Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 89

"Where are you planning to take my lunch?" Kieran asked, leaning against the door as Julie walked by.

Caught off guard, Julie couldn't help but feel a bit guilty with the bag in her hands. She turned around to see Kieran standing at the office door, leaning against the black frame. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his wrists, revealing his diamond-shaped, dark green French cufflinks and matching tie.

Julie knew these cufflinks and the tie all too well. They were the birthday gifts she gave Kieran when she was twenty. She once read a line in a book. "A man's cufflinks are like a refined woman's earrings."

So, Julie scraped together a semester's worth of part-time earnings and finally bought those diamond cufflinks. It was the first decent money she'd ever made at the age of twenty.

As for the tie, she simply wanted to see the sexy way Kieran would tie it.

With this expectation, she gave him these two gifts for his birthday. She finally saw Kieran's tie-tying action when she was twenty, but the price she paid to witness it was huge.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Julie picked up Kieran's lunch and headed for his office, planning to hand it over to him directly. But as soon as she reached the door, Kieran turned and walked back into his office.

Julie had no choice but to walk in with the bag.

"Close the door behind you," he said.

Julie didn't respond. She put the bag on Kieran's desk and clutching her own lunch box, prepared to leave.

Kieran was already seated, scrolling through emails on his computer. "Take out my lunch, will you?" he asked offhandedly.

It wasn't an unreasonable request, so Julie put her lunch box aside and helped Kieran unpack his lunch.

Kieran's lunch was quite the spread, with servings of both meat and vegetables.

After taking out the last soup, Julie finally looked up at Kieran.

"That's my lunch box!" Julie felt wronged as she watched Kieran, who was savoring her lunch box.

Only then did Kieran shift his gaze from the computer, glanced at the lunch box in his hand, then at Julie, and finally said with a hint of annoyance, "No wonder it doesn't taste very good."

Was this what they called taking advantage of someone and still complaining?

Julie was livid. She glared at Kieran's lunch box.

"Well, I've already eaten it. Do you want me to spit it back out?" Kieran said, digging his spoon back into Julie's lunch box.

How could he! This was definitely on purpose!

"I don't want it anymore!" Julie averted her gaze, deciding to give up on her lunch box.

"Then eat mine!" Kieran casually pointed to the three dishes and a bowl of soup on the table.

Julie was indeed hungry, so she didn't hold back and started eating the dishes and soup she'd just unpacked. She was planning to take them back to her office and eat them slowly, but Kieran suddenly said to her, "Eat here. I'm afraid I'll be malnourished if I finish your meal."

Having said that, he spooned a mouthful of soup into his mouth.

Julie took a deep breath. Kieran looked up at her. "If you're not going to sit in the chair across from me, are you planning to sit on my lap?"

Julie pulled out the chair across from Kieran and sat down, starting to eat. She was hoping for a quiet meal, but the man sitting across from her began to ask, "How did your morning meeting with Creative Nexus Media go?"

"They want to settle. Personally, I think a settlement is the most beneficial for you. They've agreed to a public apology to restore your reputation, and they're willing to pay a higher compensation amount than the court would likely award..."

"Do I need money?"

"...No."

Fine, you're rich. You're the boss. Do whatever you want!

Julie continued to eat, suddenly remembering seeing Kieran and Ivan sitting together on the couch yesterday. After a two-second pause, she finally plucked up the courage to look up at Kieran. "You know Ivan, don't you?"

"Don't talk about other men in front of me while we're eating."

Knowing that Ivan was a boy meant he did know him.