Chapter 10 Part 2 The Charm of Love-3

Of course, I will probably limit the upper limit to a certain area, and it can be more flexible.It's a good idea to have some leeway for unexpected situations or one-time shopping needs. "You're really smart!" Emma said, shaking her head. "That's why you're an expert in finance, but I can't." The waiter came up to us with a tray. "Oh, that's delicious, I'm starving! I want... bacon and avocado." "I want tuna and sweet corn," Zelda said. "And you, Becky?" "Smoked beef and rye flour," I said casually, "with mayonnaise."

"I'm afraid there's no pastrami and rye flour you asked for," said Zelda, frowning. "Only ham salad..." "Then a bagel, with cream cheese and lox, and a soda." "You mean soda?" Zelda said. "What smoked salmon?" Emma asked, looking puzzled—I pretended not to hear her.I actually don’t know what lox is like myself – but people eat it in New York, so it must be delicious, right? "Whatever it is," said the sandwich waiter, "we don't have salmon here. You might as well have some cheese and ketchup, and a pack of hula hoops."

"Okay," I said reluctantly, reaching into my bag and pulling out my wallet.At this time, a large stack of letters that I had stuffed into my bag after receiving them in the morning was also brought out and scattered on the ground.Hell.I hastily collected the letters from the floor and stuffed them into the Conran store bag next to me, hoping that no one would notice them.But damn Rory was looking straight at me. "Hi, Becky," he said, with another laugh, "I just saw you had a payment reminder?" "No!" I quickly replied, "Of course not. It was... a birthday card, a funny birthday card, for my accountant. Well, I have to go. Goodbye!"

Yes, this is not true.What he saw was indeed a reminder for arrears.I'll be honest, I've gotten quite a few reminders over the past few days, and if I had money, I'd try to find the time to pay them all.But I really can't care less about them.I mean, I have more important things to do than deal with those nasty death bills.In a few months, I'll be living across the Atlantic! I'm going to be an American TV star! Luke said that I would probably be paid twice as much in the US as I was in the UK.Might be more! Well, a few nasty reminders are nothing, right? When I'm a household name and I live in Park Avenue: A New York, USA The name of the street, sometimes called "Park Avenue", is often used as a synonym for the luxurious and fashionable class because there are many luxurious large apartments on the street. ——Annotation for a luxurious penthouse, a few pounds in arrears won't disturb my sleep, will it?

God, that would have taken that damned John Gavin down and left him dumbfounded.Imagine the astonishment on his face when I walk into his office and tell him I'm going to be CNN's new famous anchorwoman and make six times as much money as he does His look! He is so arrogant and arrogant, this is a lesson for him.I managed to find the time this morning to open his latest letter, and it really pissed me off when I read it.What did he mean by "high debt"? And what did he mean by "special treatment"? You see, Derek Smeez would never have been rude to me, not in ten thousand years.

When I got to Luke's company, Luke was still in some meeting, but that's okay, I don't mind walking around.I love going to Brydon's - in fact, I often turn in just to get a feel for the atmosphere.It's a cool place—all gold floors and spotlights, stylish couches, everyone in a hurry, but alive and well.Overtime is commonplace, even if they don't necessarily have a rush - at 7 p.m., someone will always open a bottle of wine for colleagues to share a tasting with. I brought a present for Luke's assistant, Mel, to wish her a happy birthday yesterday.To be honest, I loved the gift—a pair of beautiful cushions I bought at the Conran boutique—and heard her gasp in amazement as I handed her the shopping bag.

"Oh, Becky! You are so kind!" "It's nothing," I said with a smile.She raved about the cushions, and I sat casually on the corner of her desk. "How are you these days?" Oh, gossip is always irresistible.Mel puts down her shopping bag, pulls out a box of taffy, and chats with me.She was in a relationship with a man, following her mother's wishes, but it felt bad.She also heard about Tom's wedding.She lowered her voice and told me all kinds of company gossip. She told me that the two telephone-connecting girls who wore the same Next brand suits hadn't spoken to each other much since they joined the company, and neither of them would change the suits first, and the girl in the financial office had just retired When I came back to work from maternity leave, I was nauseated and vomited again every morning, but I refused to say anything.

"One more thing that's really exciting!" she said, handing me the bag of taffy. "I was wondering if Alicia was talking about friends with someone in the company." "Really!" I looked at her and said in amazement, "Really? With whom?" "With Ben Bridges." I frowned, trying to match the name with the person. "You remember that guy who used to work at Coupland's and was new to the company?" "It's him?" I stared blankly at Mel, "Really?" I must say I was really surprised.The man was not bad looking, but he was short in stature and looked very energetic and clever.Not the type of person I thought Alicia would be.

"I often see them together, whispering to each other. One day, Alicia said she was going to the dentist, but when I went to eat at Lanchez's restaurant, I saw them hiding in the corner for lunch together. -" She stopped talking because she saw Luke appear at the door of his office, seeing off a man in a purple shirt. "Mel, call a car for Mr. Malloy, will you?" "Okay, Luke," Mel said, and her tone immediately changed to that of a professional, efficient secretary.She picked up the phone on the table, we smiled at each other, and I walked into Luke's office.

God, his office is so beautiful.I always forget that he likes big things.Behind his large maple desk, an award-winning Danish designer, on a shelf in a wall niche are the PR medals he's won over the years. "Look at this," he said, and handed me a stack of papers. At the top was a letter from "Hauskey & Forano American Immigration Law Firm," which said, "Your planned emigration "United States", I couldn't help but feel a burst of excitement. "It's not a dream, is it?" I said, walking up to the French windows of his office and looking down at the people hurrying by in the street. "We're really going to New York."

"The flight ticket is also booked." He said with a smile. "You know what I mean." "I know what you mean," he said affirmatively, wrapping his arms around me. "It's really exciting." We just stood there, just the two of us, looking out the window at the busy London street below.I can't believe that I'm going to leave everything in front of me and live in a strange country.It was exciting and amazing - but also a little scary. "You think I can actually get a job there?" I said, as I'd asked him every time I'd seen him this week. "You really think I can?" "Of course you can." His tone was very sure and confident, and I felt very relaxed when he hugged me in his arms. "They'll like you. It'll be fine." He kissed me and hugged me hard.Afterwards, he let me go and returned to his desk, frowning, thoughtful, and opened a stack of paper rolls marked "New York" on the desk.It is not surprising that the file volume is so thick.He told me that day that he had been preparing for a business in New York for the past three years.three years! "I can't believe you've been planning this for so long and never mentioned it to me," I said, watching him write on a sticky note. "Yeah," Luke said.I clenched the stack of paper he gave me just now with both hands, and took a deep breath.I've been wanting to say something to him - and now is a good time. "Luke, what would you have done if I didn't want to go to New York with you?" There was silence except for the hum of the computer. "I know you'd like to go," Luke said at last. "It's obvious." "But... what if I hadn't agreed?" I bit my lip and said, "In that case, would you still go?" Luke sighed, "Becky - you want to go to New York, don't you?" "Yes! You know I want to go!" "So, what's the point of asking this kind of 'what if' question? The point is, if you want to go, I want to go too... that's enough." He looked at me with a smile, put down the pen in his hand, "Your parents How are they?" "They're . This is true.I have to admit, they were pretty taken aback when I first told them.In retrospect, probably I should have told them about it slowly.For example, maybe I should introduce Luke to them first, and then talk about this New York thing.And at that time, I hurried into the house, they were still wearing their wedding clothes, sitting at the table drinking tea, watching the TV "Countdown" - I turned off the TV, with an uncontrollable excited tone Said, "Mom, I'm going to New York with Luke!" My mom looked at my dad and said, "Oh, Graham, she's leaving." My mom then said she didn't really mean that - but I've always had my doubts. That's when they met Luke, and he told them about his plan and the opportunities that existed for me in American television, and I could see the smile on Ma's face fading away.Her face seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, and the features were all gathered together.She got up and went to the kitchen to make tea, and I followed her into the kitchen—I could see she was very upset, but she didn't want to show it.She poured a cup of tea and picked up some biscuits with a slightly trembling hand—turning to me again, with a bright smile on her face, she said, "I always thought you were a good fit for life in New York, Becky." .New York is a great place for you." I looked at Mom, and suddenly realized the meaning of what I just said.Far away from home, far away from parents, living on the other side of the ocean... from now on, only Luke. "Would you...will you visit us often?" I said, my voice trembling slightly. "Of course I will, my dear! Any minute!" She shook my hand, looked away—and then we went into the living room, not talking any more about it. When we came downstairs for breakfast the next morning, she and my dad were raptly studying a Sunday Times ad for a vacation in Florida, which they said they had been considering.When we left my parents' house that afternoon, they were still debating whether Disneyland in Florida was better than Disneyland in California.And I happen to know that neither of them has ever been to Disneyland in Florida or California in their lives. "Becky, I have some business to do," Luke said, interrupting my recollection.He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Let's meet again tonight, shall we?" "Okay," I said, still dawdling by his street window.At this moment, I suddenly remembered something, turned to him and said, "Hey, have you heard about Alicia?" "What's wrong with her?" Luke frowned at the receiver in his hand, and put it back on the landline. "Mel guesses she's talking about friends. Talk to Ben Bridges! Do you believe it?" "Honestly, I don't believe it," Luke said, tapping his fingers on the computer keyboard. "I don't believe it." "So what do you think about this?" I moved to sit on the edge of his desk and looked at him excitedly. "Honey," Luke said patiently, "I really have to get my job done." "You're not interested in this?" "Not interested. As long as they each do their own thing." "People have other things besides work." I said aggrieved and dissatisfied.But Luke wasn't listening to my complaints at all.He had that look of being absent-minded about chores when he was concentrating on his work. "Okay," I said, rolling my eyes, "see you tonight then." I walked out of Luke's office and Mel wasn't at her desk.Alicia, wearing a smart black top, was standing at Mel's desk, looking at some papers in her hands.She flushed a little, and I wondered inwardly if she had just flirted with Ben. "Hi Alicia," I said politely, "how are you?" Alicia seemed taken aback, quickly gathered the papers she was reading—and then looked at me with a strange expression, as if she had never seen me before. "Becky," she said slowly, "well, I'm nothing. I'm a financial expert, a financial expert!" What's wrong with Alicia? Why does she sound like she's kidding when she opens her mouth? "Yes," I said, "it's me. Where's Mel?" When I got to Mel's desk, I thought I'd put something on her desk.A scarf? Did I just bring an umbrella? "She went to lunch," Alicia said, "and she showed me your present for her. It's very fashionable." "Thank you," I said shortly. "So," she said with a forced smile, "I think you're going to go to New York with Luke. It's nice to have a rich boyfriend." God, she was so rude.How dare she say that in front of Luke! "Actually, I'm not a 'follow me,'" I retort gleefully. "I've got appointments with a lot of the biggest names in TV. It's a totally independent trip." "But..." Alicia frowned and said thoughtfully, "The company bought your ticket for you, didn't it?" "No! I paid for it myself!" "I'm just asking casually." Alicia raised her hands in apology. "Good travels, then." She picked up some folders, put them in her briefcase, and snapped the button shut. "Okay, bye!" "Goodbye." I said, watching her walk briskly to the elevator. I'm standing by Mel's desk, wondering what the hell I've put on Mel's desk.But whatever it was, I still can't remember.Oh, I don't think it's anything important. When I got home, I found Suzie in the living room on the phone.Her face was flushed and shining, and her voice trembled a little.Suddenly I tensed up and realized that something terrible had happened.Uneasy in my heart, I raised my face and looked at her anxiously—she kept nodding to me, saying, "Yes", "I know" and "When was that?" I sat in a chair feeling a little weak from anxiety.What was she talking about? Funerals? Brain surgery? Oh my god.I just decided to go - and here it is. "Guess what happened?" she gasped as soon as she put the phone down, and I stood up in a panic. "Susie, I'm not going to New York," I said, grabbing her hands involuntarily. "I'm staying here to help you through any trouble. Who... died?" "No," said Suzie, eyes twinkling, and I tried to control my emotions. "You are sick?" "No, no. Good news, Becks! I just... unbelievable!" "So—what the hell? What's going on, Susie?" "Hadleys agreed to give me a special case for my home decorations. Do you know that department store?" She shook her head with a look on her face that she found unbelievable. "They want I design a whole range of decorative items! There are frames, vases, stationery...it’s basically up to me.” "Oh my gosh!" I put a hand over my mouth, "This is amazing!" "They just called, surprisingly, and said their inspectors have been paying close attention to the sale of my frames. Apparently they've never seen such a sale." "Oh, Suzie!" "I didn't expect it to sell so well," Suzie said, looking as if he hadn't quite recovered from the shock. "The guy said it really got everyone's attention! People in the industry were talking about it. Apparently, the only company selling The ones that aren't as good are in the middle of nowhere. In Finchley or something." "Oh, that's right," I said vaguely, "I don't think I've ever been there." "But the man said it must be an exception—because all the other stores, the ones in Fulham Street and Notting Hill Street and Chelsea, were selling like crazy." She smiled, and again Confused look, "Especially in that store called 'Gifts and Goodies', the one on the corner of the street, I'm still the top seller!" "Well, I'm so happy!" I said, raising my voice, "Your frame is easily ranked number one in that store, easily won." I put my arms around her, "I'm so proud of you , Suzy. I knew you were going to be a star." "Well, I sure as hell wouldn't be doing this well without you! I mean, you encouraged me to make frames in the first place..." Suddenly Suzie seemed on the verge of tears, "Oh, Bex - I'm really going to miss you." "I know," I said, biting my lip, "I'll miss you too." We were both silent for a while, and I was so afraid that I might cry at any moment.But I took a deep breath and looked up. "Okay, that's a great thing. You can open a store in New York." "Yeah!" said Suzie with a beaming face. "Yes, I can do that, can't I?" "Of course. You will gradually open stores around the world soon," I hugged her, "how about it, let's have dinner together tonight and celebrate." "Oh, Bex, of course I'd like to," said Susie, "but I don't have time. I've got to go to Scotland. In fact—" She looked at her watch with a grimace—"Oh my God Ah, I didn't expect it to be so late. Taxin will be there soon." "Tahin coming here?" I asked in surprise. "Come now?" Ever since that awful evening I spent with him, I've been trying to avoid Suzie's cousin, Taxin.Even thinking about that past event makes me feel uncomfortable.Basically, the date was alright (at least not in the sense that I didn't have a crush on him anymore, or have anything in common with him) - until Taxin saw me wondering Flipping through his checkbook, or at least I think he did.I'm still not sure what he was thinking, and to be honest, I don't mind trying to find out. "I drove him over to my aunt's house for a dull family reunion," Susie said. "We were the only two people under ninety at that party." She hurried into her bedroom, when the doorbell rang, and she called over her shoulder, "Bex, will you open the door for me? Taxin must be here." Oh my God.Oh my God.I really don't want to do this job. I pretended to be indifferent and confident, reached out and opened the door, and greeted in a relaxed tone, "Tahin!" "Becky," he said, looking at me again, as if I were Tutankhamun: king of the eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt, whose tomb was discovered and well preserved, with pharaoh mummies and a large number of precious treasures. cultural relics. ——Annotation The stolen treasure is general. Oh dear, he was still the same scrawny, grotesque looking man, wearing a queer green hand-knit jumper and a vest with a huge pocket watch dangling from the vest pocket.I'm sorry, but the 15th or so richest man in England should have a stylish new Timex watch, right? "Oh, come in," I said, deliberately a little too enthusiastically, and waved in with one hand, like an Italian restaurateur welcoming customers. "Okay," Taxin said, and he followed me into the living room.I waited for him to sit down, and neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere seemed a little awkward; in fact, he was swaying up and down the middle of the living room, which made me a little impatient.At this moment, I suddenly realized that he was waiting for me to sit down first, so I quickly sat down on the sofa. "Would you like a drink?" I asked politely. "It's too early." Taxin said, then laughed nervously. "Drink some" is Taxin's way of saying drink some wine or something.He called his trousers "pant legs" and... anyway you can imagine him. There was another terrible silence between us.I can't help but go back to horrific details about going on a date with him — like when he tried to kiss me and I scrambled away.Oh my god.forget it.Forget about it. "I... I heard you're going to New York," Taxin said, looking down at the floor. "Is that true?" "Yes," I said, with a smile on my face, "yes, there is such a plan." "I've been to New York once," Tachin said, "and didn't really like it." "No way," I said thoughtfully, "no way, I don't believe it. It's a bit different from Scotland, isn't it? More... lively." "Absolutely!" he said aloud, as if I was speaking wisely. "Exactly. It was so lively. The people there were all very nice people. It seemed to me that it was all crazy." .” Compared to what? I want to contradict him.At least they don't call water "garlic," or sing Wagner in public. But that would have been a little too harsh, so I was silent and said nothing, and he had nothing more to say—then the door opened and we both looked up in relief. "Hi!" said Suzie, "Tarkie: "Tarkie" is a nickname for "Tarquin." —Annotation, here you come! Listen, I have to get the car first, I had to park a few blocks away when I got back that night. I'll honk for you when the car comes, and then we'll go, okay?" "Okay," Taxin nodded and said, "I'll stay here and chat with Becky, waiting for you to come." "Fine!" I said, trying to put on a big smile on my face. Suzie left, and I squirmed awkwardly in the seat, Taxin stretched her feet out, face down, and looked at her feet.Oh, these moments are excruciating.Watching him in front of me bored me more and more—but suddenly I felt like I had to say something, or I would have gone to New York, and the opportunity would have been gone forever. "Tahin," I said, taking a deep breath, "there's something I...I really want to tell you. Actually, I've been thinking about having a chance to tell you." "Really?" he said, he raised his head, "is...what is it?" He looked at me anxiously, and I felt a little nervous.But the word has been said, and it must be finished.I have to tell him what I really think.I pushed my hair back with my hands and took a deep breath. "Your jacket," I said, "doesn't match your waistcoat." "Oh," Taxin said, with a look of surprise on his face, "really?" "Yeah!" I said, feeling as if a big rock had been lifted from my chest, "honestly...that sucks." "Then I take it off?" "Okay. Actually, take that vest off, too." He obediently took off his vest and jacket—he was only wearing a blue shirt, but surprisingly, he looked much better than before.It's almost... very normal and pleasing to the eye! At this time, I suddenly had an idea. "You wait!" I hurried into my bedroom and snatched a shopping bag from the chair.In this shopping bag was a men's pullover I bought for Luke a few days ago for his birthday, but I later found out that he already had the exact same pullover and was going to return it to the store. "Look!" I went back to the living room and said to him, "Look in this, it's Paul Smith." Tachin pulled the jumper over his head - it really made a difference! He really looked refreshed. "And the hair," I said, looking him up and down, "and your hair has to be fixed." Ten minutes later, I combed his hair with water, dried it with a hair dryer, and applied a little hair cream on the combed back hair. Look again... there is nothing to say.What a makeover.