The bills for her mother's surgery and hospital stay were still unpaid, and Chloe was anxious. Dr. Johnson had said today was the last day.
But when she saw the financial director, James Turner, attending a meeting in the conference room and not yet back, she guessed that Donovan was also in the meeting. Chloe knew that sending him a WhatsApp message at this time might not be wise—it could annoy him enough to possibly terminate their contract.
Chloe had no choice but to wait patiently.
Chloe clocked out from her late shift just after 10 p.m., feeling exhausted as she stepped into the elevator. As luck would have it, Donovan was already there inside the elevator.
Seeing Donovan, Chloe's spirits lifted and she moved to stand in a corner of the elevator. The issue of money had been weighing on her mind for quite some time.
"Mr. Blake," Chloe summoned her courage when she saw they were alone.
"Hmm?" Donovan stood in front of Chloe, responding nonchalantly without looking back at her.
Their interaction was far from the warmth one might expect from a married couple.
"I remember there was supposed to be a deposit of two hundred thousand after we signed the agreement," Chloe said hesitantly, her cheeks flushing with the discomfort of having to talk about money, especially since she hadn't yet graduated.
"Hasn't been sent to you?" Donovan had not turned to look at her at all since entering the elevator.
"No, not yet."
"Are you in a hurry?"
Chloe fell silent.
She was indeed in a hurry. The day was almost over.
"I thought Jeff had processed it. Send me your bank account number," Donovan said briskly.
Heartened by his direct approach, Chloe replied, "I'll send it to you once I get on the bus."
Reaching the ground floor, Donovan left the elevator without a word.
The bus was not crowded, and after getting on, Chloe pulled out her bank card and sent a clear photo of it to Donovan.
Soon after, she received a transfer of two hundred thousand dollars.
Just as Chloe was silently praising Donovan for his promptness, she received another message from him on WhatsApp.
Mike: [If you'd been a bit quicker, my transfer could have happened thirty seconds faster.]
Chloe was silent, wondering to herself, 'Is he implying that I'm lazy?'
Worried this might affect her performance in the relationship, she replied.
Chole: [Oh, well, Mr. Blake, the bus was crowded, so it wasn't convenient to type.]
Mike: [You're in such a hurry, yet you're worried about convenience?]
Silence fell over Chloe again.
While she was struggling to come up with a reply, another message popped up from Donovan. Mike: [This Saturday, come with me to Pearl Peak City to visit Samuel.]
Chloe felt a twinge of discomfort but then asked.
Chole: [How long are we staying?]
Mike: [We leave Saturday morning, stay overnight, and return on Sunday.]
Truth be told, the prospect of visiting Samuel's place made Chloe happy. After all, her performance-related pay revolved around "Samuel." It was only by meeting "Samuel" that Chloe could earn more money.
On Friday, Chloe visited her mother in the hospital. Her mother was recovering well from surgery, and Chloe had also spoken with Dr. Johnson, asking him to keep an eye out for a suitable home care nurse to help out as soon as possible.
However, during her visit to her mother's hospital room today, Chloe ran into Jacob.
Jacob had never been much of an academic, but he had a knack for driving, which served him well in his latest gig as a chauffeur for a tech company executive.
"Chloe, how about I set you up with someone?" Jacob offered with a teasing grin.
Chloe paid no attention to Jacob, knowing all too well the company he kept. Besides, she was married in name only and was not about to have an affair that could give Donovan any leverage over her.
"Not interested. I'm not in the mood for that right now. Maybe after Mom gets better," Chloe replied, gently holding her mother's hand against her cheek.
"Wait until Mom gets better? Might as well wait forever," Jacob blurted out carelessly.
His words soured Chloe's mood, so she chose to ignore him.
"I remember when you had lots of suitors. He's gone now. Are you planning to spend your life alone for him?" Jacob's real reason for visiting the hospital room was to aggravate Chloe. He rarely visited their mother.
"Don't you dare speak of him! You have no right!" Chloe said, her voice heavy with conviction.
Seeing her irritation, Jacob backed off. He knew better than to push her too far on sensitive topics.
He hesitated, then tried again. "Alright, no more about that. You're worked up. But this guy I'm talking about is Dennis's son, a bona fide rich kid who is handsome and wealthy. Sure you won't consider it?"
Chloe remained silent, continuing to ignore Jacob's provocations.
Annoyed and embarrassed, Jacob lashed out, "Chloe, you really need to get real about what you're worth! Yeah, you're pretty, but there are plenty of girls like you out there. Don't get so high and mighty! And think about Mom's medical bills. As her daughter, you're not giving them a second thought. It's shameful!"
Chloe closed her eyes, tuning out Jacob's rant.
"You're an ungrateful wretch," Jacob cursed when Chloe wouldn't engage with him and stormed off.