Turning to Veronica, he let out a quiet sigh and said, "Let's get out of here. No point wasting time on them, is there?"
But Veronica, whose hand was still holding his arm after thinking that she was almost going to lash out against them, turned, shaking her head at Jason and then walking ahead of him this time, saying with a mask of fury, "Forgivable to Jason, maybe..." and then her voice was like ice as she continued, "But to me, what you've done is unforgivable. I will never forget it."
Thomas Grayson and the three goons felt themselves shrink backwards under her steely gaze and Jason felt a swell of admiration and maybe something more again blossom in his heart.
What a great woman. It was a shame about her husband who passed away a long time ago. He had a wonderful woman in his hands.
As they walked to the car, Jason could not resist. He walked over to the driver section and then opened the door for her, a small gesture of appreciation for her support. She gave him a faint smile, totally understanding what Jason was doing. However, there was still a trace of sadness on her face though, as though her thoughts had drifted to a distant place.
They climbed into the car and Veronica started driving away. The silence stretched between them until, without a warning, Veronica spoke up, saying, "I fired him."
Jason looked at her, surprised, catching the soft profile of her face. She was beautiful, no question, her kindness and strength were something that actually amplified her features even more. And her facial features were so youthful, nobody would have imagined she was in her early forties.
A strong independent business lady. That was what Jason had always considered her to be. Now he knew though. There was compassion beneath that strength.
"I'm talking about the one who got away with it. That fat bastard who had given you twice the work." Veronica said with a cold smile when she saw Jason quiet. Jason smiled sheepishly and then she continued even icier than before, saying, "And yes, you're getting his pay for the week. I'd like to see you argue about that," she added with a challenging look.
Jason immediately tried to get her to take it back, but she cut him off, narrowing her eyes at him and saying, "You better accept it, otherwise I'll fire you too." Jason couldn't help but be taken aback. What the hell… She was being so difficult.
Jason smiled, a warmth filling him that he had never felt in a while. "Thank you," he said, the words feeling too small for what he wanted to express. Veronica nodded, as she came to a stop at the stop sign.
Strumming her fingers on the steering wheel, she said, "Hmm… that leaves a position open in the operations…" After saying this, she paused, a knowing glint coming to her eyes as she turned to Jason. "You wouldn't know anyone who fits the role, would you?"
Jason chuckled, easing the conversation as though the tension they had just experienced from before was completely gone. "I might know a guy, hehe…" he teased while chuckling. "He's hard-working, handsome, pretty strong physically, maybe a little unlucky, but he's definitely got potential."
"You're funny sometimes. You almost died 24 hours ago, but here you are making jokes…" she said with a smirk and an eyebrow raise.
"Jokes? Where's the joke? I was completely serious," said Jason with a smirk of his own. Veronica laughed, her gaze brightening as she looked at Jason.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though the world beyond the car had disappeared, leaving just the two of them. They were suspended in a moment of laughter and joy while the world was covered in darkness, they were the light.
Jason found himself stealing glances at her while the conversation continued. He found himself drawn to her laughter, to the way she softened the lines on her face, and as he did, a small blue icon flickered into view at the corner of his vision.
Jason immediately knew what was happening. It was a reminder of a new mission available, or some announcement. But Jason was sure that it was a mission. After all, one thing he had noticed was that if the System noticed some way in which he could grow, it would try to give him some incentive to grow.
This was something that reminded him that his story was far from over. With the system on his side and Ms Veronica, he at least had things he could rely on. And although the path he was on was uncertain, he felt stronger even though he had allies on his side.
But there was something about the System. It didn't feel like an ally, but more like a sadistic puppet master. Well, whatever. If Jason was being used, then he had better et his benefits while he could.
As they drove in the night, Jason vowed himself that he would repay this moment, everything she had done for him, he would repay her ten times over. And he would make her the happiest woman on Earth.
As Jason settled more into the car ride, realising that Veronica lived a long way away, he casually asked her a question he never would have asked her considering the huge distance between them as her boss.
"So how's work going?"
His tone was light and he felt totally cool outwardly, but inwardly there was a thrill. It was like he was doing something he should not be doing. And mentally he was busy as well, he was opening the System Interface, and checking the information out.
It seemed to be an Announcement.
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|| Master Programmer System || Stats | Missions | Items | Store |
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Announcement:
Four New Missions are waiting for you on the Missions page. Happy Grinding!
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As expected. Things were about to get interesting.