"Why don't you start by getting the last ball in?"
Nicole sneered and rolled her eyes at him.
Carl narrowed his eyes and gave her a thumbs up.
"Alright, I've got to admit that your confidence is admirable."
Then, he went back to the table, took aim, and prepared himself for the winning shot, but before he
went on to strike the cue ball, he glanced over his shoulder back at Nicole.
"Are you sure you are not going to concede defeat?"
Nicole waved her hand as if to dismiss him, and Carl proceeded to pocket the eight - ball.He walked
over to Nicole with a look of smug satisfaction on his face.
"You refused to concede even after I've given you the chance, but I've won anyway."
"What's so humiliating about that? It is just a game.Now that we have eaten and had our fun, let's get
out of here."
Nicole walked out with a confident gait, as if she had not lost the game at all.
"You know, there is something about your composure that tells me that it is not genuine,"иσνєℓєвσσк.
¢σмCarl ran after her.
Soon after, Nicole arrived at the reception desk and met the service staff.
"May I have the tab, please?"
The service staff looked at her, and in a respectful tone, said, "Miss Riddle, as someone who
possesses a gold card, you aren't required to pay."
Before Nicole could utter a word in response, Carl turned to the staff member in shock.
"Wait, we aren't required to pay because she has a gold card?"
"Sir, let me explain it to you," the staff member said.
"Miss Riddle is a gold card holder, and one of the privileges afforded to her, but not our regular patrons,
is that she isn't required to pay a dime when dining in our establishment."
Carl stared at her, flabbergasted at what he just heard.
"I didn't know that you were held in such high esteem."
"Well, since none of us are required to foot the bill, let's just go."
Nicole walked out with a look of indifference, devoid of even a single ounce of pride.
Along the way, as she drove him to Martin's factory, Carl darted her a look.
"Where are we headed to now?"
"To the factory."
"The factory? What are we even going there in the first place?"
Carl asked in a state of puzzlement, wondering if she did own a factory.
"What's on your mind?" she replied.
"You're probably thinking to yourself that I don't own such a place, aren't you?"
"Wait, how do you know what I'm thinking?" Carl eyed her with incredulity.
"Are you reading my mind?"
"I can't read your mind.It is written all over your face."
Nicole rolled her eyes at him.
"Really?" Carl said, refusing to believe so.
Soon after, the duo arrived at Martin's factory.
Nicole got out of the car and walked in, noticing an entire crowd of employees bustling about in an
orderly fashion.
Among them was the engineer who had underestimated her earlier.
When he spotted her, he ran up to them and greeted her with a smile on his face.
"Hi, Miss Riddle."
Nicole stared him down.
Recognizing him as the engineer with whom she had a scuffle, she remained tight-lipped, nodded, and
walked on.
After a few steps forward, she halted, and found that the engineer was still behind her, tailing the both
of them.
"Why are you following me? Aren't you supposed to be working?"
Realizing the issue, the engineer smiled, backed up, and left.
"Nicole, who's that guy and what's his deal? Why is he acting like a dog when it sees its master?"
Carl glanced at the engineer, and back at Nicole.
"You know the engineer to whom I've taught a lesson? He's the one."
Carl nodded in understanding and directed his gaze at the equipment.
"What are these machines producing?"
She looked at him and beckoned him to come along.
"Follow me."
Arriving at the assembly of completed product parts, Nicole grabbed one of the samples that had
passed the Quality Control inspection and handed it to Carl.
"This is it."
"What is this?"
Carl took The Beacon and examined it.
"This is a new medical device developed by Martin.It can speed up the recovery process for those who
are suffering medical conditions," Nicole introduced.
"Is it really that good?"
Carl scrutinized the tiny Beacon in disbelief.
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