Chapter 33 Interview
He said, "We're out of condoms at home. Pick up two boxes while you're at it. I use extra large."
This was the kind of thing men usually bought; she'd never bought them before! Jennifer bit her lip awkwardly, but she was too embarrassed to discuss this with Francis. Sometimes he seemed completely shameless.
When Jennifer asked the clerk for condoms at the counter, her voice was especially quiet. The clerk leaned in and said, "Sorry, could you repeat that?"
Jennifer's face blushed. She felt like everyone else in the checkout line was staring at her. She could only point in the direction of the condoms and whispered, "I need the extra large ones."
The clerk was a woman in her forties. As she grabbed them, she said with a smile, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Though your boyfriend actually makes you buy condoms. If it weren't for the fact that he's pretty big, I'd tell you to dump him."
Jennifer couldn't help but laugh. She wondered what Francis would think if he heard that. But she didn't dare respond and quickly swiped her card and escaped.
Looking at the condom box, Jennifer couldn't help thinking that she'd be sleeping with him tonight. She felt both anticipation and a little fear.
The anticipation was because when she was with Eugene before, she hadn't found sex to be a pleasant thing, but Francis had repeatedly aroused her desire and let her find pleasure in it too. The fear was worrying that he'd be unsatisfied with her performance in bed, and also worrying that once he got what he wanted, he'd lose interest in her.
Last night when she broke down emotionally, she just felt he was her salvation. Now thinking about it calmly, she and Francis hadn't known each other long, and she didn't really understand his character. Would he really help her as promised? What if he was a despicable person like Eugene? He was richer and more powerful than Eugene - if she accidentally offended him, she'd only end up worse off than now.
At this moment, Eugene went to the hospital to find David. Jennifer could run, but David, who was hospitalized, couldn't.
Marlowe blocked the doorway, glaring at him. "You heartless bastard, who said you could come?" David's episode was because of him - what if he said something to upset David and make him sick again?
"David's been in the hospital so long and I haven't visited once - how rude of me." Eugene pulled out a receipt with a half-smile. "But these past few days I've spent money and effort helping your company solve a huge problem, yet his daughter is going back on her word. I had no choice but to come find David to get some justice."
It looked like if they didn't let him see David today, he'd go find Jennifer. Marlowe hesitated. "Wait here, I'll go tell David."
David agreed to see him. Marlowe repeatedly warned him not to take Eugene's words too seriously, then opened the door to let him in.
Eugene looked at David's pale, haggard face and smiled with satisfaction. Before his father Lester died, he'd also been tortured by illness until he was barely human - this was karma!
"Mr. Brown, I'm sure you don't fully know what's been happening at the company recently." Eugene recounted the events and pulled out a bill. "Jennifer originally promised me she'd pay it back, but she went back on her word." As he spoke, he watched David's expression.
Unfortunately, David was also a strategic person, and his expression didn't change much. He took the bill and said in a low voice. "I'll pay you back this money as soon as possible. Please stop going after my daughter. I heard you're about to get engaged to the daughter of Vitality Pharmaceuticals Group - you wouldn't want anything to go wrong with that, would you?"
Eugene snorted coldly, "David, do you think you can threaten me with that? I came to tell you that besides this money, you also need to pay back the dignity I lost over this!"
Seeing him turn hostile, Marlowe immediately stood in front of David's hospital bed. "Are you done? If you're done, get out, or I'll call security."
Eugene laughed darkly and turned to leave. Not long after he left, two reporters disguised as janitors snuck in. They easily found David's room. Using cleaning as an excuse to enter, they immediately pulled out hidden cameras and microphones, shoving them in David's face. "David, what do you have to say about the recent worker injury incident at your company? The victims' families say the company is withholding compensation and threatening them not to accept interviews - is this true? Some people say you're faking illness to avoid company tax problems - is that true? You're hiding in the hospital while pushing your only daughter out to face the public - do you feel guilty about your only daughter?"
A barrage of questions came out, along with constantly flashing lights, making David uncomfortable as he covered his eyes. Marlowe put down the thermos and ran over shouting. "We're not doing interviews, stop filming!"
But how could she stop two grown men? Seeing this, David pressed the call button by his bed, calling for nurses to bring security - there were troublemakers here.
David kept a straight face and didn't answer the questions. He knew these reporters must have been brought by Eugene. They were deliberately asking leading questions - no matter how he answered, it would be twisted and smeared.
Soon the head nurse came with security and kicked the reporters out. But David and Marlowe's mood couldn't settle down - they both knew this was just the beginning. Marlowe thought about being blocked on the road by a group of media a few days ago and trembled with fear. David sighed and patted the back of her hand. "It's all on me; I brought you both into this mess."
Marlowe couldn't help but cry. "David, we're family; we're supposed to support each other."
The head nurse reported this incident to Francis and asked whether to notify Jennifer. But Francis told her not to make a fuss - he'd find a chance to notify the family. Also, to make up for this mistake, he'd upgrade David to a VIP room, with the bill coming from his personal account.
Then he called the hospital security department, instructing them to strengthen patrols and not let unrelated people sneak in, especially not let them disturb hospitalized patients.
That evening when he got home, Jennifer had made a whole table of dishes. As soon as Francis opened the door, he saw a table of steaming hot food under bright lights, and Jennifer in a soft pink dress looking at him expectantly.
His heart stirred, as if feeling some warmth. Jennifer took his coat and said gently, "I didn't know what you like to eat, so I just made a few dishes I'm good at."
Francis rarely ate this kind of home cooking - he usually ordered takeout, so he found it quite fresh. After washing his hands and sitting at the table, he tasted the cream of mushroom soup. "Not bad."
Actually, he wasn't very particular about food. Although Jennifer's cooking couldn't compare to restaurants, it was quite comfortable to eat.
Seeing his satisfaction, Jennifer's tense shoulders relaxed.
The two ate quietly. Francis suddenly asked, "Did Eugene come looking for you today?"