Jo’s horrified expression doesn’t go away. Court looks similarly shocked. Probably because he’s seen me drop over a hundred bucks on a couple of onesies for Ivy’s babies.
“It was for a disguise,” I say. “And it worked.”
Court shakes his head and tsks.
“Just know that I like Ms. Kim and Mr. Choi when they’re not spying for my mom,” I say, slightly depressed. “And they kept the weirdos away, especially Mr. Choi. He has black belts in tae kwon do and judo. As soon as he was gone, I got hit on by a creepy loser in front of my condo building.” I scrape the last bit of food off my plate and put it in my mouth.
“I’m surprised you didn’t try to napalm him,” Edgar says. His tone is serious, but then, Edgar Blackwood is a serious kind of guy with a serious voice. “I remember you looking up how to make it that one time.”
I laugh. “Oh, shoot! I didn’t even think about that!” Then my current financial situation puts a damper on my mood, and my shoulders slump. “But even if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to
afford the gasoline. I don’t have enough cash, and gasoline’s crazy expensive in Korea, especially the high-grade stuff.”
“I’m sure any gas would be explosive enough for your purpose,” Tony murmurs, looking like he wants to serve me some alcohol.
But I’m not drinking with all these pregnant women around. It’s not fair.
“Okay, so you have to get a job to show your brother he’s wrong,” Ivy says.
“Not just any job, but a job that pays well enough that I can afford a decent lifestyle,” I add. “I just have to figure out exactly what that’s going to be. Probably something dignified.”
“And to make sure you don’t have to marry a dossier,” Evie says.
Nate looks around the table. “We can get you a job, no problem. The foundation is set for the year, but Sterling & Wilson always has openings. Or I can just create one for your experience and skills.”
I smile with appreciation. Nate wouldn’t be Nate if he wasn’t willing to help his friends. But…that’s not the bet.
“You can’t.” I sigh. “Eugene’s not stupid. I can’t get a pity job from a friend.”
“But I don’t pity you,” Nate says, spreading his hands. “So it can’t be a pity job.”
“Besides, who here would be dumb enough to pity you?” Tony asks.
“You’d napalm the fool,” Kim says.
“I get it,” I say. “Nobody pities me. But I have to prove myself fair and square. It's kind of a matter of honor.”
What Eugene said about me not doing my responsibility while enjoying the fruits of my family’s business dealings has been bugging me a bit. And if I cheat, it’s only going to show that he was right—that I’m just an irresponsible and selfish chaebol heiress.
“Do you know if your boss is hiring, Kim?” Wyatt turns to me. “That wouldn’t be cheating, right? Everyone uses their network to find jobs.”
“Yeah, that’s acceptable.”
Kim shakes her head. “Salazar’s definitely not hiring. But Dane might be. I can ask.”
“Oh my God, no,” Nate says. “I’d rather be homeless than work for that guy.”
“He’s not that bad,” Wyatt says.
“Because you didn’t know him before he got married,” Nate says.
Okay, if Nate’s that dead set against this Dane guy, I won’t be working for him. I trust Nate’s judgment.
“How about Sweet Darlings?” Tony says.
“Only programmers.” Wyatt looks at me. “You aren’t a secret coder or hacker or something, right?”
“Nope,” I say. “But I know how to use a computer.” I used them all the time to review reports and projections and so on at the foundation.