends. He was already used to his brother's bad sense of humour.
"What kind of food is that? Angelic music?" Mark asked sarcastically as his brows shot up to his forehead.
He sounded pretty annoyed, and he tried not to let it show on his face. But who was Eric? The handsome look-alike of his brother could clearly smell his sour mood from that distance but pretended not to.
Maybe it was best that he continued to preserve his dearest brother's ego instead of choosing to get choked for ratting it out.
"I couldn't settle for something like that, so I got you something better. That is the reason I ran a little late," Eric explained and then turned his gaze towards his direction.
Thankfully, he was still able to catch a glimpse of him from that angle.
"Now, come and eat."
When Mark arrived and saw the different dishes still in the take-out packs, he shot a glare at him. "You don't know how to serve food?"
"This is me being lazy about washing plates and who knows, your housekeeper might not even come around today." Eric grinned and pulled out a chair for himself.
"Lazy… I think you are only good at your job." Mark muttered to himself. Eric shrugged.
When the brothers finished their lunch, Eric dumped the takeout plates into the waste bin before coming around the large airy living area and plopped himself on one of the sofas to listen to the gist with excitement brimming in his eyes.
As Mark got to tell the story of his encounter with Elena at the store, he didn't hold back and Eric couldn't stop grinning.
"She is looking hard but not impossible to win over," Mark said at the end. That was the impression Elena had given him when he tried her out.
"So, what's your plan with her?" Eric inquired as his brows danced just like every other day he was looking forward to having real fun.
When Mark met his expectant gaze, he understood the crazy thoughts going on in his head so easily, and quickly put an end to it.
"This one is no plaything. She is worth a shot."
"Really?" Eric's eyes rounded as he propped his chin with his fist, looking more interested than ever. "You are going to date her?"
When last was his brother in a serious relationship? It was not hard to be reminded of it because it was ever since that bloody woman…
"We will see about that," Mark replied vaguely with a smug look slowly climbing his face.
***
Elena returned from Deluxe Stores several minutes past 4. She hadn't expected her first day to be so hectic and to crown it all, she had to get stuck in hot traffic before making it back to her place in one piece.
A deep exhale escaped her lips as she walked in through the front door looking exhausted. She exchanged her shoes for a pair of home flip-flops before walking in properly.
First things first, she needed a quick bath and with that, she found her way to her bathroom.
Ten minutes later, she walked out in denim shorts and a lilac purple polo, her hair up in a messy bun.
Swatting some of the loose strands away from her eyes, she walked straight to the kitchen to boil water with an electric kettle. When the water cooled, she transferred it to a big empty plastic bottle before putting it inside the refrigerator.
As Elena couldn't afford table water, this was how she would be drinking her water just until she can attain a premium lifestyle.
After a long tired day, she prepared one cup of instant noodles and ate it in a mad rush while staring blankly at the cramped empty living room.
Elena was poor after spending a fortune to relocate. For the time being, she would have to manage whatever she had, even though she wasn't even that bothered as her family was her priority.
She didn't mind living in the slums if they could feed well.
Elena was worrying about the only family she left behind when a call came in on her phone. Quickly, she walked over to the counter to pick it up.
As soon as her gaze landed on the screen, she saw the name she had managed to add to her contact list just before the close of work. Mark Wang.
He was calling, just as he had implied earlier.