This went to say... Norman was Natalie Sparks' uncle?!

No wonder he acted as though he knew Desmond!

She frowned at the thought. Did Desmond know that Norman was his fiancée's uncle? She didn't think it was possible. Otherwise, he would not be so nonchalant when he met Norman earlier. But then again, it was impossible for him to give such a comment about Norman if he was unfamiliar with him.

Her head almost hurt from thinking about it. She threw her hands behind her head. "Whatever. Whether he knows Norman's identity or not, one thing is for sure. I now have a strong weapon against him."

If he insisted on keeping the dumb order, she would simply contact Ava Sparks. Earlier, the man had thrown her an address and asked her to have dinner together the following day.

Since the idiot had eaten her dad's food, she went to the kitchen and made a light meal. She was done setting the table just as the front door opened. She rushed over excitedly and realized that he didn't look cheerful. She hugged him as she asked, "Long day?"

"Are you alright?" He responded with a question of his own. He had gotten wind of what those damned Forts had done to his daughter. Once he got a foothold in his new agency, he would make sure they paid for bullying his daughter.

"I'm alright, dad. It was just a tiny hiccup, but I settled the matter with him." She lied so he wouldn't worry about her

"As expected of my princess." Although Theodore saw right through her, he didn't want to worry her, so he pretended to be convinced.

She sighed in relief and urged him to the dining room.

___

The following evening.

Zaria showed up at the meeting venue at 6 pm, and surprisingly, Desmond was already waiting. He neither looked impatient nor was he annoyed about having waited for her. If she was seeing things right, he even smiled when she walked in.

He averted his gaze before his eyes could betray his thoughts.

Why did she look so beautiful?

She was wearing jeans and a simple black top and had her hair in a messy ponytail. It was rare to see her dressed differently from those business outfits, and it made him realize that she was breathtaking no matter what she wore.

She calmly sat across him, not bothering about the gazes around her.

In such a high-end restaurant, everyone was dressed in regal outfits. Although she was neatly dressed, she stood out like a sore thumb. The other patrons cast her a single glance before minding their business, but it was enough to make one feel anxious. However, she smiled like she didn't notice it and enjoyed the breeze.

Desmond had chosen a seat in the yard, and the dim lighting made the atmosphere somewhat romantic.

"Place your order." He passed the menu to her.

She glanced through and ordered foie gras, then noticed his displeased gaze.

"What did I do wrong?" She wondered aloud. Why was her boss—no, former boss—more unpredictable than the weather?

"Order for me."

"Okay." She still found him bizarre. Was it so hard to say that? What was the long face all about?

"What do you want to eat?"

The man remained silent.

Thinking that he had not heard her, she asked again. This time, he harrumphed like he was throwing a tantrum. "I don't know. Find out."

This again. Zaria was helpless. Thinking about it, she ordered braised pork and white rice. She peeked at him, and surprisingly, he was smiling.

She wanted to slap her forehead. So it was about the braised pork from the day before. As expected, his mental age was stuck at 3.

Since he was happy now, she grabbed the chance to address the elephant in the room. "Since you did not have your lawyers throw their letters around, I guess you decided to drop the dumb order?"

"About that…" He supported his chin in his hands with his elbows planted on the table. "I can drop the lawsuit immediately. I'm talking about the one against F&P Media."

She was stunned by the sudden offer of kindness. "Why would you do that?"

"Because this charade will get us nowhere." He shrugged.

She laughed, surprised that there was something they could agree on. "Finally, you started using your brain. I was worried it would rust from being neglected for too long."

He frowned and ignored her words. "The precondition is that you continue working at Preston and Fort Group. Of course, I would require you to tone down the sharp tongue as well."

She crossed her arms. "Two conditions for two conditions. It would only be fair. Aside from dropping the suit, I will also need you to drop the order. There is no negotiation about this."

He laughed deeply. "I wonder whose brain is rusty? If you are an employee of Preston and Fort Group, isn't the order automatically nullified? Why does anyone need to employ my EA?"

"It's detrimental to my reputation."

She didn't want the whole world to think of her as an incompetent employee banned by Preston And Fort Group.

Knowing that she would walk out if he pushed her too much, he nodded. "Okay."

She continued looking at him, expressing that she did not trust him in the slightest. Her gaze was setting him on fire. To stop himself from losing his mind, he gave his lawyer a call on the spot, expressing his intention to drop the lawsuit.