Let’s Celebrate Our Rebirth

Mary sat at her desk the entire morning, guiding the executives of B.E. to meet Brian. There was a constant flow of people coming and going, which surprised Lily when she visited.

"Surely, since you joined, Brian has been more focused on work! He used to rarely come to the office this early, but he managed to clear the backlog of three months' worth of workflow in the morning! It's like a miracle!" Lily exclaimed.

Marigold remained indifferent. She felt that the people in this company were exaggerating too much, considering they were dealing with a legendary CEO from a legendary family. In her free time, she Googled Brian's information in detail. He was the thirteenth son of the oldest noble family, the Bennett family, in the Teal Kingdom. The current head of the family, old Bennett, had two sons. The eldest, Leo, died with his wife in a maritime accident many years ago, including their 5-year-old daughter. 

Only the younger son, Ethan, inherited the family business. Ethan and his wife had only one son, Brian. Although there were various rumors about Brian's background, some gossip said he was Ethan's illegitimate child from an affair with a nightclub girl, resulting in deep conflict with Ethan's wife, Naomi. Their relationship appeared cold on the surface. Overall, the Bennett family's assets, totaling trillions, would be inherited solely by Brian without a doubt.

Next came the question of Brian's private life. According to reports, Brian was likely engaged to Jenny, the princess of the Whitehouse family, as arranged by his grandfather during his university days. However, it was evident that they lacked an emotional foundation.

Brian was considered a legitimate rich second-generation playboy, with a former supermodel girlfriend and rumors of involvement with a female artist under his label. The rumors were varied and not very certain. Perhaps more rumors, as Jenny herself claimed, were suppressed by the Bennett family before they were exposed.

What a huge family, Marigold thought. 

As Marigold immersed herself in researching the information, a text message from Brian appeared on her phone. She turned to look at the CEO's office, just separated by a glass door from her workspace. Brian was making an effort to greet her, his upper body leaning forward, resembling a determined ape attracting the attention of tourists.

"I'm hungry. Let's go eat," he said.

When she checked the time, it was only 10:35. For a president who typically woke up at noon and had been working in the company all morning, it was indeed time for lunch. However, it was clearly too early according to the company's schedule.

She replied, "Are you sure the cafeteria serves lunch now?"

"It's okay. I'll take you out. I know a fantastic French restaurant. You won't go wrong with me," Brian assured her.

Marigold glanced at her schedule and sighed, "You have a meeting with Mr. Shore at 11:30."

Brian's demeanor visibly deflated. Suddenly, he became irritable.

"Forget it. I'm not in the mood. Reschedule it for next week."

"But—"

"I'm the boss. I decide who I meet or don't meet."

Marigold had no choice but to make a phone call and inform Mr. Shore that Brian didn't have time to meet him today and hoped to reschedule for next week. Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end remained calm, "That's fine. I just wanted to meet him. If he's busy, then forget it. I'll send the gift to the company later. Please help me pass it to Brian."

Surprisingly, Brian heard the other person's response and became even angrier. He swept the pen holder off his table, shouting, "Don't accept it, send it back! I don't want to see anything related to them!"

He grabbed Marigold's hand and hurriedly left the president's exclusive elevator, running out of the company building.

"We don't have much time, don't hesitate." His over 6'3 tall figure walked ahead of her like a wall, and his long strides made it difficult for her, who was just over 5'5 tall, to keep up.

Finally, they arrived at a uniquely decorated and elegantly furnished French music restaurant. Brian personally opened the quaint old wooden door for Marigold.

"After you, my lady. All my time today is yours," Brian said gracefully.

Marigold walked into the restaurant in astonishment. This small restaurant, called Chez Bibi, was located in an inconspicuous corner of Ninth Avenue Street. The lighting inside was dim, but the decor was tastefully high-end, and the soothing sounds of Bossa Nova music filled the air. When the staff saw Brian, they came out to greet him respectfully, as if he were a prince. Marigold also enjoyed royal treatment by association.

Brian elegantly led Marigold to the innermost seat and they sat down, facing each other. The table was adorned with a white linen cloth, and a single red rose stood in a crystal vase at the center. The atmosphere was intimate and romantic.

Brian elegantly led Marigold to the innermost seat and they took their places. Brian was someone who highly valued privacy, in other words, having others dining nearby made him very uncomfortable. Needless to say, Brian had reserved the entire restaurant for their lunch.

As soon as Brian sat down, the waiter began serving the dishes. The first to arrive were black truffle foie gras and caviar with Shakeria ham. Not only were the ingredients flown in directly from their places of origin, but the plates and cutlery were also exquisitely refined, fit for royalty, leaving Marigold in awe.

"No need to doubt it, the owner of this restaurant is indeed a retired royal chef, so the dining utensils are of royal quality," Brian said, watching Marigold as she examined every item on the table, smiling proudly.

"I've only seen this emblem in a museum," Marigold couldn't sit still, turning the vase on the table back and forth, noticing a small pattern on the white porcelain near the base. "This is the symbol from the reign of the 'Azure Lion King' Aslante, so this vase must be at least 300 years old?!"

Brian became even more pleased. "That's right, no wonder you're a Ph.D. in anthropology, a museum expert. Oh, my, I've hired several people with just one paycheck. It's definitely worth it."

Marigold deliberately glared at him and said, "Then I'll have to receive multiple paychecks to make up for it."

Brian, however, took it seriously and pulled out a blank check from his pocket, handing it to her. "This one, fill it out however you like, it's your bonus."

Marigold didn't expect him to be serious and quickly tossed the check back at him. "No, no, no, this is too much of a joke. I was just playing around."

Brian suddenly became serious, forcefully grabbing Marigold's hand and stuffing the check back into her grasp. "To you, I am always serious."

Marigold lowered her head, no longer refusing, but feeling more unsettled in her heart. Could it be that he wants to pursue her? Is this really a good idea? How long can a relationship with such a top-tier wealthy playboy like him last?

"Let's celebrate." Brian suddenly changed back to a cheerful and playful tone. A waiter brought the red wine that Brian had ordered, and Marigold looked at the exotic characters on the label, too exhausted to figure out what language it was. She just felt that it was a very high-end wine.

"What is there to celebrate? It's been nothing but bad luck lately, except for getting this job."

Brian poured a shallow glass for both of them and held it up to her. "Since this morning, I've wanted to say it: Happy breakup, Mary. Let's celebrate freeing ourselves from betraying ourselves and gaining a fresh start."

Marigold was taken aback, and the next second, her eyes suddenly became moist. Seven years, she had been with David for seven years, thinking that her life was about to enter the next stage. But overnight, all her pursuits and goals were lost. Before she got up this morning, she even hesitated about whether or not to go to work. After all, having a job or not didn't matter anymore. She didn't need to save money for anyone or do a job she didn't like. But she still came. Somehow, she still hoped to consider this job as her new beginning.

"Besides, isn't getting to know me worth celebrating? I'm the Brian Bennett who makes headlines even for going out to buy cigarettes, the one who can buy half a country!" Brian put on the expression of a golden retriever again, puffing up his mouth in a grievous manner.

Marigold held back her tears, smiled, and said loudly, "Alright then, let's toast to our zeroth anniversary! Let's toast to the second day we met!"

"Cheers!" The two wine glasses clinked. The red wine tasted very sweet, and with one sip, Marigold was almost intoxicated.

Brian took a sip of the wine, smiled as he looked at her. His crystal blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, even more captivating. Taking advantage of this intoxicated atmosphere, he pulled out a deep blue velvet box from his pocket. With a gentle push, it opened, revealing a dazzling diamond necklace, with a marigold flower pattern at the very end, adorned not only with diamonds but also with gold and other gemstones.

He picked up the necklace, walked behind Marigold, and personally put it around her neck.