C277 How Rich Are You

The atmosphere at Lucia Goods Headquarters had returned to normal after the morning meeting. Employees had already gone back to their departments, and the once-busy corridors had become quiet again. Inside the director's office, Alicia had already immersed herself in reviewing several documents when a gentle knock interrupted her concentration. "Come in," she answered without looking up.

The door slowly opened, and one of the security guards stepped inside carrying a neatly wrapped gift box. "Good morning, Director." Alicia raised her head. "Good morning." The guard respectfully walked forward and placed the small package on her desk. "A lady named Laura Tryon asked me to deliver this to you." Alicia blinked in surprise. "Laura?" "Yes, Director." For a brief moment she stared at the wrapped gift before nodding. "Thank you."

The security guard bowed slightly before turning to leave. Just before he reached the door, Alicia suddenly remembered something. "Oh, one more thing." The guard immediately stopped. "Yes, Director?" "Please go to the Vice Director's office and ask Vice Director Mike Smith to come here." "Understood." He quietly left. A few minutes later another knock echoed through the office. "Come in." I pushed the door open and smiled. "Wife, what happened?"

Instead of answering, Alicia simply pointed toward the gift resting on her desk. "It came from your ex." I froze. "My... what?" She crossed her arms. "Your ex." "You mean Laura?" She nodded casually. "Yes." I looked from Alicia to the gift several times before scratching my head. "What does she want with you?" "I don't know." She gently pushed the gift toward me. "Open it." I looked at her in confusion. "But it was addressed to you." "So?" "So... shouldn't you be the one opening it?"

Alicia immediately shook her head. "What if it's something dangerous?" I laughed. "Dangerous?" She looked at me seriously. "What if it's a bomb?" I stared at her before bursting into laughter. "You've been watching too many movies." She pouted. "I'm serious." "Wife..." "What?" "If someone wanted to send you a bomb, wrapping it beautifully wouldn't make it less dangerous." She rolled her eyes. "We never know."

Then she gently rubbed her stomach before looking at me with an innocent face. "I have our baby to think about." I couldn't help laughing again. "So now I'm the volunteer?" She nodded without hesitation. "Exactly." I sighed dramatically. "What if it really is a bomb and I die?" She folded her arms. "Then I'll tell your parents you sacrificed yourself heroically." I stared at her in disbelief. "That's your plan?" She smiled sweetly. "It's a good plan."

I shook my head helplessly. "My wife is becoming heartless." She giggled. "Hurry up." Carefully, I untied the ribbon before slowly opening the elegant package. The moment the lid lifted, both of us became silent. Inside lay two luxurious watches. They were unlike anything we had ever seen before. Their golden finish reflected the office lights beautifully, while the craftsmanship looked flawless. "They're..." I picked one up carefully. "...beautiful." Alicia slowly lifted the other one. "They're couple watches." I nodded.

One was designed for a gentleman, while the other carried a more elegant feminine design. As I looked closely, I noticed tiny words engraved around the edge. My eyes widened. "Mrs. A. Smith." I smiled before looking toward Alicia. She had also discovered the engraving on the other watch. "Mr. M. Smith." She laughed softly. "Our initials." I chuckled. "Wife... did you secretly order these?" She immediately rolled her eyes. "You really think I had enough time to order custom-made watches?" "I don't know."

I shrugged dramatically. "Maybe my rich wife did." She nudged my shoulder. "Stop it." Then she smiled mischievously. "Your former girlfriend still seems to care about you." I laughed. "I think she cares about both of us." Just then Alicia noticed another folded paper hidden underneath the watches. "Oh..." She unfolded it. "It's a letter." I leaned closer. "What does it say?" She smiled while reading aloud. "A friendship gift. I hope you have thought about my request for us to become friends again."

Alicia nodded slowly. "I remember now." I looked at her. "Remember what?" "During our engagement ceremony she asked whether we could become friends." I smiled. "I honestly thought she was only being polite." "So did I." For several seconds both of us simply admired the watches. Finally I spoke. "She's married now." Alicia nodded. "And we're married." "So if you want to become friends with her..." I smiled gently. "...I'm perfectly fine with it."

She immediately looked at me. "Who said I needed your permission?" I laughed. "My wife has become bold." She suddenly handed me the ladies' watch. "Here." "Put it on me." Without another word, I gently took her hand. Her fingers were warm. Carefully, I fastened the watch around her wrist. The elegant design suited her perfectly. She admired it happily. "It looks beautiful." "It really does." Then she picked up the men's watch. "Now yours."

She slowly helped me wear it before stepping back. "We actually look like a married couple now." "We already are." She smiled brightly. Then her expression slowly became thoughtful. "Husband..." "What?" "These are expensive." I looked at the watches again. "They're gifts." "Exactly." She shook her head. "Nothing this expensive should simply be accepted." I looked at her curiously. "What are you thinking?" Instead of answering, she looked at me. "You still have Laura's number?"

I nodded naturally. "Yes." She immediately widened her eyes dramatically. "What?" "You still have it?" I blinked. "We never deleted our contacts." She narrowed her eyes playfully. "So you're waiting for us to divorce?" I almost choked. "Cough... cough..." She burst into laughter. "You really are heartless today." "I learned from you." She stretched out her hand. "Give me your phone." I handed it over obediently. "Here." "The jealous wife will finally delete her rival." I sighed dramatically. "My poor phone."

However, instead of deleting Laura's contact, Alicia opened the browser. "What are you doing?" She ignored me and searched for the official Nova Blaze Jewelry catalogue. Moments later she found the watches. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Husband..." "What?" She turned the screen toward me. I immediately froze. The watches were listed under Limited Edition Collection. Price: $15,000 for the pair. We looked at each other. "She gave us... these?"

Alicia nodded slowly. "I think your friend is trying to bankrupt Nova Blaze." I laughed helplessly. "Or maybe she values friendship more than money." Alicia remained quiet for several moments before opening the banking application on the computer. "What are you doing now?" She calmly entered the banking details of Nova Blaze Jewelry, which were printed on the company's website. Then, without hesitation... She transferred $20,000. Reference: Laura Tryon - Friendship Accepted, But It Can't Be This Expensive.

After pressing Confirm, she smiled in satisfaction. "There." I stared at her. "You just sent twenty thousand dollars..." She nodded happily. "Now I can wear the watch without feeling guilty." I looked at her with complete disbelief. A few weeks ago she had bought me a luxury car without hesitation. Today she had casually transferred another twenty thousand dollars. Earlier, she had also promised to personally fund the company's new training facility. Finally, I couldn't hold my curiosity anymore. "Wife..."

She looked up. "Yes?" "Exactly... how rich are you?" She blinked innocently. "What do you mean?" I laughed. "You spend money like you're buying candy." "You bought me a car." "You promised to renovate an entire training hall." "And now you just paid twenty thousand dollars for friendship gifts." I shook my head in amazement. "Chris would never have allowed you to pay for gifts." Alicia burst into laughter. "My husband..." She smiled proudly. "...that's because some things are worth far more than money."