One of my colleagues grinned and said, "The previous proposal kept getting rejected, but as soon as you joined the department, it passed."


    "That''s impossible." I sighed.


    The real reason it hadn''t been approved was because Alex had been deliberately stalling, waiting to negotiate with Schneider Group. However, it seemed that my colleagues hadpletely misunderstood the situation.


    Of course, I couldn''t tell them the truth. If I did, Alex would kill me.


    To change the topic, I had no choice but to agree to treat everyone to dinner.


    "In that case, I''ll book the venue." Mia suddenly stepped forward. "Harper''s team yed a huge role in this project too. Let''s invite them as well."


    I sucked in a sharp breath. Harper''s team alone had at least 30 people.


    I mentally sent my wallet my deepest condolences and calcted how much money I had left.


    "We''ll go to that seafood restaurant fromst time," Mia continued. "I''ll call ahead to reserve king crab and lobster."


    Before I could even finish gasping, a deep, sinking feeling settled in my chest.


    A perfectly timed cough sounded behind me. I turned around, ready toin, only to see Oliver quickly sidestep to reveal the man standing behind him, Alex.


    "This dinner should be my treat," Alex said, smiling in that perfectly measured way -warm yet distant enough to maintain authority. "After all, everyone has worked hard. But I have something to take care of this afternoon, so Serena will host on my behalf."


    The team immediately responded with cheerful enthusiasm. To them, Alex was a generous and approachable leader.


    Meanwhile, I was struggling to suppress the urge to roll my eyes.


    Did he want me to foot the bill so that he could win their favor? A true capitalist move-using my money to feed the masses while taking all the credit.


    But with the promise of free food and a break from work, my colleagues were overjoyed. They rushed out excitedly, already- discussing what to wear for the dinner.


    Soon, the office was empty except for me and Alex.


    "Wipe that miserable look off your face." He reached out and yfully tapped my nose. "You really are a little money-grubber."


    "Of course, I am." I pouted. "If I didn''t care about money, I''d be begging on the streets. Why else would I be working here?"


    He chuckled, then took out his wallet and pulled out a card before handing it to me. "This is for you. The PIN is your birthday."


    Just moments ago, I had been full of


    actually offering me money, I


    é


    suddenly felt a little guilty. "I can''t take this. I don''t need your money."


    "Oh? Really?" He smirked. "Do you know how costly the food there is? Just ten


    people would set you back at least five grand."


    My eyes widened in shock. "What? Mia''s totally setting me up!"


    He didn''t respond and just chuckled softly. "Take it. You''ll need to keep up the image of a wealthy heiress at plenty of events like this. Are you nning to cover the costs out of your own pocket every time?"


    If I took his card, I''d be surrendering my dignity. But if I didn''t, I''d drain my savings and lose my dignity anyway.


    After careful deliberation-between dignity and, well, dignity—I ultimately chose to ept the card.


    At the dinner, I kept my head down and stuffed my face while my colleagues chattered about all sorts of random gossip.