Chapter 3. The Popcorn

"My daughter?" Emma, who was trying to intervene then, didn't understand. "Me?"

"Young Master Andrew is looking for a wife, and Uncle wants to take you to him," Edward said from inside the house.

"Me?" Emma pointed to herself and burst into laughter. "How could Andrew be interested in me? Hahahahah. Uncle is out of his mind."

"But Young Master Andrew said he doesn't care about the woman's status as long as she's still a virgin. You are still a virgin, right, Emma?"

Emma's eyes widened, and her face instantly turned red. "What does Uncle mean? Do you want to sell me to him?!"

"Ah..." Tom sighed loudly. He shook his head, realizing Emma's reaction differed significantly from Mona's. "You both misunderstand!"

"Damn you, Uncle!" Emma shouted, breaking the tranquil night that was accompanied by heavy rain. "Get out of here, Uncle! I don't want to see your face again!"

Emma rushed back inside her room, and Mona could only stare in astonishment at her daughter's reaction.

"Mother and daughter are the same!" Tom exclaimed. "You're not thinking clearly. Our family's fate would be much better if Emma married him."

"Go home, Tom," Mona said weakly. "Thank you for caring about our family's fate, but for God's sake, we're fine."

Mona turned and went back inside the house, closing the door behind her, leaving Toms's standing alone outside in the pouring rain, feeling lost.

"What should I tell Young Master tomorrow? I promised to bring Emma to him."

***

"Em, just one regular, please." Shawn Gilbert stood before Emma, working at the concessions stand that day. Emma understood what Shawn wanted and immediately took a medium-sized popcorn container and filled it with salted popcorn.

"Here you go, sir," Emma handed over the popcorn.

"How often do I have to tell you not to call me 'sir'? You make me feel so old." Shawn took a handful of popcorn and put it in his mouth.

"Well, you are old," Emma retorted and then laughed as she saw Shawn's widened eyes.

Shawn Gilbert was the Operations Director of Jonas Group and Andrew's distant cousin. His task was to ensure that every tenant in the mall under Jonas Group's network operated optimally, including the cinema where Emma worked.

Shawn had helped Emma get the job at the cinema three years ago. At that time, Emma's father had just passed away due to diabetes. When Tom picked up Andrew from a hotel at a company event, he accidentally overheard a conversation between Andrew and Shawn about their plan to recruit additional employees for their cinema.

"Bring her CV to me tomorrow. I will prioritize her," said Shawn when Tom mentioned that he had a niece who needed a job after losing her father.

Shawn Gilbert interviewed Emma and immediately hired her the next day. He saw her determination and enthusiasm, so he didn't hesitate to accept her.

"Thank you so much, Sir. I don't know how to repay your kindness," after the interview and passing the test, Emma looked very happy.

"Just repay me with a medium-sized salted popcorn," Shawn replied.

"Huh?" Emma didn't quite understand Shawn's meaning at that time, but ever since then, every time Shawn supervised the cinema where Emma worked, he would always ask for a medium-sized salted popcorn from her.

Emma observed Shawn, who was still munching on his popcorn. Shawn Gilbert looked young. He was thirty-five, but his fresh and friendly appearance made him look much younger.

"How's your college, Em?" Shawn's question caught Emma off guard as she was busy observing Shawn's face.

"I'm planning to graduate next year. Currently, I'm working on my thesis," Emma replied.

"Wow, that's great! After that, you'll become a Mechanical Engineering graduate, right?" Shawn praised Emma genuinely without any flattery. He was very impressed with Emma's spirit to work and save money to finance her studies. Emma took evening classes for employees, so it didn't interfere with her work schedule at the cinema.

Emma nodded enthusiastically. "All this is thanks to you, Mr. Shawn Gilbert." Emma deliberately emphasized the word 'Mr.' to see Shawn frown again.

"When you graduate, you'll apply to companies that pay you more, and this cinema will lose a highly dedicated employee," Shawn predicted.

"Oh, Mr. Shawn, you're funny! Dedication is not necessary to work here. It just takes effort because most tasks are cleaning the theatres," Emma retorted.

Shawn Gilbert laughed again at Emma's joke. "Okay, see you later. I want to check the situation inside and also meet with your manager. Say hi to your mom and Edward for me," he said and then turned to leave.

Shawn Gilbert had turned away from Emma, but she watched his back until he disappeared into the manager's room. Shawn's attitude deeply moved Emma. He was a high-ranking executive but was very humble and willing to greet low-level employees like her. He even remembered Emma's sibling's name.

"You're falling in love with him, aren't you?" Sally asked with a low tone but enough to startle Emma.

"Yes, oh my God, Sally! You scared me!" Emma replied.

"And Shawn Gilbert seems interested in you too," Sally, Emma's best friend since she worked at the cinema, kept talking despite Emma's protest.

"Don't make things up!"

"He is also one of the owners of Jonas Group. His mother is a Jonas."

Jonas Group was a family company that had increased. Most of the company's shares were owned by the Jonas family, while the rest were traded on the stock market and could be purchased by the public. Every family member had the name Jonas as their surname. However, Jonas's married daughters no longer inherited their children's surname. Therefore, although Shawn no longer carried the Jonas surname, he still had a significant share in the company. His mother was Fiona Jonas, the first daughter of Arthur Jonas.

"If you search Shawn Gilbert 's name on Google, you'll see the shares he owns in this company." Sally fiddled with her smartphone and then showed it to Emma, who didn't seem interested. "But of course, the largest shares belong to Mrs. Sonya and her only grandson, Andrew Jonas."

Emma was struck by lightning when she heard the name Andrew being mentioned. Was he the one Uncle Tom talked about last night? Was he the one looking for a wife?

"Andrew?" Emma murmured.