Rosemary curled the corner of her lip into a sly smile, "That would be ."
"Boss, why is it you? How co you’ve got Mr. McMillian’s phone?" Jack’s voice quivered with fear, "I haven’t spilled anything in the last couple of days. I swear, I didn’t ntion a peep about your
whereabouts in Belloria."
Rosemary could sense his desperate will to survive and said with interest, "Oh. is that so?"
"Absolutely." Jack’s voice grew even more nervous at Hunter’s tone, "I rember now, before you went off to Belloria, Mr. McMillian insisted on having a dinner with the guys. Everyone was going, and it just
would’ve been rude for to skip. Mr. McMillian might have thought I was too big for my britches, like I didn’t respect him."
Her interest piqued further, Rosemary prodded, "So you went?"
"Yeah. but I didn’t ask for the gift card and the car keys. Mr. McMillian said it was a little sothing for the holidays. He made it clear that family should take it, and refusing would be a slap in his face. I
figured, you and Mr. McMillian are practically family. It’s not right to snub your own kin, right? Plus,Jones and Tom all took it too."
Jack was quick to drag everyone else into it.
"Mr. McMillian also ntioned that, should there be any danger, that sports car could outrun anyone with its speed and even activate bulletproof mode. He said it was to ensure we could protect you better."
"So everyone took one?" Rosemary was oblivious to this developnt, "And the gift card?"
"The gift card was a New Year’s bonus for the crew, not just us few. Everyone on the payroll, even those abroad or on missions—Mr. McMillian prepared one for them, asked us to pass them on. He said
that loyalty like ours, following you through thick and thin, deserves recognition, so."
"How much did you take?" Rosemary’s tone was as sharp as if she were ready to sever their hands.
Jack was terrified, stuttering, "It was a blank check. we could fill in any amount."
A blank check? Any amount?
At this revelation, Rosemary shot Roo a glance—pretty generous, huh?
Fearing boss’ wrath, Jack hurriedly explained, "We were all brought up by you; we wouldn’t go filling in crazy numbers. We all agreed on an amount—just filled in two hundred bucks."
"So you’re saying you’ve got a conscience after all?"
She wasn’t about to let them fleece her fiancé.
Jack grew more frightened by Rosemary’s tone, "Boss, listen to , I’m not making excuses—I an, let explain."
"What else?"
"That’s it."
"Just that? That’s all?"
"Oh, I just rembered sothing else." Jack’s tone suggested he knew he was in deep trouble and promptly ca clean, not daring to hide any longer.
"And last Christmas, Mr. McMillian gave each of us a supermarket gift card worth a thousand bucks.
We could use it at any McMillian Corporation-owned supermarket. everyone took one. If I hadn’t, it would’ve been taken as an insult."
"So you were put out by it, then?"
"You bet, I agonized over it for ages before I finally accepted." Jack shivered as he tried to affirm his loyalty to Rosemary, "Boss, even though we’ve accepted quite a bit from Mr. McMillian, we are yours in
life and in spirit. We would never betray you. Anything that shouldn’t be disclosed, we haven’t breathed a word."
Rosemary deliberately left him hanging without a response.
Jack continued with a brotherly fervor, "Look, I’m just sayin’, God forbid, if you guys ever have a spat after the wedding, or if that Mr. McMillian ever dares to give you a hard ti, we will be ready to roll up
our sleeves and throw down. No rcy. You’ll always be our boss. We’ve always got your back."
"He heard you," Rosemary interjected, her tone light and teasing. "He’s not looking too pleased right now."
Jack’s heart skipped a beat. "Hey, boss, what’s that? You’re breaking up. I’ll give you a ring later."
"Oh, call this number next ti. My phone’s busted."
Jack’s despair deepened.
"Your phone? That thing’s as tough as a brick, cutting-edge like a stealth jet, and it’s broken? How?"
He suspected his boss was pulling his leg, just trying to get him to call Roo, but the thought made him nervous. He was scared to make that call.
"Even the toughest brick, if it falls from the eighteenth floor, is bound to shatter, let alone survive an explosion."
"That bad, huh?"
Just a few hours earlier, Rosemary had used Roo’s phone to ask him to send extra guys to keep Reflections Villa secure, not letting any bad guys take advantage. She hadn’t ntioned what she and Horace had actually gone through.
At this point, Jack felt a twinge of jealousy that Horace had been through thick and thin with the boss,and his voice took on a slightly sour tone.
"Why’d you bring that dunce Horace back? What about ?"
"You can hang with Roo," Rosemary said coolly. "You’re all family anyway, doesn’t make a difference who you’re with."
"Don’t do like that," Jack pleaded, "I was just kiddin’ around. How can I be family with him? You and , we’re blood, man. Boss, do you really trust that goofball Horace to get things done? He’s got that
dopey, adorable look when he smiles, nowhere near as reliable as ."
"I think his dopey, adorable look is quite endearing, and besides, he’s got good instincts in a pinch."
"That still doesn’t beat !"
"In a year or two, when Mr. McMillian sets you up with soone, I’ll need soone by my side if you leave."
"Co on. Even if Mr. McMillian introduces to a knockout, a real diamond, I wouldn’t take it. I’m with
you for life, boss. Don’t kick to the curb, man. I’ll even return all the gifts Mr. McMillian’s given ."
Rosemary finally chuckled at his dramatics, "Alright, enough. I called to ask about Reflections Villa. Everything okay there?"
"It’s all good! But we were too late, Erik slipped away! It’s below zero out here, and and the boys are freezing our butts off standing guard."
"Have people take turns. You don’t need to be out there 24/7."
"It’s almost holiday ti, so of the guys have gone ho, we’re short-staffed." Jack was quick to show his devotion, "But not . I’m an orphan. I’m available 365 days a year, not like so people."
"Enough with the guilt-tripping," Rosemary cut in. "That’s it. I’m hanging up now."
Jack heard the call end with a beep and was surprised his boss hadn’t given him a hard ti. Was Rosemary giving him a pass on accepting Mr. McMillian’s gifts? Rosemary still had a soft spot for them.
After all, Mr. McMillian was the richest man in the world. The little they accepted from him didn’t even amount to a day’s interest in his bank account.
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