Louie realized that finishing his breakfast was wishful thinking, as one thing after another kept coming up. He answered the phone, and Tom's voice came through.
"Manager Louie, busy?" Tom's attitude was surprisingly good, and Louie found it hard to believe it was the same assertive Tom Lawson from the meeting.
Louie chuckled, "Oh, Lawson, I had a bit of work here, but it seems unnecessary to deal with now. After all, you're the most important person."
Tom, delighted by Louie's words, laughed and said, "Manager Louie, you're quite the celebrity now. I, as the deputy general manager, am far inferior to you. How about it? Do you have time tonight? I'll treat you, bring a few more people, have dinner, chat, and strengthen our relationships. We're all colleagues, and we'll be working together for a long time. Let's build some camaraderie for future collaborations."
Louie wasn't surprised; he had anticipated something like this when Tom called. He smiled, "Tom, I have plans for tonight, sorry about that. How about we reschedule for another time?"
"Sure, how about tomorrow?" Tom was patient and showed no signs of displeasure.
"Sounds good." Louie thought, since someone was treating, it wouldn't hurt to go. Besides, he couldn't let free food go to waste. With that in mind, he agreed.
Before he could hang up, his cellphone rang again. Louie checked and saw it was Isabella calling.
"What the heck, why are all these calls coming at once today?" Louie glanced at the two now-cold pieces of bread, feeling a bit frustrated. Usually, he didn't have such a busy morning; this sudden rush of activity was enough to cover an entire day's work. He told Tom he had another call and hung up. Talking to an old man had no appeal compared to talking to Isabella.
"Hey, wife, what's up? Missing me?" Louie held the phone, feeling the affectionate tone. Even he thought it was a bit cheesy. He pondered, "What's wrong with me? Why do I talk like this when I'm speaking with Isabella?"
"Louie, I don't have time to chat. My dad wants to see you. Are you free for lunch?" Isabella said.
Surprisingly, Isabella didn't seem mad at him. Louie found it odd and thought, "Is Isabella acting strange today?"
Though Louie had these thoughts, he didn't voice them. He chuckled, "What's up? Your dad wants to see me? Sure, lunch is fine. What time and where? I'll be there on time."
"Eleven o'clock, Room 302 at Riverside Garden," Isabella said and promptly hung up.
"What's wrong with her today? Acting really strange, definitely strange." Louie put his phone on the desk, swiveled his chair around, looking quite troubled. If Isabella had argued with him, even a big fight, Louie would have considered it normal. But Isabella pulling this left him hesitant, unsure of what medicine she was trying to sell in her gourd.
When there was no further interruption, Louie couldn't bring himself to eat the remaining bread. It had cooled, and besides, his mind was preoccupied. He cleared the table and tossed everything into the hallway trash can.
Checking his watch, he saw it was already past nine. Louie didn't bother informing anyone; he just left the headquarters. He went to the parking lot, got into his car, and as he was leaving, he encountered Edith driving her black Audi.
Louie rolled down the car window, stuck his head out, and greeted Edith, "Edith, just starting work, or just back from an inspection?" This statement was meant to provoke her. Edith was, after all, a high-ranking executive. Even if she came in late, no one would question her. Executives always had executive affairs—inspections, business trips, client meetings—and they didn't need to clock in.