Maxwell suddenly stepped forward and stopped Sonia. He gestured towards the nearby parking lot and said, “It's quite late. It's the boss' responsibility to ensure the employee gets home safely."

Sonia's mouth twitched as she looked at Maxwell. With a fake smile, she said, "Sure thing."

Then, she held out her hand.

Maxwell hesitated, staring at her hand with a puzzled expression.

Then, with resolve, he reached out and placed his hand in hers.

Sonia was caught off guard. She looked from Maxwell's innocent face to their hands, feeling resigned. She hadn't expected that he would react like this.

Fuming at his audacity, she slapped his hand away and said through clenched teeth, "This gesture means that you should give me a lot of money."

Maxwell's hand stung from the slap, but he didn't say a word. He pressed his lips into a thin line and pulled out his wallet.

Without asking why she wanted the money, he drew out a thick stack of cash and handed it to her. “Here, take it," he said flatly.

Sonia eyed the bundle of bills, wondering if Maxwell had a cash machine hidden in his coat.

How did he have so much cash on him?

Trying not to seem greedy, Sonia snatched the top bill between two fingers and waved it in front of Maxwell with a smile. "Thanks. This will cover my taxi ride."

With that, she hopped into a taxi on the roadside before Maxwell could do anything.

The moment she got in, she said to the taxi driver urgently, “Drive! Now!"

The driver hit the gas, and they took off.

By the time Maxwell realized what had happened, he saw only the red glow of the taxi's tail lights as it sped into the night.

He watched the car leave and let out a dismissive snort.

Sonia had bolted away as quickly as she had done when they had first met, but he wasn't too bothered. She would have to face him when she returned to work tomorrow.

Ariana, who had been watching the whole thing, grinned and said, “Sonia's always like that. She's reckless, but she's got a good heart. I hope you don't mind."

Maxwell smoothly turned to Ariana and, with a comforting smile, replied, "It's no big deal. As a leader, patience is part of the job. I'll chalk this up as another test in the art of management."