When Amelia introduced everyone, she mentioned that Ruby Shane was her best friend.
Seeing the boss's best friend break the ice, everyone naturally greeted her with smiles and exchanged pleasantries, after which someone very consciously vacated the spot next to Amelia.
Daniel Cooper sat down beside the woman with an ease that belied his irritation, and after surveying the group seated in a circle on the sofa, he smiled faintly and said, "Keep enjoying yourselves, no need to be formal or to pay me any special attention."
Perhaps encouraged by his calm demeanor, the atmosphere in the private room slowly picked up again, and a few of the younger executives even chatted with Daniel Cooper, jesting that he was down-to-earth and easy to get along with, in spite of their slurred speech.
