Phoenix strutted inside Le Graff Shopping Mall with her assistant holding boxes of pastries in each of their hands. Her assistant, Lilian Si who was walking a step behind her, had her eyes fixed on Phoenix with admiration.
Lilian had worked with her aloof boss for a few weeks now, and she was really impressed with her new boss. At first, she thought Phoenix was a snobbish career woman who looked down on other people who were beneath her, but after several weeks working together, Phoenix proved her assumptions wrong.
Currently, she was accompanying her boss to visit one of the stores under their company to oversee the store operation and meet the staff that work there. On the way to the mall, Phoenix asked to stop at a famous pastry shop to buy several boxes of pastries to give to employees that work at the Intan Jewellery store at Le Graff Shopping Mall.
Lilian had seen this situation every time Phoenix came to visit any of their company stores and she was very touched and impressed with Phoenix, who cared about her subordinates.
Walking inside the mall, they soon arrived at the Intan Jewellery store located on the first floor.
"Welcome to Intan Jewellery."
A shop personnel welcome them politely as soon as they step inside the store. The staff was surprised to see Lilian came with an elegant lady, carrying boxes of pastries. Lilian was not a new face for Intan Jewellery employees, as she had also worked as the last Head's assistant.
"Hello, Ms Si. May I help you with those boxes?" asked the staff.
"Yes. Please take these boxes, and put them in the back office for everyone to enjoy." Lilian said.
Two staff quickly took the boxes from Phoenix and Lilian with a huge smile on their faces and brought them to the back office.
Soon, the store manager came out from his office to receive Phoenix and Lilian, when the staff informed him about the boss's arrival.
The manager politely bowed to both of them and looked at Phoenix.
"Welcome Ms Li, it is nice to meet you."
The manager was a quickwitted and well informed. Everyone knew about the sudden passing of the last country manager and the arrival of a young lady as the new head of the company.
"Thank you Manager Gong. It's a pleasure to meet you, too."
"May I help you, Ms Li? What brought you here to the store today?" Manager Gong asked.
"I just want to see how everything is and get to know the people who work here and thank them for their hard work."
Manager Gong was surprised to hear Phoenix's answer. Never in his career life, he met a boss who humbled herself and came personally bringing offerings to their subordinate.
"Thank you, Ms Li. I'll make sure everyone will enjoy your kindness."
Phoenix hummed in response. "Manager Gong, please don't mind me and proceed with your work, I'm just going to look around the store."
Manager Gong looked at Lilian for confirmation, and Lilian nodded her head. He then slightly bowed to Phoenix and retreated to go back to his office to get his work done.
Phoenix walked around the store looking at the sparkling jewelleries followed by Lilian. Honestly, she was uncomfortable with someone following her like a tail, but she just had to get used to it. She had tried to ward off Lilian by asking her to take a rest, but the girl was diligent in her work and didn't want to leave her side, so she just let her be.
It was said that 'Diamonds are girl's best friends',
Phoenix did not know how true that was for other women, maybe the saying really had some truth in it. After working for years in the industry, she could see that women do like jewellery. But what made Phoenix work here was because of her curiosity about a certain necklace that her sister treasured so much. Her sister never told her the story behind that jade pendant, and she never tried to probe too, but she could see it meant so much for her sister.
There were different types of jewellery, with different designs and material and stones of different colours. Some jewellery had meaning and stories behind it, making it more desirable. For someone who was never been exposed to all these things before, she found it fascinating.
Looking around the store, Phoenix's eyes then fall on a familiar figure that she had met recently.
Ethan Han had a steady girlfriend that he had dated for almost five years, and with the encouragement from his family and friends, he planned to propose on their fifth anniversary.
Intan Jewellery was a well-known name, and his girlfriend was a huge fan of the brand. So it was no-brainer that he should get a ring from the brand that his girlfriend loved. However, he was currently having a crisis in choosing a ring.
'D*mn! Which one should I choose? Having a beautiful model girlfriend, everything looks good on her slender finger.' Ethan creases his forehead, scrutinizing each ring in front of him. 'Should I get the biggest one? Or would she like the most expensive one?'
While Ethan was thinking hard about the rings, Phoenix approached Ethan slowly.
Phoenix was usually not someone who will make the first contact with other people, but during the dinner last time, Ethan treated her amiably, and they had become acquainted with each other, so it would be rude if she pretended that she didn't know him. Moreover, they were currently in her company's store.
"Fancy seeing you here, President Han," Phoenix greeted Ethan politely with her business smile plastered on her face.
Ethan turned to the voice and saw Phoenix, who was walking towards him. His eyebrow shot up showing his surprise, seeing Phoenix at the store.
'Ah, right. She works for Intan Jewellery.' His expression eased when he realised it should not be surprising that she was here.
"Hello Ms Li. It's nice to see you again."
Phoenix looked at the different engagement rings displayed in front of Ethan, "Are you having trouble selecting an engagement ring? Would you like an outside opinion to help you with your predicament?"
It wasn't hard for her to know that Ethan was looking for an engagement ring, with the selections of the ring on the table and the look of confusion on his face.
'I can use some help, and she works with jewellery, she must have knowledge that can help me make a decision.'
Ethan nodded his head, showing his agreement.
Seeing Ethan's agreement, Phoenix proceeded with telling him about her knowledge and opinion on engagement rings, and Ethan listened attentively. He asked questions, and Phoenix answered them patiently. Phoenix's mastery of jewellery understanding not only impressed Ethan, but also Lilian, who never left her side.
'No wonder she can move up to lead the company even if she was still young, she had the credibility to do so.'
After bombarding Ethan with information on engagement rings, she left Ethan at his own devices to give him some space to look at the rings and made his choice. Ethan, who was in a dilemma a while ago, now had a clear understanding of rings and a clear picture of what to choose.
After careful consideration, he decided on an emerald cut three stone diamond engagement ring with a yellow gold band.
A three stone engagement ring represents a couple's past, present and future, and he liked the meaning of it. When he knew what to search for, the rest came easy for him.
He looked at the ring inside the red velvet box and smiled in satisfaction. Ethan turned around to search for Phoenix, to share his enthusiasm for successfully selecting a ring, but he stopped and frowned.
'Why am I excited to share this with her?'
Ethan was puzzled by what he felt. Apparently, talking with Phoenix brought a pleasant feeling to his heart. Even back during the dinner the other night, he could somehow feel it. There was this warm feeling whenever he looked at Phoenix, and it was almost the same feeling he gets when he looked at Mia.
Would he get another sister to dote on? That was a story for the future.