Maya's smile froze on her face as she stared at the check. After a while, she slowly looked up at Steve, opening her mouth to speak, but his voice interrupted her: "Put it away. That dress wasn't cheap." He paused, continuing with a tone that seemed slightly heartless: "Besides, it's not someone else's place to buy clothes for my woman."
Maya didn't know whether to feel upset because Steve had casually thrown her a check with double the amount of money she had spent for Ruby's dress or because of the possessive tone in his voice. She felt a lump in her throat, and after a long time, she managed to say with a trembling voice: "The dress was just a simple token of my appreciation."
"A token?" Upon hearing these words, Steve chuckled, throwing the pen in his hand onto the office desk with a 'snap.' He stared into Maya's eyes for a while before his expression turned somber: "I'm afraid your 'token' had ulterior motives."
