The surroundings fell silent for a moment.
Fortunately, Nina Sinclair wasn't angry and maintained her composure: "I must have been mistaken; Thea hasn't changed her temper one bit."
"Are you here for a meal too, Thea? Why don't you come and sit with us in our booth later?"
Ignoring her invitation, Thea Lynch warned, "We aren't close. Next time we meet, don't call me by my name."
"How can we not be close? We're about to become family."
Staring at her back, a flash of hatred passed through Nina Sinclair's eyes, "You probably don't know yet. I'm here to meet Ian Preston. Today, our families are discussing our engagement here."
"From now on, you can call me sister-in-law; I'll treat you like my own sister."
By the elevator, Thea Lynch blocked the closing doors with her foot and clicked her tongue lightly.
"I'm a bit curious about something."
Nina Sinclair: "What is it?"
"You said before that you two were in love and would soon get engaged. It's been seven years, so why hasn't it happened yet?"
Truly appearing simply curious, Thea Lynch's tone revealed no excess emotion.
The other's expression changed slightly, struggling to maintain a smile: "We were both too busy with work before. It's not too late now."
She merely responded, "I always thought if a man truly loves a woman, he wouldn't make her wait this long."
"..."
After speaking, Thea Lynch stood in the elevator, looking at Nina Sinclair again. Her right hand emerged from her pocket, pinching a black card between her fingers and waving it gently in the air.
"Five million, that's my gift money, always ready, just waiting for your good news with third brother."
"But until then, you're not worthy of associating with me."
This is the confidence of The Lynch Family's eldest daughter.
Nina Sinclair: "!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a work badge on one of their necks, muttering ambiguously to herself: "Stratus Technologies... so it's Ian Preston's company."
She didn't notice that as soon as she spoke, Thea Lynch in the elevator suddenly looked up.
—
In the booth, Thea Lynch sat at the head, messaging Silas Cheney, wanting to know why Stratus was connected to Ian Preston.
The others sat restrained on either side, not daring to breathe loudly.
After a while, Foreman Chandler cleared his throat, trying to break the awkwardness.
"That host looked okay on TV before, but turns out she's so sharp-tongued in private."
"Exactly," the assistant quickly chimed in, "I used to quite like her looks, but now I don't feel any good about her!"
"Right, she looks like a bit of a green tea bitch. I'm going to unfollow her when I get back!"
"Foreman Lynch, was that Ian Preston she mentioned possibly...?"
Hearing their conversation, Thea Lynch didn't even lift her head, "It's the person you're thinking of."
"!!!"
"So President Preston is your brother?"
"No blood relation."
"Foreman Lynch, could you satisfy our curiosity a bit? You said you didn't want to discuss personal matters at work before, but now..."
Foreman Chandler hurriedly nudged his assistant, giving him a look, scolding with his eyes for bringing up a sore subject.
Unexpectedly, this time Thea Lynch didn't refuse, "What do you want to ask?"
Hearing this, everyone looked at her in unison.
"What does the Lynch family do? How did you meet President Preston?"
While typing, she replied: "His grandfather and my grandfather were comrades in arms. We grew up in the same military family compound, including Silas. As for my family..."
Suddenly, she paused, after a while continuing, "My parents used to run a small business, nothing noteworthy."
"Small, small business?" Several people's mouths twitched slightly.
Her outfits and accessories were designer brands every day, never repeating in a week. She had a membership card here, and just handed out five million effortlessly. Was her family really doing small business???
Someone dryly laughed, "Foreman Lynch is too modest."
In this matter, Thea Lynch was indeed modest. The Lynch couple had a large-scale company in Coronet, dealing in medical equipment. After their passing, they left Thea Lynch a substantial inheritance, enough for her not to worry about financial issues even if she didn't work for the rest of her life.
—
Everyone exclaimed at the exquisite dishes being served one after another:
"Foreman Lynch, you ordered too much, the food here must be expensive, right?"
"Yeah, it's too extravagant. We could have just had hot pot or something simple."
"It's not extravagant, everyone feel free to eat. The food here is quite good. Plus, the facilities are comprehensive, so we won't need to move elsewhere."
"Foreman Lynch is really good to us!"
Thea Lynch: "If there's anything inappropriate in my work in the future, I hope everyone will be understanding."
It wasn't about pleasing them, just that her aunt had told her, you always need to maintain good relationships with colleagues in the company, as it can never hurt. She never paid much attention to these things before, never deliberately catering to others, doing things her way.
After so many years, some of the small habits spoiled by her parents still lingered in her bones.
But her aunt had a point, after all, it was just a meal, and it wasn't as if it bothered her.
As Ian Preston once taught her, anything that can be settled with money is not a problem and isn't worth worrying about.
When the knock on the door sounded, everyone thought a server was coming in with dishes.
The door opened, and a server indeed came in, but empty-handed, walking straight to Thea Lynch.
"Miss Lynch, President Preston is next door, asking me to invite you over."
The server's voice was very soft, bending down to whisper in Thea Lynch's ear, only she heard it in the room.
Without thinking, Thea Lynch's attention was on her phone, instinctively replying, "I'm busy." Silas hadn't replied to her message; the status showed he was typing just a moment ago. She had waited for twenty minutes, yet no message came through.
The server wasn't surprised, "President Preston said, if you don't come out, he'll come in to discuss matters with you. Miss Lynch, should I invite President Preston in?"
"..."
—
After the server led Thea Lynch to the booth next door, he retreated out.
Thinking Nina Sinclair and others would be there, she found Ian Preston alone in the booth.
Hearing the sound, the man extinguished his cigarette, his gaze landing precisely on her. Today, Thea Lynch wore a light-colored business suit, clean and sharp, appearing more mature.
Ian Preston raised his chin slightly, gesturing for her to sit, "Having a gathering with colleagues?"
"Third brother, how did you know? Did sister-in-law tell you?" Thea Lynch pulled out a chair across from him, crossing her legs and tidying her sleeves.
Perhaps not expecting that address, Ian Preston was momentarily stunned.
The confusion in his eyes flashed for a moment, quickly guessing who she was referring to, his expression displeased as he scolded her, "Don't call her that."
Thea Lynch, indifferent, her gaze mocking, "I never saw third brother as so innocent before; the engagement is as good as confirmed. Isn't it only right for me, as a sister, to call her sister-in-law?"
"There's no engagement on the horizon with her, who told you such nonsense?"
"Doesn't matter, I'm not here to discuss this." Rolling up her sleeves, she looked straight at him, her gaze as indifferent as if looking at a stranger, "My joining Stratus, does it have something to do with you?"
Before he could answer, she recalled the past, a mocking curve to her lips, "Very well, second time now."
"Ian Preston, you've deceived me again."