Chapter 152 Special Treatment
“Ah, you’re our boss’ friends. Please come on in!” Those in the security firm were welcoming as they led Amelia and Tiffany into the firm and brought them chairs. “Zach, fetch the ladies some tea. Make sure it’s not too hot.”
Zach quickly headed to the pantry. In no time, he was back with two cups of tea.
Within a minute, the coffee table was full of snacks and drinks. Amelia and Tiffany were overwhelmed by their hospitality.
The latter stuttered, “T-The p-people here are very welcoming.”
One of the employees said, “Well, this is a special treatment for beautiful ladies.” In other words, they wouldn’t treat them with such hospitality if they weren’t beautiful.
Tiffany let out a dry laugh.
Amelia was confused when the guys had their eyes fixated on her curiously. One of them spoke up, “Hi, you must be Gary’s wife. You’re so beautiful; no wonder Gary never let us meet you. He always tells us that he is not married, but everyone could tell that it’s a lie. Otherwise, he wouldn’t leave the office on time every day. We even teased him, saying that he is secretly married. Now we know why he hides you from us; you’re gorgeous even when you’re pregnant.”
Amelia felt a little awkward by their overwhelming hospitality. Unlike any other dreary office setting, a loving and harmonious atmosphere surrounded Gary’s security firm. The employees felt like a big family.
With a polite smile, Amelia responded, “Actually, I only met your boss yesterday. We are here looking to hiring bodyguards.”
Tiffany shielded Amelia while she jokingly said, “Gentlemen, Amelia is seven months pregnant now. I’ll call the cops if you guys scare this pregnant lady with your overwhelming hospitality.”
The guys were visibly disappointed. “So, you’re not Gary’s wife?”
Amelia shook her head.
Seeing that, the guys howled in disappointment. “Aw, we thought Gary has finally acquired a good taste in women that he found herself a beautiful wife. It turns out you’re someone else’s wife.”
Knowing that Amelia was not Gary’s wife, they shifted their gaze to Tiffany. “Do you know Gary? Are you his girlfriend? You look pretty. We will be more than happy if you are to marry our boss.”
This time, it was Tiffany feeling awkward. “Gary and I are just friends. I’m afraid I will have to disappoint you.”
“You’re married?”
“Do you already have a boyfriend?”
“Do you mind if I ask how old are you?”
…
When Gary showed up, he saw his male employees surrounding the ladies, bombarding them with questions.
Although he was an airy person with a casual attitude, he couldn’t help feeling embarrassed by his employers’ silly behavior.
He roared, “Hey, shouldn’t you guys be working? All of you are a member of the security firm, not bandits.”
The employees instantly made way for Gary. Then, they bowed ninety degrees at him comically and greeted, “Good day, Mr. Laird!”
Gary was seething as he scolded, “You cheeky rascals! Stop fooling around in the office. No one will hire bodyguards from our company if they see you guys behaving like this.”
One of the employees reminded, “Gary, may I remind you that the ladies are still here. You wouldn’t want to scare them off with your loud voice.”
That was when Gary remembered that Amelia and Tiffany were in the office.
His face flushed in embarrassment upon realizing that his glorious image was ruined in front of the ladies. At that moment, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
It was the first time the employers saw their boss behaving like a demure young lady. They teased, “Gary, are you feeling shy? What a shocker! Come everyone, have a look at the shy Gary.”
Gary shot them a fierce stare and dismissed them. “That’s it. Now, return to your work. Those who are hungry can order some food. After the lunch break, please gather around in the meeting room. Ms. Amelia and Ms. Tiffany are looking to hire one or two bodyguards. For those who are chosen, do your best to protect them, or all of you will not get your year-end bonuses. Don’t embarrass me or ruin the reputation of our firm!”
With a teasing smile, the guys made an equivocal remark, “We won’t embarrass you in front of the ladies, Mr. Laird.” To them, Gary was self-conscious in front of the ladies because he had a crush on Tiffany.
Once again, Gary’s face flushed. He was enraged at their teasing. “Get back to work. You have ruined the firm’s image. If you guys continue horsing around, I will reduce your perfect-attendance rewards.”
Yet, the employees were not deterred. “Gary, you’re blushing! Since Ms. Amelia is married, it looks like Ms. Tiffany is the one who is going to be our boss’ potential wife. Gary, go for it! We will laugh at you if you can’t make Ms. Tiffany your girlfriend.” With that, they reflexively dodged a kick sent by their boss.
Gary gave them the final warning. “That’s it! Stop messing around! Or else, not only will I cancel your perfect attendance rewards, but your year-end bonuses as well.”
The employees called out, “Gary is angry, and he is trying to hide his shyness!” The next moment, they unanimously fled the scene before their boss gave them a good beating.
Gary rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He managed to placate a calm facade as he turned to face the ladies. “The boys didn’t scare you, did they?”
Both Amelia and Tiffany shook their heads.
With a gentle smile, Amelia said, “The working culture in your firm is great. There’s a positive and happy vibe in the office. I can tell that you’re a great boss.”
Gary felt nervous when Amelia was talking to him. She looked even more beautiful in the bright office compared to when he saw her yesterday night.
His heart was thumping wildly in his chest. Yesterday night, he could still grip his composure when talking with her. Yet, at that moment, he felt as if all his inner thoughts were laid bare.
The adrenaline rush caused the man to start gabbling, “When I first started this company, I didn’t really treat it as a job; it was more like a pastime. As we put in more effort, energy, and time into running the company, I started to take it more seriously. As the company developed, we hired more and more employees. Well, most of our employees are male employees and the minority, female. Regardless of gender, they get along with each other very well. The female employees became unladylike after spending much time with the boys, in the sense that they would joke and curse with them. The boys haven’t met such beautiful ladies in a long time, and that’s the reason for their overwhelming hospitality. I hope they didn’t scare you.”
Tiffany gazed at him quizzically while asking, “Gary, are you nervous?”
Gary flushed scarlet. Fortunately, it wasn’t obvious on his tanned skin.
“No. Why would I be nervous?” He chuckled dryly and dared not to look in Amelia’s direction. “It’s almost half-past eleven now. Let me treat you guys to lunch. We can come back and choose your bodyguards after that.”
Tiffany asked Amelia, “Babe, are you hungry yet?” She was not hungry since they had just had their breakfast an hour ago.
Amelia thought about it for a while and eventually agreed with Gary’s proposal out of courtesy.
Gary couldn’t help curling his lips into a smile. He stood up, unconsciously casting his eyes at Amelia as he asked, “Amelia, do you like spicy food?”
Amelia was slightly bewildered. As a woman, her sixth sense told her that Gary’s care for her had exceeded ordinary bounds.
As if he, too, had realized that his question was rather bizarre, Gary quickly explained, “Well, I’m only asking to see if you can eat spicy food. If yes, then we can eat Thymions food. If you can’t eat spicy food, then perhaps we can eat something else.”
Amelia was still holding a smile, yet her gaze grew aloof and distant.
Just then, Tiffany chimed in eagerly, “Gary, you’re playing favorites! Why didn’t you ask me whether I can eat spicy food?”
Gary was relieved when Tiffany took the heat off him. He let out a hearty laugh and explained himself, “Amelia is pregnant, so it’s normal for me to ask her first. As you know, we need to be extremely careful when it comes to the diet of a pregnant lady.”
Hearing that, the aloofness in Amelia’s eyes faded.
Tiffany gave the man a thumbs up. “Gary, you’re indeed a good husband material. Whoever gets to marry you is definitely the luckiest woman on earth.”
Subconsciously, Gary once again glanced at Amelia.
Having noticed that, Tiffany jokingly said on purpose, “Gary, I know our dear Amelia is beautiful and that she’s your type, but she’s taken. You can retrieve your gaze now.”
Gary awkwardly rustled his hair. Then, he cleared his throat and said, “If you guys can eat spicy food, I know an authentic Thymions restaurant. I can call the restaurant owner now.”
Tiffany halted him. “Amelia had an upset stomach for the past few days, and she can’t eat spicy food. Gary, perhaps we can eat something light?”
Hearing that, Gary asked worriedly, “An upset stomach? I know a few gastroenterologists. Do you need me to make an appointment for you?”
Both Amelia and Tiffany simultaneously raised their brow, looking at him strangely.
As usual, Gary used his customary hearty laugh to hide his genuine thoughts. “Well, isn’t Amelia pregnant right now? I’m worried that it might affect the baby.”
Amelia said smilingly, “It’s nothing serious. The doctor said I will be fine as long as I take a healthy diet and prevent eating spicy food.”
“We’ll eat something light then. I’ll call to reserve a table.”
The three of them left the office in Gary’s car. Sitting behind the wheels, Gary called and reserved them a private room. Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination—a restaurant with vintage decoration.
After unbuckling his seat belt, Gary uttered, “This is my friend’s restaurant. If you guys want to eat here in the future, you can drop my name and have your bills waived.”
Hearing that, Tiffany playfully said, “I’m afraid your friend might go bankrupt.”
Gary generously reassured them, “Well, I’m one of the shareholders of the restaurant. I have enough money to treat you guys.”
Tiffany’s eyes grew wide upon hearing that. “Gary, you sure know how to keep a low profile. Not only do you own a huge security firm, but you’ve even invested in the food and beverage industry. I never thought I would encounter a wealthy man while having supper. If I were a gold digger, I would throw myself at you and secure myself a sugar daddy.”
Gary said nothing but smiled in response.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, a hostess came up and bowed at them. “Gary, please come with me. The private room is ready, and we have had the chefs prepare a nutritious meal for the pregnant woman.”
Gary nodded as the hostess conducted them to the private room.
In the private room, he asked, “Where’s your boss?”
The hostess politely replied, “Our boss traveled to Saspiuburg yesterday, and he will return in two or three days. You can give him a call if it’s something urgent.”
Gary nodded in response.
Then, he handed the menus to the ladies. “Amelia, Tiffany, feel free to order anything you like. I don’t need to pay when I eat here.”
Tiffany ordered three dishes while Amelia randomly picked one from the menu that looked appetizing. It would be a waste if they ordered too much. Also, they were not that hungry since they had just had breakfast.
Gary, on the other hand, ordered two dishes. He handed over the menus to the hostess and ordered, “Please get the chefs to hurry with the food for the pregnant woman.”
“All right. The dishes will be served soon.” With that, the hostess left the private room.
Meanwhile, Gary discreetly glanced at Amelia before he asked, “So, who is the one hiring the bodyguards?”
