Following his secret and bitter meeting with Ava, Nicholas returned to the gallery, his mind in a whirlwind and his steps heavy. The scent of fresh paint and remodeled wood filled the air. He spotted Mary, moving among the workers with uncontainable enthusiasm, helping them out. Catching sight of Nicholas, she paused her work and walked over to him with long, swift strides.
"Nicholas? Are you okay? Why do you look so lost in thought?"
Nicholas averted his gaze. He couldn't bring himself to reveal the massive sacrifice Ava had just made to save Mary. Forcing a mask of indifference onto his face, he replied, "I'm fine, Mary... It's nothing. Just a bit tired."
The next day, Diana stepped into the cafeteria with her usual arrogance. The sharp click of her heels brought a heavy silence over the room. She walked straight toward the kitchen, stopped right in front of Ava, and said in a clear, resounding voice, "Well, Ava! Have you made up your mind? Do you accept the offer to become the manager of the cafeteria?"
Ava looked flusteredly at the surrounding staff, who had now abandoned their work and were staring blankly at them.
Suddenly, the current cafeteria manager took a step forward, his voice trembling, "But... Ms. Diana! Did I make a mistake?"
Without even glancing at him, Diana locked her eyes on Ava. "Of course not. But Ava fancies this position. So, I thought I'd offer it to her."
In an instant, the gentle gazes of Ava's coworkers shifted, turning into fierce flames of anger and resentment. Ava felt the crushing weight of those stares, and at that very moment, she realized Diana's sinister plot. Diana had done this publicly on purpose; she wanted to make Ava despised so that she would buckle under the pressure and leave the company on her own. Then, Diana could claim a massive breach-of-contract penalty and push Mary into a corner.
Clenching her teeth, Ava spoke up, her voice strained as she fought to keep it from shaking, "Thank you, Ms. Diana... I accept the offer."
Diana's eyes widened for a split second in utter surprise. Meanwhile, the furious whispers of the staff began to echo:
"How shameless and brazen..."
"It's obvious she came to this cafeteria just for this position from the very start. What an ambitious girl!"
Hearing those words was like a whip cracking against Ava's soul, but for Mary's sake, she endured it all. Hiding her simmering anger behind a fake smile, Diana turned on her heel and walked back to her office.
The former cafeteria manager stood before Ava, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "I never thought you were this kind of person. I should have seen right through your dirty ambition from day one."
Embarrassed, Ava whispered, "I am forced to accept this position, but... I can't explain."
With a bitter smirk, the man slammed his white apron onto the floor right at Ava's feet and walked out. The other employees passed by Ava with pure hatred in their eyes. Unable to bear it any longer, Ava took off her apron and rushed out of the company. On the sidewalk, her tears finally streamed down, and she muttered to herself, "You had to do it, Ava... For Mary's sake, you had to accept this."
On the other side of town, Mary and Nicholas were busy arranging items on the tables when Yong and Helen walked in, bursting with energy.
Yong called out, "Hey guys! Is everything going well?"
Mary smiled warmly. "Hi! Yes, the renovation work is all done. We're just waiting for the paintings, which we'll bring over once the students from the academy finish them."
Helen turned to Nicholas. "But Nicholas, I still don't get it. Where did you get all this money to get this place back on its feet?"
Nicholas grew flustered. "Well... honestly, I owe it to M—"
Mary instantly cut him off, "Nicholas's friends didn't abandon him! They gave him financial support."
Nicholas looked at Mary with surprise and gratitude. Yong leaned close to Nicholas's ear and whispered, "I just hope these 'good friends' aren't girls..." Nicholas frowned, and Yong continued out loud, "How about we launch an exhibition this very weekend? I have tons of paintings that have never been displayed before."
Nicholas asked, "Are you using this opportunity to show off yourself?"
Helen chimed in, "But you were saving those for an overseas exhibition!"
Yong's tone turned serious. "True, but the situation is different now. Right now, we need to show our strength to Mr. Parker and people like him."
Mary said, "Your gesture is truly admirable. By the way, hasn't the fire investigator found anything new? Are they still saying an electrical short circuit caused the fire?"
Nicholas pulled himself together. "They haven't said anything new. I'll drop by their office again today to check."
Mary grabbed her things. "Alright, I should get going. I'm supposed to talk to Ava."
Nicholas grew alert. "About what?"
Mary replied, "Nothing special."
Yong added, "By the way, is Ava happy with her job?"
Nicholas let out a bitter, silent smirk. "Very much so..."
Mary and Ava met up in a cozy cafe. Mary was shocked to see Ava's red, puffy eyes. "Hi Ava... It looks like you've been crying!"
Ava quickly forced a smile. "No, I'm fine. Some dust got into my eyes."
Mary took her hand. "Ava, let's put an end to this job. I have some savings; you can open a small bakery. Ever since you joined that company, you've done nothing but suffer."
To dispel her suspicions, Ava said with a practiced smile, "Actually, I got promoted! Today, I took over as the manager of the cafeteria."
Mary asked in astonishment, "But didn't they already have a manager?"
Ava spun her lie neatly, "The previous manager ran into some issues and had to move to another city. So, Diana chose me."
Mary said incredulously, "Diana actually chose you? I mean, congratulations, but... well, aren't you going to treat me to celebrate your promotion?"
Ava laughed, "Of course, order whatever you like from the menu."
The next day at the company, Denise approached Mary with two cups of coffee. "What's up, Mary? How is the gallery work going with Nicholas?"
Mary said, "It's good. We'll probably hold an exhibition at 'our' gallery this weekend."
Denise teased her, "'Our' gallery? You better get used to saying that—you're not alone anymore!"
That evening, Mary went to the gallery and found everyone busy mounting the artwork. Yong called down from a stepladder, "Mary, congratulations! Diana called me last night and mentioned that Ava is the new manager."
Helen said with surprise, "Diana doesn't usually do things like that!"
Yong added, "Ava must be doing a phenomenal job to have impressed her."
Nicholas, who knew the bitter truth behind this promotion, stood frozen in his tracks. Catching Mary's joyful gaze, he swallowed hard with great difficulty and managed to say, "Congratulations to her too..."
He stared at the paintings, but deep down in his heart, he knew this peaceful moment was merely the calm before the storm.