n folded his hands in front of him, grinning as he spoke. Seeing the excitement in everyone''s eyes, he continued,


    "But one thing-


    The group said, "Of course! Why would we fight for a seat with the CEO''s wife?"


    They thought, ''Besides, this is the CEO we''re talking about. Who would be dumb enough to voluntarily sit next to him at dinner? That would just make the meal stressful.


    Even though they rarely got to see the CEO, just one look was enough to tell he wasn''t exactly the friendly type. Best to keep their distance.


    n, looking all mysterious, waved his hand and said, "You don''t get it. A while back, the CEO and his wife had a little falling out. She probably won''t want to sit next to him. So when the timees..." n lowered his voice and nced at the group. "You all know what to do, right?"


    The group was momentarily stunned, then suddenly understood. They nodded knowingly. "Don''t worry, n. We got it."


    So, when they entered the private dining room, Rosalie quickly realized that her n to keep her distance from Julian hadpletely fallen apart.


    As if on purpose, everyone had


    taken up all the other seats, leaving only two avable.


    Julian naturally took the main seat. When he saw Rosalie standing there without moving, he asked, "Ms. Talley, are you not going to sit?"


    The group thought, ''Yep, the couple is definitely at odds-Julian has


    even changed the way he addresses her!


    Rosalie obviously couldn''t just say she didn''t want to sit next to him.


    They had literally just agreed in the car not to let past grievances interfere with work. If she started acting petty over a meal, she''d just be pping herself in the face. So, she pulled out the chair beside Julian a Sitting to Julian''s left, n quietly


    lowered his head, satisfied with his work. He thought, ''Might be a good time to ask for


    a raise at the end of the year!


    Julian cast Rosalie a


    subtle nce, the corners of his eyes carrying a hint of amusement. At the same time, he shot a look of approval at the group. He thought, ''Employees this perceptive definitely deserved a reward.''


    Julian said, "The sess of this new drug''s development is all thanks to your hard work. A toast


    to everyone."


    Gone was his usual arrogance and aloofness-


    right now, Julian seemed downright approachable.


    Everyone was so ttered they hurriedly raised their sses.


    Then, Julian turned to n and instructed, "Inform the finance department-


    this month, all R&D employees will receive triple their usual bonuses, on top of what they were already getting."


    The researchers'' eyes immediately lit up.


    Their sries and bonuses were already high to begin with, especially since Apex Biotech was under the Galloway Group. Theirpensation had always been well above industry standards. And now, triple their usual bonus? That was an enormous sum.


    And once the new drug officially hit the market, their year-


    end bonuses would be even bigger.


    Overjoyed, they all lifted their sses, thanking Julian enthusiastically. "Thank you!"


    The atmosphere was perfect. The R&D director, Magnus, raised his ss and stood up. "Mr. Galloway, we wouldn''t have seeded in developing this


    new drug without your wife''s guidance. If it weren''t for her, we might still be stuck on some of the problems we ran into


    Magnus was good at reading the room. At first, he thought the whole "devoted husband'' act was just a facade, but he soon realized that wasn''t the


    Case


    From the moment they entered the restaurant, Julian''s eyes had barely left Rosalie.