Chapter 214 Job Hunting
Zoey blinked sleepily, squinting at the wall clock before rubbing her eyes again. "Is it really two in the morning?"
She turned to look at Charles. "It's two in the morning. Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Charles replied calmly, "I took a nap earlier. When I heard you get up, I woke up too."
Did he really care that much?
She ignored the thought and walked straight toward the bathroom.
But Charles got there first and switched on the light for her.
"Take it slow, be careful not to slip." Charles he said, reaching out as if to steady her.
Zoey still ignored him and quietly shut the bathroom door behind her. But the moment she stepped inside, she noticed something was different.
Looking down, she saw that a transparent non-slip mat now covered the bathroom floor.
No wonder she'd heard noises from the bathroom earlier before going to bed.
He must have installed it himself.
Zoey's heart softened slightly.
The CEO of the Gonzaga Group had not only killed a chicken and made chicken soup for his pregnant wife —he had also carefully laid down a non-slip mat so she wouldn’t fall.
And he'd been here quite a while now—the company must have mountains of work waiting for him.
But then her expression hardened again.
She couldn't let herself soften too much. If she did, he might go back to seeing Janice again.
After using the bathroom, Zoey went straight back to her room.
But once she lay in bed, she couldn't fall asleep.
Light still seeped through the narrow crack beneath the door, yet the hallway remained completely silent. She had no idea what Charles was doing outside.
Maybe he’d already fallen asleep.
Zoey tossed and turned for a long while before finally pulling out her phone. She played some sleep music, and eventually drifted off.
……
Matilda was going to the hospital for an interview that morning.
Although the hospital was quite far away, she could take the subway. Even with two transfers, the trip wouldn’t take too long.
As the train rumbled along, Matilda found herself thinking about the Land Rover and the large house in Phoenix City. A small smile crept onto her lips.
Just to see him more often, she had truly given up a great deal.
But when she thought about it carefully, those things had never really belonged to her in the first place. They were all Wentworth’s. Now she had Wentworth, and even though they couldn't see each other every day, they still met quite often.
That should be enough.
Cloud Town Hospital was roughly on the same level as her former workplace, Harmony Health Centre. It also had advanced medical equipment, which meant the hiring standards for doctors were quite high. If Matilda hadn't brought both a recommendation letter and proof of her training experience, she probably wouldn’t even have secured an interview.
She was interviewing for the pain management department. The department director conducting the interview was a woman with the surname Cox. Dr. Cox was petite and carried herself with an easygoing warmth that immediately put Matilda at ease.
"You're a military spouse too?" Dr. Cox asked.
Matilda nodded. "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have relocated here."
Dr. Cox smiled. "To be honest, I am too. But my husband transferred to civilian work a few years ago and joined the police force. He’s incredibly busy these days.”
Matilda quickly reached out and shook her hand. "What a coincidence."
She'd learned all this from the women in the neighborhood. After spending time with them, Matilda had gradually become more outgoing herself.
Dr. Cox smiled again. “Of course, I’ll still need to test your professional skills to see if they match the experience listed on your résumé.”
“Of course, feel free to test me however you like. I've only been out of work for a few months—my professional skills are still sharp." Matilda replied with a smile.
Dr. Cox then arranged for her to assist in a procedure.
As the procedure progressed, Dr. Cox observed carefully. Matilda handled the situation calmly and professionally, even while the patient patient continued to complain about the pain.
Dr. Cox was clearly impressed.
Afterward, she tested several additional clinical skills, all of which Matilda completed flawlessly.
“You truly do have the skill level of an associate chief physician," Dr. Cox said with approval.
Satisfied with her performance, Dr. Cox offered her the position and asked her to start the day after tomorrow.
……
Since Matilda wasn’t home that day, only Charles and Zoey were in the house.
The day before, Charles had already slaughtered a duck and planned to cook duck soup for Zoey today.
But the thought of yesterday’s chicken soup made Zoey’s stomach churn.
"Maybe you shouldn't cook today," Zoey said.
Charles frowned slightly. “If I don't cook, what are you going to eat?" Charles said this as if without him, Zoey would starve.
Zoey was instantly speechless.
"I can eat out. There are tons of restaurants outside, aren't there? I can cook for myself too. It's not like I can't cook. Didn't I make all those late-night snacks for you when you came home in the middle of the night?"
Charles thought about it for a moment. "If you want to eat out, that's fine. I'll come with you."
As long as she was happy, he was willing to let her eat whatever she liked.
When Zoey headed out, Charles followed behind her.
Zoey quickly lost patience and called a few women she usually met with, telling them she planned to eat at a restaurant and asking if they wanted to join her.
But the moment they noticed Charles walking behind her, each of them suddenly found an excuse.
"My son's coming home for dinner tonight. I need to go cook."
"I have a bridge game."
"I'm on a diet. Restaurant food is too oily.”
In the end, Zoey had no choice but to go by herself, with Charles still trailing after her.
After she left, the women began whispering among themselves.
"Zoey must have misunderstood her husband before. Her husband is just a little bit older, but otherwise he seems like a decent man. He even knows how to take care of her.”
“I saw him at the market yesterday buying chicken and duck. How many husbands would do that? Mine wouldn't dare kill a chicken."
"Mine either."
Meanwhile, Zoey wandered around for a while before finally deciding on a Mexican restaurant.
Once the food arrived, Charles looked at the dishes and hesitated before speaking. "Shouldn't pregnant women eat lighter food?"
Zoey rolled her eyes at him. "Mind your own business!"
If pregnant women were only allowed to eat bland food, how were those who loved spicy dishes supposed to survive?
Besides, it wasn't like she ate this every day—just once in a while.
Charles wisely chose not to say anything more.
He would let her eat whatever she wanted. After all, the baby she was carrying had his genes—it would be fine.
Just as they were about to start eating, Zoey’s phone rang. It was Matilda. "Zoey, have you eaten yet?” Matilda asked. I just got back from my interview and was about to pick up some groceries.”
Zoey quickly said, "Matilda, I'm at a Mexican restaurant. Come over quick, let's eat together."
"Who are you with?"
"With... with Charles!" Zoey rolled her eyes at Charles again.
Charles felt wronged, as though he were the outsider.
Matilda paused before replying, “You two eat together. I'll just go home and cook something simple."
Zoey had expected that answer, so she rolled her eyes at Charles once more.
Charles felt even more aggrieved. But what could he do? He couldn’t leave Zoey alone right now.
Whatever, he'd just endure it.
He picked up some food with his chopsticks for Zoey. She took a bite, and her expression finally softened. "This tastes really good!"
……
When Matilda returned from outside, she ran into a group of women chatting.
They were all discussing Zoey and Charles.
"Zoey and her husband just went out to eat together. Looks like they'll patch things up soon.”
"Oh well, that's how couples are. Matty, you'll be able to have your alone time with Wentworth again soon."
Just then, Scarlett happened to pass by and overheard the conversation.
She immediately cut in. "I don't agree with this idea of enjoying ‘alone time’ while you're still young. This is exactly the age when you should be working hard and building your career.” Women should have their own careers too. Matilda, you should go find a job!"