âHey! Heâs been gone for quite a while now.
Are you so unwilling to part with him?â
Phillis sauntered over to Dulcie, hands shoved arrogantly into her pockets to mask her inner turmoil, and smiled wryly.
Dulcie snapped back to reality and turned to face Phillis.
Despite everything, she was still on duty, and Phillis was a diner here.
Dulcie bowed politely and asked, âMiss Perez, is there something you need?â
âMust I have a reason to speak with you? You stole my fiancé right from under my nose.
How can you stand there so self-righteously?â
Dulcie shot back, âI recall Mr.
Shaw mentioning you were on a blind date, not engaged.
Besides, you saw it yourself.
He was the one who pulled me away.
I didnât snatch him from you at all.
â
Hearing this, Phillis glared at Dulcie icily, remaining silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Dulcie said, âMiss Perez, if thereâs nothing else, Iâll return to my work.
â
She intended to finish her shift and then inform the restaurant manager of her decision to quit.
Having only worked there for three days, she was ready to forgo her pay.
The prospect of going out with Kyson was a golden opportunity, and she cared little for anything else.
She turned to leave, but after a few steps, Phillis blocked her path, asking softly, âYouâre not a local, are you? Did you come from another country to work?â
âThatâs my business, not yours.
â
âFair enough.
Iâm just curious,â Phillis replied, stepping closer and lowering her voice.
âConsidering your job here, itâs safe to say youâre not exactly rolling in dough, right? I heard youâre going out with Kyson.
Heâs a big shot from a very affluent family.
Do you know the rules for dating someone like him?â
âRules? What rules are you talking about?â
Dulcie was puzzled.
She had no idea there were specific rules for dating among Cadieredâs elite.
Phillis adopted an air of worldly wisdom and patted Dulcieâs shoulder, looking earnest.
âItâs your first official date, and heâll definitely give you a gift.
Whatever it is, itâll be very expensive.
Youâre expected to reciprocate with a gift of equal value.
Unfortunately, Luxury items for men cost a pretty penny, often tens of thousands of dollars.
Are you sure you can afford that?â
Dulcie lowered her head.
She knew the answer all too well.
She couldnât afford it.
Despite working in Cadiered for four years and earning a decent wage at the aquarium, Stastle was a premier city where the wealthy congregated.
Her monthly salary barely covered living expenses and rent, leaving her with almost no savings.
Besides, she had informed the head of the aquarium of her intention to resign a few days prior, yet her salary for the previous month remained unpaid.
She was still burdened with the worry of how she would cover the rent for the upcoming month.
Affording such an extravagant gift was out of the question.