CEO's Contract Obsession-Chapter 227: [Bonus - ] Speculations

"Wait! Mr. Murray, I am waiting for Ms. Hart and she said she will be here in a moment can we go with you instead? Plus the bus is already full, the crew also brought the supplies, since they said there are not enough supplies yet in the mall branch," Roana heard the conversation between Mitch and Kevin and quickly came up with a solution.

Mitch and Dave were relieved that Roana came to their rescue saving them from making up excuses just to keep an eye on Kevin.

"Oh, Josephine has her car parked in the basement parking, no need to wait for her. Let’s go, you can ride with me," Kevin said making Mitch, Dave, and Roana spare meaningful glances at each other.

After everyone boarded the bus, Kevin and Roana tailed them. Roana did not waste any time in accomplishing her goal.

"Sir, does your offer about accompanying me to go shopping for my new apartment still stands?" Roana asked.

"I told you to call me Kevin when we are alone or not in the office, and yes it still stands. When are we going?" Kevin then looked at Roana with a smile on his face before looking back on the road.

"Later would be good. My mom and dad will be in my apartment later to bring my stuff. So, we can go shopping while they are helping me clean it," Roana said.

Kevin nodded and maintained silence, his attention fixed on trailing the bus. After a few minutes, Roana heard him mutter a curse, prompting her to glance at him.

"Is everything alright?" Roana inquired.

"This is the route to the third branch, not the second branch. Are they planning to open the third branch instead?" Kevin questioned.

Realizing they were nearing their destination, Roana decided to inform him. "Yes, I assumed you were already aware. I overheard Mary giving directions to the driver. Didn’t she inform you?" Roana responded, subtly attempting to provoke Kevin’s anger.

"She did not and I notice that she does not like me, not even a bit," Kevin replied.

"We are the same then. She hates me and she is not afraid to show it," Roana said trying to see what his reaction will be.

"I think you are right. Josephine said the same and this is just because you are the ex-fiance of Mr. Park," Kevin commented.

"That is true, so I plan to get out of there as soon as my on-the-job training is done," Roana uttered.

"Really? Why not get back together with Mr. Park? You captured his heart before, you can do it again," Kevin suggested.

"Nah, I would want someone who wouldn’t hurt me. He backed out from our wedding, and I don’t want to be with a man like him," Roana explained.

"Does it mean you are open to dating again?" Kevin asked curiously.

"I am... are you going to recommend someone?" Roana replied.

"Yes... me," Kevin said before smirking at her.

Roana smiled in return, keeping in mind to make her act real.

********

As the bus pulled into the mall, everyone quickly did their assigned task. Even Amy was ready to help the crew.

Before she can walk to the counter to set up the paper cups, Henry pulled her arm and stopped her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I will help in setting up, it is only less than three hours before the shop opens and the staff needs to meet with their manager as well," Amy explained.

"Amy, you are the CEO now. Let your staff do that," Henry reminded her.

"Yes, I am, but this is how we started. I have been doing this since before you met me, so..." Amy grabbed a couple of plastic cups in packs and handed them to Henry, "Open this and put them in the tray," Amy said before turning around to finish unpacking the paper cups.

"Why am I the one who needs to do this?" Henry murmured to himself as he looked around the shop.

He saw Sandra and Maya outside the shop, giving away flyers, while Rei and Dave are helping the other crews set up the table and chairs outside the shop.

He looked to his left and saw Anton stocking the self-serve station. Behind him is Amy with Ava and Mitch busy stocking the counter.

On his right is Mary together with the branch manager and some of the staff preparing the coffee machines and stocking the freezer.

He then saw rest of the crew were busy setting up and cleaning up other things and he was the only one doing nothing. He rolled his eyes and started doing the task given to him by Amy.

Kevin repeatedly glanced at his wristwatch, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Sandra. "Are you expecting someone? Or perhaps you’re concerned about whether we’ll be able to open on time?" Sandra inquired with curiosity.

Rei had instructed Sandra to keep a watchful eye on Kevin and report any unusual behavior to him, all while ensuring that Amy and Henry remained unaware of their suspicions. Although Sandra didn’t fully buy into Rei’s speculations, she still wanted to maintain her vigilance and be cautious.

Kevin scratched his head, his smile turning slightly awkward. "Ah... you’ve caught me. I must admit, I’m feeling a bit nervous. Our preparations and marketing efforts were primarily focused on the hotel branch, so I’m hoping that customers will soon gather here once we open."

Sandra reassured him, taking on the role of the Marketing Manager. "Don’t worry about that. It’s my responsibility to worry about promotions. I’ve hired influencers and informed them to direct their attention here instead." She proceeded to show Kevin her phone, displaying evidence of the influencers diligently promoting the specific branch.

"Take a look... They’re already hard at work as we speak. They’ve posted about which branch they’re heading to today," Sandra added confidently.

Before Kevin could respond, his phone began to ring, indicating an incoming call from Josephine. Excusing himself from Sandra and Maya, he quickly went somewhere quiet where no one will hear him talk.