Chapter 475: Pretend Boyfriend

After talking about the welcome party, Pete still didn’t leave. He lingered at the front desk, chatting with Donna Thorne about this and that.

Donna Thorne just pretended not to hear him, picking up a company handbook and poring over it.

An unknown amount of time passed before Lucy returned.

“Let’s all hang out tonight. My treat.”

After inviting Lucy, Pete was finally willing to leave.

The moment he was gone, Lucy’s eyes went wide as she asked Donna Thorne,

“What was that about? He’s throwing a welcome party for you? Did you agree?”

Donna Thorne was taken aback as well. “How did you know he was planning a welcome party? Does he do this for every new female employee?”

“Pretty much.”

Lucy said with a pout.

“He’s decent-looking, sure. Graduated from a good school, and has a decent position in the company. When he first started hitting on people, he wasn’t so blatant about it, so no one knew what he was really like in private. Because of that, he was quite popular and ended up dating four or five female colleagues at the same time. He was pretty attentive to me too when I first started. To be honest, I was even a little moved back then.”

“Later, I happened to be talking with the colleague who had your position before you. It was one of those things—you don’t know until someone tells you, and when they do, you’re shocked. Turns out, she was already living with Pete.”

“She went home, checked Pete’s phone, and discovered he was cheating on her with several other people. They had a huge fight, and she was so embarrassed she felt she couldn’t stay at the company, so she resigned and left.”

“I thought after a blowup like that, Pete would rein it in a little. But instead, he just doubled down and started being completely open about it. None of his old flames talk to him anymore, and now he’s set his sights on you. It’s disgusting.”

Donna Thorne knew he was gross, but she hadn’t realized he was *this* gross.

“So if I don’t go, will he really retaliate against me like he said?”

“It’s possible. He made things difficult for me for a while just because I turned him down. The main issue is that his uncle owns the company, so all the department heads give him a pass. He’s like one of the company’s ‘imperial relatives,’ throwing his weight around. Even though everyone hates him, they have no choice but to interact with him. I have to hang out with him and joke around every now and then just to keep him off my back.”

Lucy said, “Look, you just got here. If you really can’t stand the guy, just leave now. Don’t waste your time here. But if this job is really important to you, then forget I said anything. Let him pursue you; just don’t say yes. We can string him along together and see how long he lasts.”

Donna Thorne felt truly lucky to have met a straightforward and cheerful girl like Lucy. If she had ended up with a scheming, sinister colleague, she really wouldn’t have been able to keep this job.

Since Lucy was also going, as closing time approached, Donna Thorne texted her driver not to pick her up. She explained she was having dinner with colleagues. The driver replied immediately.

“Where are you eating? Around what time will you be finished? Give me the location, and I’ll go wait for you in advance.”

Donna Thorne felt that was too much trouble. The driver was a person too. She insisted it wasn’t necessary, adding that she didn’t know when she’d be done and could just take a taxi home herself.

The driver had no choice but to report back to Brandon Jacobs.

Brandon Jacobs had expected this. With Donna Thorne’s beauty, someone at the company was bound to take notice.

But he hadn’t expected her to be going out to dinner with colleagues on her very first day.

He felt she was like a little bird in a cage. The moment he dared to let her out into the yard for a bit of air, all sorts of other birds would try to lure her away.

An inexplicable discomfort welled up in Brandon Jacobs. He called Donna Thorne personally. She stepped into the restroom to take the call.

She hadn’t wanted to tell Brandon Jacobs so much, but she was also afraid Pete would be relentless, so she told him everything Pete had done that day.

“The girl I work with said he’s like one of the company’s ‘imperial relatives.’ The company’s owner is his uncle, and all the department heads let him get away with anything. Even if he harasses me, no one will stand up for me. So… when we go to dinner later, can I say you’re my boyfriend? It’s fake, of course, just to trick them. I refuse to believe he’ll keep pestering me if I publicly announce I have a boyfriend.”

On the other end of the line, Brandon Jacobs lit a cigarette.

“I’ll send you an address in a minute. Tonight, you’ll be the one treating. Didn’t you say it yourself? You’re the subordinate, and he’s your superior. Besides, you don’t want to get involved with him, so how could you let him pay?”

Donna Thorne froze.

She had seen it when she was looking at her phone earlier: Brandon Jacobs had deposited ten thousand yuan into her WeChat Wallet and Alipay accounts, respectively.

While it was enough to treat them all to dinner, she didn’t want to spend it all in three days and give Brandon Jacobs the impression that she was materialistic.

Hearing Donna Thorne’s silence on the other end, Brandon Jacobs knew she was worried about the money.

“Don’t worry about the money. Just bring them over. When you get there, just give them my name. No need to feel awkward. Donna Thorne, you need to think carefully about who’s more reliable, me or him. Don’t get tangled up with trash for the sake of some petty gain.”

Although Donna Thorne was reluctant to spend the money, she knew Brandon Jacobs had a point. ‘If I take advantage of a scumbag like that, wouldn’t he hold it over my head forever?’

Soon, it was the end of the workday. Pete emerged with a few technicians from the IT department, looking sleazy.

Pete was looking incredibly smug as he announced in front of everyone that he was treating tonight, but Donna Thorne suddenly cut him off.

“Since this is a welcome for me, I should be the one to treat tonight. I’ve already booked a place. I’m sending you the address on WeChat now. Let’s go.”

Pete hadn’t expected her to have such a backbone, to actually turn around and offer to treat him.

‘Where could she possibly treat me? A roadside food stall?’

Amused, he took out his phone.

“You just started working, you don’t have an income yet, and you’re not from around here. Why do you have to be so stubborn? I’m telling you, Donna Thorne… Club DL? You’re treating us at Club DL?!”

He had originally thought Donna Thorne was a helpless, easily bullied pauper with no one to rely on.

But the address she sent was for Club DL!

Donna Thorne didn’t know what Club DL signified in Veridia; she only knew that Brandon Jacobs had told her to do this.

“That’s right. What’s wrong? Is it not to your liking?”

It wasn’t just Pete who was shocked; the technicians behind him were stunned, and even Lucy, standing beside her, stared with wide eyes.

“You’re not kidding, are you? Or is it just a place with the same name? Is it the Club DL I’m thinking of? Donna Thorne, you just got to Veridia, you must have made a mistake. Do you have any idea how much it costs to spend one night there?”

Donna Thorne had no idea.

Seeing how shocked everyone was, she belatedly realized just how big of a favor she was getting from Brandon Jacobs.

‘But I’ve already bragged about it. I can’t just say I was joking now, can I?’

Besides, the money she had on her was only enough to treat everyone to a street-side food stall.

“I know. I’ve already made the reservation. Let’s not just stand here. Time to go.”

The group set off for DL in four cars. Donna Thorne rode with Lucy.

On the way, Lucy asked her.

“I heard that to even become a member at DL, the minimum deposit is one million. You don’t even have a car, you’re not carrying a designer bag, you have no jewelry… you look pretty ordinary. How can you afford a place like that?”

Donna Thorne’s head spun. So that was why everyone had been so shocked.

‘A minimum deposit of one million?’

‘Don’t tell me Brandon Jacobs is about to drop a million for me tonight?’