"Hello, I'm looking for Wendy!" The next day, Monet arrived at the Reimei Coffee Company and spoke to the receptionist.
"I'm sorry, sir, we don't have an employee named Wendy here," the staff member replied politely.
"None? How is that possible? I heard she works here," Monet started to say, then suddenly realized and corrected himself, "Uh, please help me find Miss Howard, your boss!"
"Do you have an appointment?"
This question caught Monet off guard. He hadn't anticipated that Wendy had become so busy that even meeting her required an appointment. He explained, "Although I don't have an appointment, I'm an old friend of hers. If you just tell her that Monet, Tony Monet, is here, she'll definitely see me!"
"Alright, please wait a moment!" The staff member turned and went inside to report.
After two minutes, the staff member returned to Monet, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Monet, but our boss is very busy today. She might have about ten minutes available for a meeting at around 3:30 PM. Could you please come back then?"
Upon hearing this response, Monet felt like he was about to burst with frustration. Was Wendy really capable of being this pretentious now? He decided that in the afternoon, he would just come to take a quick look at her and make sure she was fine before leaving immediately, not staying even a minute longer.
Back at home, seeing Monet's irritated expression, Nicole casually asked and, upon learning the situation, said with a smile, "Don't be angry. I guess this might be Miss Wendy's way of getting back at you for not being able to find you when she came looking for you back then."
Monet considered it. Indeed, when Wendy had risked being fired to travel all the way from Philadelphia to New York to find him, he had already moved, and the newspaper hadn't given her his new address. Her emotions, as a lonely young girl in New York, must have been complex and distressing. So, now she might just be seeking some form of revenge. Otherwise, as the boss of Reimei Coffee, with so many employees under her, finding him should be easy. She might have been waiting for this day.
After realizing this, Monet felt somewhat better. However, at this moment, Nicole teased, "Now Miss Wendy is a big shot. Do you regret not having won her over back then?"
Without hesitation, Monet shook his head and replied, "Not at all, because if we had been together back then, she probably wouldn't have had the chance to become a big shot. But to be honest, I am curious about how she managed to become the boss of Reimei Coffee in such a short time."
"I don't know the exact reason, but it definitely involves a man!" Nicole confidently said.
"Which man?" Monet asked curiously.
"Come on, isn't it obvious? It's definitely the former boss of Reimei Coffee. As far as I know, Reimei Coffee was already in business before you went to Hollywood or before Wendy came to find you. So, either Wendy is his daughter, or she's his woman. There's no other possibility!" Nicole analyzed.
As it turned out, Nicole's speculation was correct. In the afternoon, Monet arrived at Reimei Coffee on time. In the spacious and luxurious office, he saw Wendy, whose makeup was impeccable and attire was extravagant, but she seemed unfamiliar to him.
And Wendy didn't show the warmth she used to. There was no trace of guilt either. She simply greeted him with a faint tone, "Mr. Monet, long time no see!"
Monet had initially wanted to call her by her first name, but it turned into, "Uh, it has indeed been a while, Miss Howard!"
"I've heard that you've been living with several beautiful women recently. You must be having a great time, right?" Wendy asked sarcastically.
Upon hearing this question, Monet knew that Nicole's guess was accurate. In fact, Wendy had long known his current address, so she replied nonchalantly, "I'm doing fine. But surely I can't compare to Miss Howard. Um, may I ask, how did you become the owner of Reimei Coffee?"
"Because I found my Jack!" Wendy answered with an enraptured expression.
"Your Jack? What does that mean?" Monet asked, puzzled.
"He's a man who loves me as much as Rhett loved Scarlett. While he didn't sacrifice his life for me, he did give me his business, which is Reimei Coffee!" Wendy proudly replied.
"But don't you think it's quite unusual that he handed over the company to you after knowing each other for just a few days?" Monet kindly reminded her.
To this, Wendy scoffed, "You, a writer of romance stories, why do you doubt love so much? Arthur and I are like Jack and Ruth. We knew we were each other's true love at first sight. So, don't just focus on him giving me the company. Whatever he does for me, I won't be surprised!"
"Why hasn't he married you then?" Monet asked straightforwardly.
"Because we're planning our wedding. Arthur wants to give me a wedding that will shock the world!" Wendy replied with a dreamy expression.
Seeing Wendy deeply immersed in her romantic fantasy, Monet had to change the topic reluctantly, "Let's set aside your love story with Arthur for a moment. I want to ask you, do you think opening a coffee shop in China can be profitable?"
"Of course it can be. Coffee is such a delicious drink, how could anyone not like it? Just like Arthur says, as long as we cultivate the habit of drinking coffee among the Chinese, we'll definitely make money!" Wendy confidently replied without hesitation.
Wendy's answer left Monet speechless for a moment. After a few seconds, he asked from a different angle, "Let me ask you this: Has Arthur been absent from the employees.