At Delmar's words, his expression clouded, and he muttered, "Uh-oh."
William felt a brief surge of confusion before adopting a deadpan tone. "What do you mean by 'Uh-oh'? What did you do?"
Delmar chuckled a bit sheepishly and replied, "Well, it's not so much what I did, but rather what I didn't do."
William sighed. "So you didn't buy anything for the guy, did you?" Delmar nodded.
"So now what am I supposed to give him? I planned to use that gift as a pretext to speak with him privately, and now this mess happens. I really didn't expect you to be so careless."
Delmar, clearly embarrassed, was silent for a moment before he stood up, looked at William with determination, and said, "I'm really sorry about this, boss. I genuinely am. I sort of forgot, but you don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm going to find you the perfect gift— something that will secure your place in his inner circle."
