Given that I usually behaved in a deferential manner, Lyle was stunned by my words. He had never thought that I was capable of being so confrontational.
To my surprise, he didn’t get angry but attempted to argue with reasons. After that, he got straight to the point. “Eve, Mr. Ziegler from Ziegler Corporation invited us to discuss our contract renewal. He specifically asked you to meet him. Since you were the one who closed the deal for our company in the first place, can you represent us in the meeting?”
I knew it. He only treats me nicely when he needs me. I closed my eyes, feeling even more dejected. After a while, I pointed at my face and said, “I just had a miscarriage, so it’s important that I take a good rest in the hospital. How could you ask me to drink with your client tomorrow?”
“Well, it isn’t necessary to drink. Since Mr. Ziegler is close to you, you can tell him that you aren’t feeling well. I’m sure he won’t make things difficult for you,” Lyle persuaded. When I seemed unconvinced, he added, “It’s okay if you’re reluctant to go. After all, your health is more important. I’ll ask Grandma to meet Mr. Ziegler instead.”
“It’s okay. I’ll go. Just give me the address and bring me the attire that I need,” I interrupted Lyle. He knew my weak spot well and was despicable enough to leverage it. Since he wanted to involve Sharon in the matter, I couldn’t refuse his request.
In fact, she was the reason why I hadn’t taken any substantive actions to get a divorce ever since I found out that Lyle was having an affair. After I was married into the Smith family, Lyle and Sally weren’t nice to me. On the other hand, Sharon loved me like her own granddaughter and took good care of me. Hence, I was reluctant to trouble her with my problems.
Satisfied with the answer, he talked to me for a while before he left. This time, he didn’t even bother to put up an act as he did so. At that moment, I finally believed the words he said back then—he had never loved me.
I couldn’t help but feel pathetic. Back then, I thought that my life was the perfect fairy tale because I got to marry my first love. Who would have known that love was so vulnerable? In the blink of an eye, everything that I had turned into dust. Later that night, I tossed and turned in bed, yet Christopher didn’t come over as I had hoped. I let out a self-mocking laugh as I thought about my predicament and only fell asleep in the middle of the night.
I must have been lonely for too long. Hence, when someone was nice to me, I would hope for more. Nevertheless, I understood that no one would treat another person that well for no reason. Judging from the BMW Christopher drove, he was definitely someone out of my league.
Even though Lyle never told me about Christopher’s identity, I could guess that he wasn’t merely a scion, judging from the way Sally always flattered him whenever he came over.
I had to admit that Lyle was very efficient. His assistant had delivered my attire and documents to the hospital early in the morning. Given that I had been a housewife for two years, I was a little dazed when I put on my business attire.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt as though I had transformed into the career woman I used to be. I recalled that I was competent at my job before I became a housewife who stayed at home all the time, idly waiting for my husband’s return.
Ziegler Corporation’s contract was the last business deal that I closed for the Smith family. Back then, the Smith family faced financial woes and needed the deal very much. Hence, I spent a lot of time and effort striving for it. Initially, they didn’t have high hopes of me succeeding and even began to look for other alternative solutions. Surprisingly, a rare opportunity emerged, and I successfully closed the deal.
As I was deep in thought, my phone vibrated. I unlocked it and saw Christopher’s message: I went home yesterday to deal with an urgent matter and only managed to settle it just now. I’m sure you were lonely and unable to sleep yesterday. Do you want me to come now? I have a surprise for you.
Admittedly, I was delighted to read the message. After all, I was terribly lonely, and his message reminded me that I still had a place in someone’s heart. However, I didn’t want our scandalous relationship to drag on. Moreover, I couldn’t afford to love again.
