After delivering the message, the staff member left. Selina straightened her spine and adjusted her pub uniform before entering the pub, with Annabelle following behind.
Selina wondered who it could be.
As Selina trailed behind the staff who had come to fetch her, they approached the eatery floor.
"This is the young man," the staff member gestured toward an average-looking man in front of them.
"Good day, mister. Sorry, but who are you? What do you want with me?" Selina inquired politely, feeling uneasy under his intense scrutiny.
She hadn't seen him around the pub before.
"My name is Damien, Mr. Zane's secretary," he introduced himself, and Selina's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mr. Zane's secretary?" Selina gasped, her breath catching in her throat as her mind scrambled for a reason why he'd sent someone to her.
"Yes, I'm his secretary," Damien confirmed firmly. He slid his hand into his expensive suit pocket, pulling out a card and extending it toward her. "This is an invitation from him. He wants you to attend his welcoming party," he added as Selina's eyes widened further.
His welcoming party! Did he truly remember her? Selina felt her heart thumping more excitedly than before as she stared at the invitation card in Damien's hand.
Selina hesitated, unsure whether to accept the invitation. She couldn't believe it was happening so soon, just as Annabelle had said. Her gaze drifted to her best friend, who gave her a proud grin, signaling her to accept it.
"Will you come to the party, Miss?" Damien noticed her hesitation and hoped she would accept.
Before Selina could respond, a familiar voice interrupted her. "Selina can't attend the party."
Selina narrowed her brows, recognizing her boss's oppressive voice. It seemed this opportunity would slip away after all.
Her boss, Martin, approached, glaring at Damien. "My regular customers will soon fill the pub, and I can't allow it to be short-staffed. Her shift doesn't end until 10 PM," he said dismissively.
"I understand, and I apologize for my rude attitude just now," Damien replied, his tone calm but firm.
Martin ignored him and faced Selina, who was desperate to protest but couldn't risk her only source of income.
"You wanted to accept the invitation without my consent. How can you be so hasty?" Martin accused, his voice sharp with condescension.
He assumed Selina would have accepted the invitation and vanished without telling him, if not for his staff reporting that someone unfamiliar wanted to meet her.
"I was about to explain my job to him," Selina replied politely, trying to conceal the disappointment in her voice due to his abrupt interruption.
"It's good that you still know how things operate here."
Selina tightened her grip on her phone, hoping her next request wouldn't anger him. "Boss, can I leave? I promise to make up for it," she begged, her tone quietly pleading.
Martin's eyes flashed with disbelief and superiority. "You can't leave because there's an order from the VIP floor, and you need to serve that customer now," he commanded.
Damien could see that Selina's boss would not yield, just as his own boss had predicted.
Clearing his throat, Damien shifted Martin's attention to himself. "Sir, my boss will compensate for her absence during the remaining hours of her shift."
Damien lifted a small bag toward Martin. The latter hesitated for a moment, curiosity flickering in his eyes before accepting it. The glances shared between the two young women suggested their intrigue.
Martin peeked inside the bag, his eyes widening at the sight of money. When he regained his composure, he straightened his expression before he reprimanded.
"How dare you try to bribe me? Who the hell is your boss? How dare he-"
"That's a sum of ten thousand," Damien interrupted softly, unfazed.
Selina's jaw dropped in awe, nearly screaming in disbelief. She felt upset that Mr. Zane would offer such a large sum to someone like her boss. Why would he go this far for her?
"Do you mind allowing her to attend?" Damien requested again.
Martin let out a greedy laugh, but it faded quickly as he answered, "There are plenty of staff to cover her shifts. You can take her with you."
How would he let such huge amounts miss him if someone seemed interested in his ugly staff? He wished things like this could happen every day with other staff as well.
His reply left Selina dumbstruck. Selina recalled the times Martin had denied her pleas to attend important events in her life.
"Can I go?"
Martin tapped her shoulder twice. "Have fun. Just remember to return for your shift tomorrow," he said in a suddenly friendly tone, leaving Selina bewildered about everything that had just happened.
Martin then shifted his gaze to Annabelle, who had been silent throughout. Annabelle looked away as Martin walked past her, returning to his office.
Once Martin was at a distance, Damien offered again. "Wouldn't you accept it, Miss?"
Selina rubbed her palms together and swallowed hard, feeling a rush of excitement. She reached for the invitation card with both hands. "Can I bring my friend? Sorry if I'm asking for too much," Selina asked politely, glancing at Annabelle.
Despite coming from an influential family, Selina had never been to an elite party, and the thought of being alone there made her extremely nervous.
"As long as you're at the party, I don't think he will have an issue with that," Damien responded.
Annabelle rushed to Selina's side and whispered, "I'm sorry, Best. I can't go with you to the party because I still have a lot of delivery to catch up the end of the day. Boss won't let me go with you," Annabelle sounded disappointed that she couldn't be there as Selina wanted her to be.
How could she forget so easily that Martin was a difficult boss? And Annabelle was also a staff in the pub.
Selina let out a contemplative sigh while staring at Damien, who looked eager for her final reply.
"Are you still coming, miss?" Damien asked, seeking her final confirmation.
Taking a deep breath, Selina muttered, "Thank you for the invitation. I will definitely be there," and offered him a polite smile.
"I will deliver your response to Mr. Zane," Damien said, turning to leave.
As Selina watched Damien exit the pub, overwhelming excitement shot through her body, and she pumped her fist in the air.
"Yes! I have the chance to meet him, Ana!" she exclaimed, turning to Annabelle, who buried her head, embarrassed for Selina.
She felt as if she had won the biggest lottery. Finally, she had the privilege of seeing him again after two years, and she couldn't help but giggle with excitement.
Her soft chuckle mingled in the chatting air of the customers, drawing their attention to the waitress. She swiftly opened the black and golden-designed VIP invitation card and began reading it in her mind.
Miss Selina, you're cordially invited to the Cassius Hotel, Event Hall at 6:00 p.m.,
she paused, lowering her gaze before muttering,
'From, Zane.'
Annabelle didn't expect Selina to forget herself and reveal her love sickness in public.
What a hopeless lover girl!
She forced an excited smile onto her lips, trying to play the part of a supportive friend.
"I know you're excited to meet him, but you're forgetting that there are people around us. You should scream from the rooftop instead," Annabelle whispered through gritted teeth, scanning the room as curious and judgmental stares came from the other customers.
Annabelle's comments snapped Selina back to reality. She glanced around the sparsely filled restaurant, meeting the amused gazes of the customers, and her excitement began to fade. Selina blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
With an awkward smile, she said, "Please, enjoy your meal. There's nothing to be alarmed about."
Selina checked the time on her cell phone and realized she had four hours left to get ready. She didn't want to miss any of the fun that would take place later, nor did she want to show up empty-handed to see him for the first time in three long years.
She needed to find a welcoming present for him.
She moved back to the counter and grabbed her bag, stepping out from behind the counter towards the exit. When she reached the door, she pushed it open and stumbled out of the pub, intending to go to the mall first.