To Color Your Life

"Have they delivered the order?" Evans turned to the secretary.

"Yes, it's already in your office, sir," Stephanie jumped up from her seat, staring in bewilderment at the girl that her boss had brought with him.

"Don't bother me," he rapped out, "Miss Hayes and I have an important meeting."

Oh yes, her look is suggestive of what type of "meeting" he is talking about!

Emily couldn't see the face of the Cerberus in the skirt, but she could perfectly imagine how the secretary twitched as if struck by electric shock. It seems that Pharaoh's department will soon be replenished with new rumors, where Hayes will be the main character.

She proudly lifted her head and walked busily past the secretary, hearing out of the corner of her ear the displeased puff of the latter.

Justin didn't notice the tense atmosphere in the reception area or pretended not to notice. Emily was tired of trying to figure out the motives for his behavior.

All she wanted at the moment was to take off her heels and eat. And if the first thing did not correspond to etiquette, then there should be no problems with the second.

After all, the boss invited her here for this very reason.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold of his office, something rumbled in her stomach. The dragon was full of anticipation because of the scents in the air.

"I hope you don't mind Asian food? There are seafood sushi, Chinese noodles, steamed pork dumplings, and crêpes with caramelized oranges. Oh, I forgot," Evans shook his head and pushed the dessert plate aside. "You're allergic to citrus fruits. Pancakes are off the table then."

Emily swallowed the saliva. "No need to take anything off the table," she hastened to correct, "I can try them, just once. In the worst-case scenario, I will take medicine."

Well, to be honest, she had no allergies at all! But the boss does not need to know this, otherwise, their office will turn into a fruit and citrus farm.

It is not known what kind of sixth sense Justin Evans was guided by, but all the dishes on the table were adored by Emily no less than the pizza, which she loved to eat at night.

Especially sushi and steamed dumplings. Mmm, sheer delight.

"Please sit down," the man gestured to the spacious leather couch next to the table. This table was low, more like a coffee table, but roomy enough to place many plates and dishes with food on it.

"Mr. Evans, give me my glasses back, please. I can't eat like that." All in all, it was a bit of a lie. Emily saw the dishes and cutlery, but she would have to squint and bend low to pick up what she wanted.

"You are my guest, Miss Hayes. So taking care of your comfort rests on my shoulders." Evans was in no hurry to return an item that clearly did not belong to him and even seemed to enjoy his little power over the girl.

With a light movement, like a professional chef, he put on one of the plates some sushi with salmon and eel, three dumplings, and a slice of pancake. "Where do you want to start? I suggest you start with sushi. Well, open your mouth now and say 'aaa'."

"Are you serious?" the girl was taken aback. She had never been spoon-fed in her life (except as a child, but she did not remember this), and here is a whole boss with an outstretched hand!

"Of course I am serious! I have to look after my pregnant lover, after all. Or else the people will say that I am some kind of monster. It's enough already that I make you work in your situation."

Exactly! Her situation... someone did their best to let everyone know about it.

"Mr. Evans, could you at least consult with me before deciding what is the best way to resolve our common problems?"

"Do you and I have any problems? I think everything is great, "the man put a plate of food on her lap, "If you don't want romance, eat like that."

Got offended or what? Emily picked up the chopsticks and popped the eel sushi into her mouth. Damn, it tasted better than she thought. For a moment, she forgot what she wanted to talk to her boss about.

"Thanks to your fruit bouquet with a postcard, everyone thinks I'm pregnant with you. If this rumor reaches the management of the publishing house, then there may be problems," she tried to appeal to his logic. But as it turned out, the boss had his own logic.

"Miss Hayes, people can say and think what they want. The only question is, what do you yourself think about it? Some wasabi?"

"No thanks. I do not like it when it is too spicy." Emily pounded one of the dumplings with her chopsticks on the plate. What does she think about it herself? She didn't think about it.

The girl pricked the dough and put the dumpling in her mouth. 'After we are done with the food, I will definitely have to ask the boss for the address of the restaurant where he ordered these snacks from!'

Evans, meanwhile, was eating seafood noodles and looked quite pleased. "I told you that I am used to hearing different gossip in my address. Therefore, I advise you to take it all easy. The main thing is not what people think of you, but what you think of yourself."

"Have you decided to share life wisdom with me?" Emily smiled. She often heard these same words from her grandmother.

"More like a bitter life experience," the boss grinned.

"And what does your experience say, Mr. Evans? What do you think of yourself?"

"Hmm," the man put the plate down on the table and stared out the wide window opposite, "What do I think of myself? Not always what I would like, Miss Hayes, but I'm learning."