I was somewhat tempted. Although my current income barely covered my medical expenses, if my condition worsened and I needed treatment, the money I had was far from enough.
I wanted to save more for emergencies.
More importantly, this project was beneficial for Quinn.
I guessed the reason she was unwilling to sign a contract with Henry this time was for my sake.
Henry's high-profile confession to Aria made everyone aware, and Quinn must feel sorry for me.
If I talked to Quinn, this project could still be successful.
"How much money?" After venting, I calmed down. "You won't back out again, will you? After all, you promised to give me living expenses every month before, but you always shortchange me."
I didn't get money from Henry every month. Every time I got money, it depended on his mood.
When he was in a good mood, he gave me more; when he was in a bad mood, no matter what I said, he wouldn't give me any.
Henry replied, "One million dollars."
I frowned. "The profit from this project is fifty million dollars. Based on the commission, it should be at least two million dollars. You're only giving me one million dollars? Do you take me for a fool?"
"Amelia, have you become so obsessed with money? Would you die without money?"
Without money, I really would die. Why wouldn't I want money that could save my life?
Henry said angrily, "One million dollars is already a lot. Take it or leave it."
If Henry had a way, he wouldn't call me repeatedly to take charge.
I wasn't worried at all and said calmly, "Then forget it." Saying this, I didn't rush to hang up.
The other end was silent for a full two minutes before saying, "Alright, I agree to give you two million dollars."
His tone was vicious, and I could imagine he must be very angry now.
Every time he got angry, he gritted his teeth hard, looking like he wanted to kill someone.
I said, "I want a contract. I don't trust you."
Henry snapped, "Amelia!"
I curled my lips, feeling inexplicably better. "I'll send you the contract later. Sign it, and then I'll go talk."
He gritted out, "Fine."
After hanging up, I quickly drafted a contract and sent it to Henry. He couldn't help but mock me again.
I directly ignored it. Despite the mockery, he signed it quickly.
Having a contract made things much easier.
I called Quinn, and the moment she answered, her voice choked up.
She still didn't know about my illness. The more people knew, the more they worried.
Quinn had been good to me all these years, and I didn't want to make her worry more.
I explained my intentions, and there was a long silence on the other end.
Quinn sighed, her voice full of helplessness. "Amelia, this time Henry went too far, appearing in public with his lover, completely disregarding you. Why are you pleading for him?"
"No matter what, he is my husband. If the company has problems, my shares will also be affected." I casually found an excuse.
Quinn said, "Amelia, stop lying to me. I know everything. You even have to work to earn money for your treatment. If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed to your marriage to him. How heartbroken your parents would be if they knew it. You are their only daughter."
Quinn choked up, "You are their princess, not someone for Henry to torment."
Listening to Quinn cry, my eyes also turned red. "You know everything."
Quinn said in a constricted voice, "If I hadn't seen the name of your online store and had someone check it out, I wouldn't have known how hard your life has been since you married Henry. Why didn't you tell me about your illness? Why didn't you come to me if you needed money? Do you see me as an outsider?"
When Quinn mentioned the online store name, I instantly understood.
It turned out that from the first day I opened the online store, Quinn knew about my situation.
No wonder the orders I received these days didn't require any revisions. The payments were very quick. And those customers were all newly registered accounts.
I never thought about it this way. Now I understand everything. It was Quinn who had people place orders with me all along.
"I didn't mean to hide it from you," I explained to Quinn, and she cried even more.
Finally, Quinn told me the reason. "This time, the design draft submitted by the Phillips Group doesn't meet our requirements at all. The Sullivan Group's top management already intended to change partners, but I suppressed it because of you. However, Henry's really too much."
How could the design draft not meet the requirements? The designers at the Phillips Group were all hired by Henry with high salaries, and their skills have always been stable.
I suddenly remembered something. Aria was also a designer. Could it be that Henry entrusted this matter to her?
Thinking about it, this was the only explanation that made sense.
Aria and Henry had been out playing for so long, with her mind entirely on him. How could she have time to do the design?
I asked, "Quinn, is there really no other way?"
Quinn replied, "Unless the Phillips Group can submit a satisfactory design draft within a month."
I mused, "I see. I want to give it a try."
This time, Quinn didn't try to persuade me anymore, only reminding me to take care of my health.
I called Henry, and this time his attitude was unexpectedly gentle, giving me the illusion of being back to when he first proposed to me.