After considering for a moment, Ariana responded, âI didnât drive here, either.
Let me ask Devin about it.
He drove me here today, and he will be here to pick me up soon.
â
âNever mind then.
Since Devin is fetching you, Iâll take a taxi.
â
Sonia prepared to hail a cab from the roadside.
Maxwell suddenly stepped forward and stopped Sonia.
He gestured towards the nearby parking lot and said, âItâs quite late.
Itâs the bossâ responsibility to ensure the employee gets home safely.
â
Soniaâs mouth twitched as she looked at Maxwell.
With a fake smile, she said, âSure thing.
â
Then, she held out her hand.
Maxwell hesitated, staring at her hand with a puzzled expression.
Then, with resolve, he reached out and placed his hand in hers.
Sonia was caught off guard.
She looked from Maxwellâs innocent face to their hands, feeling resigned.
She hadnât expected that he would react like this.
Fuming at his audacity, she slapped his hand away and said through clenched teeth, âThis gesture means that you should give me a lot of money.
â
Maxwellâs hand stung from the slap, but he didnât say a word.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and pulled out his wallet.
Without asking why she wanted the money, he drew out a thick stack of cash and handed it to her.
âHere, take it,â he said flatly.
Sonia eyed the bundle of bills, wondering if Maxwell had a cash machine hidden in his coat.
How did he have so much cash on him?
âs
Trying not to seem greedy, Sonia snatched the top bill between two fingers and waved it in front of Maxwell with a smile.
âThanks.
This will cover my taxi ride.
â
With that, she hopped into a taxi on the roadside before Maxwell could do anything.
The moment she got in, she said to the taxi driver urgently, âDrive! Now!â
The driver hit the gas, and they took off.
By the time Maxwell realized what had happened, he saw only the red glow of the taxiâs tail lights as it sped into the night.
He watched the car leave and let out a dismissive snort.
Sonia had bolted away as quickly as she had done when they had first met, but he wasnât too bothered.
She would have to face him when she returned to work tomorrow.
Ariana, who had been watching the whole thing, grinned and said, âSoniaâs always like that.
Sheâs reckless, but sheâs got a good heart.
I hope you donât mind.
â
Maxwell smoothly turned to Ariana and, with a comforting smile, replied, âItâs no big deal.
As a leader, patience is part of the job.
Iâll chalk this up as another test in the art of management.
â
Ariana burst into laughter, unable to contain herself.
She marveled at the way Soniaâs and Maxwellâs personalities seemed to mesh, though she had no clue what Sonia was really thinking.