Tabitha's POV
"Mr. Watson, I'm so sorry. We invited you for dinner, yet you arrived earlier than us. To show how sincere I am, I'm gonna make sure tonight's dinner satisfies you," Sonia said.
Harry smiled, "It's my honor to wait for you, elegant ladies. Well, this one looks unfamiliar. Could you introduce her?"
Sonia quickly smiled fawningly, "My bad. Mr. Watson, this is Tabitha. She has joined us only recently. Tabitha, what are you waiting for? Why don't you say hello to Mr. Watson?"
Harry was probably in his forties. Similar to many middle-aged men, he was with a greasy appearance and a big belly.
He squinted his eyes and sized me up from head to toe.
His gaze bugged me a lot.
"Mr. Watson," I greeted casually.
He immediately reached out, wanting to pull me over. "Tabitha, come sit here."
I sat down in a seat that was relatively far from the main seat before he could touch my hand.
Seeing his awkwardly extended hand in mid-air and Sonia's shocked face, I continued.
"Have a seat."
Sonia took his arm and smiled fawningly, "Mr. Watson, I'm sorry. She's a rookie and is still new to how things work."
Harry wasn't upset. "Understandable. She's young, after all. Well then. Let's sit." Then he asked his men to let the waiters serve.
At first, Sonia wanted me to sit next to Harry.
And now, she had no choice but to sit down next to his right hand. To the left of him sat several of his confidants.
Usually, their responsibility was to ply women with drink.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Harry had already put his hand on the inside of Sonia's thigh.
She was clearly unhappy, but she didn't dare to defy him, so she could continue to smile.
"Mr. Watson, if you don't help me with the contract, I could be out of a job. If things don't get better soon, I may have to start looking for a new job," Sonia said with a hint of urgency.
"More haste, less speed, which is especially true when it comes to matters of cooperation. It's sincerity that counts, " he said calmly.
She looked at me and continued, "Tabitha, Mr. Watson wants to see how sincere we are."
"I see."
I reached out, picked up a plate, and placed a large piece of roasted beef on Harry's plate. "Enjoy, Mr. Watson."
Seeing his surprised expression, I continued putting more beef on his plate till it was full.
"Is it enough to show how sincere we are? If not, there's plenty more."
Shocked, everyone looked at me.
"I envy the young ones. They're so full of vitality," Harry said with a smile, not angry at all.
Sonia rolled her eyes at me from the corner of her eye. I pretended not to notice it and went straight back to my seat.
Then she apologized to Harry, "Mr. Watson, I'm sorry. She's inexperienced and insensible. Please don't be upset."
"No worries. I like her. She's innocent and fun."
Sonia seized the opportunity. She looked at me and said, "Tabitha, we showed up late. We should apologize to Mr. Watson."
I nodded. "OK. I will."
I stood up to pour wine for her and then politely stood aside.
She coughed. "You should have some, too."
"Me?" I looked at her in surprise. "It's you who said we should apologize. Not me."
She gritted her teeth. "If you don't join me, what's the point of coming here?"
"You invited me, didn't you?" I said.
Then I added, "If you like drinking so much, feel free to have mine."
A loud bang rang out in the next second. Harry smashed his glass onto the table, and his smile was nowhere to be seen.
"Seems that this newcomer of yours has no respect for me. Forget about the collaboration."
His assistant beside him echoed, "Refusing to drink with us is the same as insulting us."
"Mr. Watson, please calm down. She has just joined my group and doesn't quite understand the rules yet," Sonia said.
She drank the wine in one gulp and was about to pour herself another glass when Harry smashed it.
"No need. I never force others. It's pointless."
With that, he threw the contract onto Sonia. "I've got somewhere else to be. Bye."
As he spoke, he looked at me. What he wanted was pretty obvious.
I stood aside and said, "See you, Mr. Watson. Don't forget to pay the bill."
His confident face froze completely.
"Good! Great! Don't come to me ever again! I'll never cooperate with you!" he snapped.
"Wait!" Sonia was terrified. "I've got a lot of great stuff lined up. Mr. Watson, it'd be a pity if you leave."
Hearing that, he gently stroked the back of her hand and said, "What exactly?"
She gritted her teeth and took out a room card from her pocket. "Mr. Watson, I've already prepared the place for you to rest tonight."
He squinted his eyes when he saw the room card. "Guess you're sincere after all."
"Mr. Watson, just a sec while I have a word with Tabitha."
She pulled me to a place where no one else was around and said, "Tabitha, now that we're here, we've got to reach a collaboration with him. As long as you please him, I'll let everything pass."
"Ms. Mendoza, who is he to me? Why should I please him? Don't tell me you got all your achievements by pleasing men."