THE ALGORITHM

4.

Bilal sat there, watching Bert laugh and chat away with the millionaire. Suddenly, a woman appeared out of nowhere. He narrowed his eyes and watched as she shook hands with Luis, who looked as if he was starstruck.

The woman was tall and had a chocolate complexion. She wore her hair in small locks. They were naturally curly at the ends. Judging from her outfit, she did most of the cooking in the kitchen.

She must be the chef. Bilal said to himself as he eyed her from head to toe. He noticed the dingy Converse sneakers on her feet and immediately brushed them off when Victoria handed him his cheesecake.

###

Penny returned home exhausted. After locking her door, she showered and then sat on the couch, eating leftover pasta from work. She used her fork to grab the penne noodles and submerge them in the creamy pasta sauce.

Today was such a weird day for her. Penny was used to running around the kitchen with her head cut off. However, she ran into an unusual situation with her boss, Bert. He went out of his way to introduce her to Luis. Penny didn't know who the guy was until Bert and the rest of the staff informed her.

A rich tycoon.

Penny wasn't amazed or moved by his title. She didn't care about Luis. All she wanted to do was cook. Unfortunately, Bert had other plans for her. He ushered her to the back, his face twisted in a strange expression. Penny could tell he was up to no good.

"Luis is interested in you." Bert blurted before she could question his peculiar behavior.

Penny held an uncertain expression on her face. She didn't bother to say anything because she was trying to process Bert's words. Luis was interested in her after speaking with her for one minute. She figured there was some attraction. He flirted with her openly and wouldn't let her hand go.

"What?"

"He likes you. He thinks you're beautiful." Bert continued with eagerness. "Penny. He wants to take you out."

"Bert, look, I—"

"Before you say no..." Bert interjected while holding his chubby hands up. "Just think about it. Luis is a wealthy individual looking to invest in the restaurant. I'm talking about a huge investment—opening a new location is what we need."

"Bert, that's what you want." Penny corrected him. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life in the kitchen. Technology was her real passion. She spent years in college learning the fundamentals of computers and programming languages.

"What?" Bert responded weakly as his mouth dropped. "You don't want that? I thought you liked working here."

"I do, but...I don't plan to stay here forever. I told you that before."

Bert glanced at his shoes before muttering, "I know." He sighed and continued with his speech. "I know this might seem like a lot, but...I really need you to do this...go out with him."

Penny narrowed her eyes in suspense. She didn't understand why going out with Luis was important to Bert.

"Why do I have to go out with him?"

"Because you're the head chef." He replied without hesitating. "He wants to get to know you. It's his way of gaining a better understanding of you and the restaurant. Just please...go. That's all you have to do. If you go, he'll give me the money for the investment."

Penny didn't think the situation through. Her analytical skills didn't allow her to put much thought into the circumstances. Bert was cool, and she wanted to help him out. Instead of declining the date, she sighed and said, "I'll go but—."