The time for lunch break came in the blink of an eye.

Joanne had no idea that the time between 12pm and 1pm was meant to be the employee's lunch break. She had a late breakfast, so she did not feel hungry at all. She stayed behind and kept poring over documents. Out of deference, Manager Carol did not remind Joanne that it was time for lunch. At the same time, she did not dare head off to have her lunch either.

There was a knock, and Brian appeared outside the door.

Usually, employees would drop by Brian's office if there were urgent matters to discuss, not the other way round. It was rare for Brian to show up at various departments of the company. Manager Carol was taken by surprise and was just about to greet him when he gave her an eye signal, one that read "don't say a word".

Manager Carol glanced at Joanne, who was still immersed in the documents and was completely unaware of Brian's presence. Taking the cue, Manager Carol nodded and sneaked quietly out of her office.

Brian walked to the desk Joanne was sitting at. She had already dealt with some of the documents. Those she had signed were set aside in one stack. She had labelled another stack that required further clarification from him. There was only one document left that she had neither labelled nor signed. It was the event schedule.

"Is there a problem with the schedule?" he asked.

"Oh, well, the event schedule is-" Joanne raised her head. "It's... hey? What are you doing here?"

"It's time for lunch," Brian said. "Come on. I'll take you out."

"Just in time. There's something I need to discuss with you," Joanne said, standing up. "It's about the event schedule!"

"Let's talk once we're out of here."

Brian grabbed Joanne's hand and led her out of the Planning Department. Along the way, they were met with the looks of surprise on the faces of the employees who were leaving and entering the place. Some had even looked upon Joanne with envy. In the end, they all snapped out of it and greeted the couple.

"President Lambert. Madam!"

"President. Madam!"

Joanne curled into Brian's sides. "Weird. I don't recall the path being this long when Gavin brought me down here. Brian, let's walk faster." She was still unaccustomed to all the "Madams" being thrown around.

"You'll have to get used to it eventually," Brian said. "There will be even more people addressing you by that title in the future."

Joanne blushed for no reason at all. She tugged at Brian to hurry him up. They stepped into the elevator.

Someone had readied Brian's car ages ago. It was then that Joanne realized something. "Wait, aren't we going to the cafeteria?" she asked.

"You want to go to the cafeteria?" Brian answered with another question.

"No. It's just they say that if the leader makes an appearance at the employee's cafeteria, it'll help boost employee productivity," Joanne said.

"I've been there before. Ended up causing a ruckus. Never went there since."

Joanne looked him over from head to toe and could not help but agree. "You look... Yeah, you do look like someone who would have that kind of effect on people."

"Also, don't say I didn't warn you," Brian said lazily. "The cafeteria will be teeming with employees at this hour. Imagine a scene where there's about a thousand people calling you 'Madam'."

Joanne did not even need to picture the scene for her to start shuddering all over. She pulled Brian with her and headed outside. "Let's eat out, then."

Once they were in the car, Brian fired up the engine. At the same time, he asked, "You mentioned just now that there's a problem with the schedule?"

"Only one problem," Joanne said, lifting a finger in an earnest gesture. "Manager Carol told me that during the previous anniversary celebrations, the opening dance would always be performed by you and a randomly selected female employee. But according to the schedule, it would be you and me this year."

Brian narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "What's the problem with that?"

"How could it not be a problem?" Joanne said. She was getting a little riled up at that point. "That has always been the thing that the female employees look forward to the most in the entire event. This year it's gone. Can't you imagine how disappointed they'll feel?"

Brian had a cryptic look on his face. He looked as if he was smiling, though it was really hard to tell. "So? What do you propose, Mrs. Lambert?"

The look he was giving Joanne right then was filled with warning.

Joanne had discerned the change in Brian's tone, which sounded a bit weird. Still, she offered her suggestion timidly.

"I think... it's better to do the same as the previous years. Pick out a female employee and have her perform the opening dance with you."

Brian was so furious that he actually laughed. "And the reason?"

"The reason is..." Joanne voice grew weaker. "The female staff will... be happier."

All traces of a smile vanished from Brian's face. "What about you, then?" he asked in an indecipherable tone. "As Mrs. Lambert, are you really going to stand on the sidelines and watch me dance with another female employee?"

Joanne was silent for a few seconds. "It doesn't have to be on the sidelines. I can watch from anywhere."

Brian's eyes narrowed dangerously. He pulled over at the side of the road, and leaned over to Joanne.

Joanne stilled her breath. In that moment, she felt as if his scent had engulfed her entirely. Her mind had turned into a muddled mess, and she could not form even a single coherent thought. She reached out and tried to push him away. "Hey, speak nicely if you have something to say. You don't have to come this close. Also, this is a no parking zone."

A loud snap sounded as Brian fastened the seatbelt that she had completely forgotten about. An enigmatic smile formed on his visage. "Are you sure you won't feel jealous like this morning? Hm?"

Joanne pondered his question earnestly. After a while, she shook her head. "You've got nothing to worry about. I won't."

All of a sudden, the dangerous look in Brian's eyes intensified. He leaned a few inches towards her. "Why are you so against dancing with me?"

"I..." Joanne stammered. "It's not that I'm against it. It's just... to be honest I don't think I'm any good in dancing. Plus, I'm out of practice. I haven't danced for years now. So I won't be able to match your pace on the day itself. Surely you're not looking to embarrass both of us?"

"So that's the real reason," Brian thought.

The look on Brian's face softened considerably. He restarted the engine. "There are still five days until the anniversary celebration. I can teach you."

Admittedly, Joanne was doubting her own ears at this point. What she had heard just now felt all too much like stuff from her dreams.

"Then... do I still need to make changes to the schedule?" she asked hesistantly after a long while.

"Change it if you dare!" Brian shot back dangerously.

That had shut up Joanne instantly. Deep in her heart, however, it was as if some kind of valve had opened in her heart, releasing torrents upon torrents of sweet honey.

Ten minutes later, Brian's car pulled up in front of a French restaurant.

Joanne noted the restaurant's name. Somehow, the name felt familiar. It took her quite a while to make the connection. This was the same restaurant that Freya had often mentioned to her.

This place had once been featured in famous international food magazines. It had also been acknowledged as the best and the most authentic French restaurant in A City. To sum up Freya's review: Both the food and services were first rate! The price, however, was a different matter. Everything here was expensive to the point that even someone like Freya, who valued money about as much as she valued manure, would hesitate a little before making a reservation.

"Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Lambert. Welcome." "Mr. Lambert, still the same table?" inquired the bellboy.

"Mm," answered Brian. Then, a waiter came forth and led them to a table beside the window. Outside the window, the surface of the river glittered under the sunlight. The entire view of the river front was vast and broad.

Joanne took stock of the restaurant's interior. A romantic vibe filled the place. The decor was elegant and refined, but low-key at the same time. With fresh cut flowers adorning the room, the whole place could have been easily mistaken for Paris.

Brian was obviously a frequenter of the restaurant; he had placed his order without even glancing at the menu. Joanne, on the other hand, could not make up her mind no matter how many times she had flipped through it.

"Shall I order for you?" Brian asked.

Joanne could not have wished for anything better. She closed her menu and nodded in gratitude.

Brian knew her tastes. Although she enjoyed eating, her appetite was actually not that big. Considering the fact that she still had to attend the food tasting at the hotel later in the afternoon, he only ordered the appetizer, main course and dessert for her. When he saw Joanne practically salivating as she eyed the other dishes on the menu, he said, "Try these first. You can try out the rest next time when I bring you here."

Joanne's eyes brightened instantly, and she smiled. "Is this your way of thanking me for helping you with the anniversary celebration?"

"Well, I have no objections if you wish to see it that way," Brian said.

That said, Joanne could finally be at ease and enjoy the dishes without feeling any burden. After taking a sip of the aperitif, she dug eagerly into the appetizer.

While studying abroad, she and Freya had visited France during their break. During the trip, they had been to various restaurants with glowing reviews, and had tried out plenty of authentic local cuisine. The memories of that trip had stayed with her and Freya even a long time after they had gone back to school.

However, Joanne felt that nothing she had ever tasted could top the authenticity and flavor of the food in her mouth right in this moment.

Brian watched the look of pure enjoyment on her face. "How could anyone be satisfied so easily?" he thought, sighing inwardly.

After she had finished the Gugelhupf, which was the last dish of the course, Joanne could feel nothing but pure satisfaction. Then Brian asked if she wanted to order any drinks, but she shook her head. "Nah, I'm good. I still have a lot things to eat later in the afternoon. Let's head back to the company."

"You don't have to drop by the company," Brian said. "I'll take you straight to the hotel. Manager Carol is already waiting for you there."

"Sounds good!"

When the car stopped in front of the hotel, Joanne realized that the anniversary celebration would be held at the same hotel where she and Brian first reunited.

Staring at the hotel, Joanne's mind began to drift away.

Brian prodded her, "Joanne. We're here."

"Oh," Joanne snapped out of her trance and unfastened her seatbelt. "Then, I'll get going."

Brian gave her a tiny nod. "Don't wander around after the tasting. Stay put. I'll come pick you up after work."

It was such a simple statement, yet it filled Joanne's heart with so much joy and happiness.

"Mm," she said, smiling. She got out of the car and headed to the hotel's entrance. Brian watched her leave. When he could no longer see her figure, Brian drove back to the company.

Brian owned this hotel, which was why every single one of the staff here recognized Joanne. The moment she entered, the hotel's waiting staff led her straight to a coffee lounge. Joanne had spotted Manager Carol even from afar, so she headed straight in that direction.

"My apologies. Have you been waiting for long?"

"Not at all. I've just arrived, too," Manager Carol said with a smile. "Why don't I bring you up to speed about the decorations? We'll go to the tasting later."

Joanne nodded. She ordered a cup of coffee and sat down to listen as Manager Carol kept her abreast regarding the decorations. She did not find any major issues there, only a few minor tweaks to be made on certain details. By the time they were done, it was almost 4pm.

The food tasting was up next.

A buffet would be held during the event. The chef had carefully prepared samples of the appetizer, main course, and dessert that would be served on the day itself. Joanne tasted every single one of the samples and found that they were all up to standard. All in all, she was very satisfied with the samples.

"Madam," Manager Carol said, "I'll have to leave this up to you. My taste tends towards the heavy side. To me, food tastes good as long as it has taste and bad if it has no taste. I won't be able to discern the subtleties in the taste at all. Even Special Assistant Gavin mentioned that we should follow your judgement to a tee when it comes to the food tasting."

Joanne felt a rather abashed at that, so she gave the food and dessert her approval without much comment. Manager Carol said, "Let's go try out the drinks and alcohol next."

At the drinks section, Joanne was shown a myriad of colorful cocktails. There were a lot of imported red and white wines, French champagne, and also a variety of fruit wines. The mere sight of them had made Joanne feel a little bit inebriated, she did taste the red, white and fruit wines.

Chris was a collector of red wine, and he would often expound the general science behind their production to her; hence, she was considered quite knowledgable when it came to red wine. Also, during her time abroad, she had often been dragged around by Freya to taste all kinds of fruit wines. With all that experience, it was safe to say that she knew a thing or two about wine tasting. The bartender, a tall and handsome hunk, took note of Joanne's well-practiced wine tasting habits. "Mrs. Lambert, you must be a connoisseur of wine," the bartender told her in fluent Mandarin.

"Actually, I can't hold my liquor that well."

Those words had just left her mouth, and yet Joanne was already feeling light-headed, though the feeling was very minor.

Just then, Manager Carol had finished testing out the other drinks and was heading over to Joanne. "Mrs. President, your face is so red."

Joanne's raised her hand instinctively and touched her face, which felt a little warm. "There's nothing wrong with these liquor," she said. "Let's go sit at the coffee lounge."

Manager Carol noted the time. It was a little past four. She escorted Joanne back to the coffee lounge and excused herself, claiming that she still had unfinished business to deal with at the company.

Joanne did not try to convince Manager Carol to stay. She found an unoccupied couch and sat down. Her light-headness seemed to have worsened. She snuggled into the couch and rubbed her temples. Soon, she fell into a hazy sleep.

The red wine she had tasted just now did not have a high alcohol content, so perhaps her giddiness was due to the after-effects of one of the fruit wines.

Some time amidst her haze, she was approached by a waiting staff who asked if she was alright. She only waved her hands. Perhaps she had given the impression that she did not wish to be bothered, so the waiting staff left her without saying another word.

She had no idea how much time had passed, though she was slowly recovering from her giddiness. She still felt very sleepy, so much so that she could barely keep her eyes open. All of a sudden, she was surrounded by a familiar scent. A warmth followed suit. Someone had picked her up...

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