“Why are you guys acting as if you’ve seen ghosts?” Priscilla scoffed as her eyes swept across the employees’ expressions. “What? You didn’t expect to see us here?”
“Actually, you weren’t invited,” Layla answered. If it was only her brother that came, she wouldn’t have any problem with it.
But his bringing Priscilla along only added to her spoilt mood. Urgh! Could this day get any more irritating?
“Why do you speak like that, Sister-in-law? If I don’t attend your party, won’t people point fingers at me? I’m your family, isn’t it?” Priscilla gave her an innocent look.
One could tell the girl had recovered from her earlier anger. Well, it took a lot of coaxing from Jason.
If Jason hadn’t coaxed her to come, she wouldn’t have. Priscilla didn’t want to pretend anymore that she liked Layla. The girl even applied for the same position as Annie. It meant Layla was hellbent on maintaining their relationship.
She looked at Jason and found him staring at Annie who had her head down and was silently eating. The girl’s demeanor was as if she was oblivious to everything going on in the room.
Annie didn’t even spare the couple a glance. She slowly sipped on the juice in front of her, took a look at her phone’s screen for a few seconds, then resumed eating.
Her action rubbed Priscilla in the wrong way. She gritted her teeth and controlled herself from glaring at the man.
“Honey!” She called out in a loud tone. “It seems Layla doesn’t want us to be here.”
“Of course she does.” Jason found a seat on the row opposite Annie and sat down. He also made Priscilla sit beside him.
“Whether you like it or not, we’re your family, Layla. It’s better you compose yourself,” He said to Layla in a soft tone.
Maybe the guy regretted reprimanding her too much. Layla didn’t have the heart to stay mad at him for long. “Just control your wife,” She grumbled before looking away.
“By now, I am sure all of us must have chased away the hunger in their stomachs,” An employee stood up with his glass and said. “Let me use this medium to officially welcome our Manager and his wife. Also, I’d like to congratulate Ms. Lin and Ms. Ju’an for their great achievement. This isn’t only an achievement for you girls, it is for us too, the employees of the Arts Department. By qualifying to work directly under the CEO, you girls have greatly made us proud.”
“Annie, I didn’t hire an MC. Why is he doing all the talking?” Layla whispered to her friend.
Annie looked up and found the guy’s action funny. “I think he’s drunk,” She whispered back.
“Urgh!” Layla face-palmed herself. They even ordered wine.
“Good for you that you appreciated our presence.” Priscilla stood up next after the guy sat down. With a haughty smile on her face, she threw Annie a secret glare before looking at the other employees.
“I must thank you all for coming. This is an important occasion for me. Layla’s promotion is another achievement for the family. I don’t know about others, but I’ve seen her work hard every day, so she deserved this position.”
“You’re right, Mrs. Ju’an.”
“You have a lucky family. Mr. Ju’an’s success hasn’t been long, and Ms. Ju’an’s achievement followed.”
“The Ju’an family can be said to be specially blessed by the heavens. Honestly, I envy you in a good way.”
“Mrs. Ju’an is the most fortunate. Getting into such kind of family is a special blessing.”
The employees’ claps and comments elevated Prisiclla’s mood and boosted her confidence.
“You guys are right. The Ju’an family is very blessed. Which is why not everyone gets to be part of it. Have you heard about the girl who tried to wriggle her way into the family and received shame in the end?”
The employees all looked at Annie. They waited for her reaction which never came. Elegantly, she ate her food and only looked at her phone once in a while.
“Enough of that, Priscilla. If you don’t want to see the bad side of me tonight, stop trying to cause trouble. And stop trying to steal the spotlight.” Layla gave her a warning look.
“As the host of this dinner.” She stood up and continued. “I am glad that I can finally welcome you guys even though you have literally wiped out my bank account. It is an honor to celebrate with you. I take all your good wishes with open arms.”
“And those that wish us bad,” she chuckled. “Karma has a way of dealing with people who have ill intentions.”
“With that said, I would like to express my greatest thanks to my dear friend here, Annie. Without her advice and coaching, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have reached this position. The girl with a golden heart who despite some people’s hypocrisy, still has the mind to ignore if not to forgive.”
“More than I, I think Annie deserves your accolades. None of you can deny that she hasn’t done something for you in the Arts Department.”
“You didn’t need to say that, Ms. Ju’an. Everyone is aware of Ms. Lin’s golden heart.”
“During those months that she was a bit strict on us, we thought she didn’t like us. Unknowingly, Ms. Lin was only trying to groom us to be the best version of ourselves.”
“Ms. Lin’s absence in the Arts Department is like a great loss to us. We are happy for your success, but we’ll miss you greatly.”
“Ms. Lin, I’m your dedicated fan. If you’re willing to take anyone under your wings and coach them properly, I will give anything to be your student.”
Seeing Layla drag the spotlight to Annie, Priscilla’s expression didn’t look good. She was madder when the employees all rained praises on Annie, not caring about her presence.
Jason seemed to be eating his food, but she could swear that he was secretly looking at the girl.
“Sabrina, pour me that wine!” She ordered the girl sitting beside Annie.
The employees looked between her and Sabrina. Then the wine bottle sitting in front of her.
“Here, let me pour it for you.” Jason picked up the wine bottle in front of Priscilla but she turned him down.
“I want the one in front of Sabrina. What are you waiting for!?” She snapped at the girl.
Sabrina sighed and carefully poured the red wine into a glass. She stood up and extended it forward. And what Priscilla did next baffled everyone.
She didn’t take the glass but swatted it out of Sabrina’s hand. The glass shattered on the table and the red content splashed directly on Annie’s dress.