The Unwilling CEO's Love Game novel Chapter 148

At night, Calvin and Daisy lay in bed, wide awake and unable to sleep at all.

"Calvin," Daisy’s voice broke the silence, "did you ever ask your colleagues if they also get so many holiday bonuses?"

Calvin pondered for a moment before replying, "I didn't ask. Yara made a point of telling me that discussing salaries is a taboo at the company. Apparently, it's the same with the holiday bonuses."

Daisy exhaled sharply. "I guess it's not unusual for big companies to have such rules. But what do you think Jocelyn is really worried about?"

"She probably thinks the bonus was too generous."

"It definitely was," Daisy agreed, then added thoughtfully, "If that assistant hadn’t given you the raffle ticket, she would have been the one to win the big prize. Do you think she's feeling unbalanced?"

Calvin furrowed his brow, "When she told me I'd won the grand prize, she made it clear that the bonus would be deposited directly into my payroll account. She didn't seem unhappy about it."

The old couple pondered over Jocelyn's words, sensing something off about the situation.

What kind of luck was this? How had it fallen into their lap?

Daisy pressed her fingers against her temples, "My eyelids are twitching fiercely."

"Do you think our previous guesses make sense?" Calvin stroked his chin. "Mr. Martinez and Jocelyn... but, they couldn’t possibly know each other, could they?"

The only possibility Calvin could think of was far-fetched, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something between his daughter and his boss.

"Maybe we should ask Jocelyn directly?" Daisy felt increasingly uneasy about the whole affair.

"It's too late now. We've got to head back to the countryside tomorrow. We can ask her on the way." Calvin settled back down. "After what Jocelyn said, I feel like that money is burning a hole in my pocket. We should return it when we find the right moment."

Daisy agreed as she lay down, "Yes, it's too much. A couple thousand might be reasonable, but twenty thousand? No boss in their right mind gives away that much without reason. Once you're back at work, you should return it."

"Right."

They sighed deeply, finally closing their eyes to sleep.

...

The next day, Jocelyn prepared an early breakfast, then hailed a cab to the train station to buy tickets home.

As Jocelyn purchased her ticket, she spotted Yara at the adjacent self-service kiosk.

After getting her own ticket, Yara turned and greeted Jocelyn with a friendly nod.

"Jocelyn, are you..." Yara noticed the ticket in her hand.

"Heading home." Jocelyn inquired about Yara's destination before getting to the point. "Miss Yara, I wanted to ask about something. Is the grand prize and holiday gifts my father received normal for every employee in your company?"

Yara appeared unfazed. "Is there a problem? Our raffle is fair and square. As for the holiday bonus, everyone gets roughly the same. Just with a few exceptions."

The words "few exceptions" were certainly curious.

"Did he ask you to do so?" Jocelyn cut to the chase.

Yara smiled, "All company expenses and payouts need the boss's approval before we proceed."

"So, it was him." Jocelyn's suspicion turned into a sardonic laugh. "What is this? Compensation?"

"Jocelyn, it really was just your father’s good luck," Yara said, her voice faltering slightly as she glanced at the time. "Sorry, I have to go. Let’s catch up later. Bye."

Yara hurried off. Unwilling to press further, Jocelyn made her way back to the waiting room.

"Was that Yara?" Calvin had sharp eyes.

"Yes."

"What did you ask her?"

"Nothing much."

Calvin exchanged a meaningful glance with his wife before asking, "Jocelyn, be honest with us, are you acquainted with Mr. Martinez?"