Chapter 3
Charles thought I was being mature, and before we walked into the restaurant, he handed me a small red velvet box.
Inside was a delicate bracelet.
"Don't waste energy on office gossip. You handled it well, Sophia. Consider this a reward."
I held out my wrist and watched in silence while he fastened it.
Two years ago a coworker had spotted us at dinner and given us nothing more than a curious look.
Charles fired him on the spot. "Foster Corp doesn't need employees who gossip."
Seeing me go along with it put him in an even better mood.
"So you're not angry anymore?
"Nina's young and she plays around, and she's hard to rein in. When I come down on you at the office, I'm setting an example for her."
Charles almost never explained himself to me at that length.
It sounded high-minded, and it was clumsy.
We sat down.
I took one side of the table alone, and Charles and Nina sat together on the other.
They held the single menu between them with their heads nearly touching.
Charles pointed at something and laughed out loud.
"Nina, this one looks like you."
"What? My head isn't that big!" Nina puffed out her cheeks and turned to me with a whine. "Sophia, look at Charles. He's always picking on me."
The two of them dissolved into laughing at each other.
I didn't answer. My head had gone thick and numb.
Charles was cold and serious in public, and he wore it well, and I had never once seen him laugh like a kid, least of all somewhere like this.
It turned out that with Nina, even ordering food made him that happy.
Good for them.
They took their time ordering and never asked me once.
I didn't bother speaking up. I had no appetite, and this was probably the last meal I'd ever eat with him.
A few bites without setting my stomach off would have been enough.
But the dishes came out one after another, and Nina dug in and raved about all of it while I couldn't lift my fork.
The table was piled high with food.
It was spicy braised meat, or seafood, or cake so sweet it coated the back of my throat.
Looking at it started my stomach churning.
Nina peeled a whole plate of shrimp with great enthusiasm and pushed it in front of me.
"Sophia, you haven't eaten a thing! Were you not in the mood to peel them? I did them all for you."
The salt and the fish smell came up at me, and I covered my nose and pulled back.
"No thanks. I don't like shrimp.
"You two go ahead. I'm going to the restroom."
I gagged a few times before the smell finally cleared out of my nose, and then I wiped my eyes and went back out.
Charles was waiting for me at the door, which I hadn't expected.
I pushed the pain down and got a smile out. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me. Go sit with Nina, she..."
"Sophia Grant."
Charles used my full name.
"I told you an hour ago that you were being mature, and now you're embarrassing Nina on purpose. What's the face for? Who's it aimed at?"
"My stomach hurts."
I explained myself.
But an explanation landed on eyes that had already picked a side, and it came out thin and useless.
He said, "You handle the worst CEOs at a client dinner without breaking a sweat, and you can't put on a face for one young girl?
"Sophia, where's that emotional intelligence of yours?"
I held my stomach and kept my voice down.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Eat the shrimp."