Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Ethan’s message did not get a reply. Margaret didn’t reply to him for several minutes, and he was a little impatient. When he was just about to find a topic to continue their chat, his phone finally sounded with a message notification.
Ethan clicked into Wh
WhatsApp expectantly. Looking at the picture she sent indicating she’d transferred money to him, he smiled silently and thought, ‘What an adamant woman.
Margaret wasn’t used to paying with her phone. She’d just started using Apple Pay and there wasn’t enough money in it. In the past few minutes, she went to ask Luciana to help her with the transfer.
Ethan replied helplessly: [Do you have to be so serious?] The amount Margaret gave him was exactly the same as the bill just now, down to the penny.
Margaret answered: [I was treating my colleagues to lunch. How can I let you spend money on that?] She insisted strongly on Ethan accepting the money.
Ethan: [That store’s owned by my friend. I have a discount and it doesn’t cost much, so you don’t need to be all courteous with me.] He didn’t accept the transfer. He had never taken money from a woman, which was against his principles and would hurt his self–esteem.
Margaret texted back: [Your discount is your business. I still need to pay for this meal.]
Even without seeing Margaret’s face, Ethan could still imagine how serious her face was now. After thinking about it for a while, Ethan chose to accept the transferred money and sent another text. [What I did made you unhappy, right?]
[No.] Margaret was lying.
Instantly, Ethan realized how dishonest and unpleasant his words were, and then he realized that he had made a wrong move. Originally, he
wanted to show his wealth and generosity to Margaret. Most women around him were won over by this trick of his
However, Ethan forgot that Margaret was different from the women who wanted his money. His behavior would only make Margaret feel
disgusted,
Fortunately, Ethan was aware of this timely. If he insisted a little bit more, Margaret would surely choose to stay away from him.
I just thought… you know, we’re friends and so I helped you pay the bill. I didn’t think too much about it. I apologize if my behavior made I just thought… you know, we’re friends and so I helped you you feel uncomfortable. To show his sincerity, Ethan sent several apologetic animated emojis after that message.
Ethan never expected that he would do such a cute thing, but he didn’t want to leave a bad impression on Margaret.
Some things went against his original goal, but Ethan refused to admit it. As he buttered up Margaret, he reminded himself that no matter how strange the things he did were, it was only to make Roxanne happy.
Deceiving oneself and others was one of the best things humans could do, but in the end, the ones they harmed were themselves.
Looking at Ethan’s cautious words, Margaret felt guilty. She wondered, ‘Am I being too sensitive? Maybe he just wanted to show some kindness… I shouldn’t have been so sensitive…
Margaret sighed. She knew her faults but she truly couldn’t change them. This behavior was something she was unable to accept. It wasn’t only Ethan. Even if Clifford did this, she wouldn’t be able to accept it.
[No, I’m just not used to it.] Margaret gave a simple answer and didn’t know what to say afterward.
After meeting three times, Margaret realized that she wasn’t the same type of person Ethan was. ‘ I should keep a proper distance from him in the future. That’d be better,” she rationalized internally.
Looking at the message, Ethan thought that the minor crisis had passed, so he asked her out on a date. [Are you free tonight? How about we have dinner together?]
Margaret: [Sorry, I have an appointment with a friend tonight.] She decided to keep her distance and she’d follow it through.
[What about tomorrow?] Ethan asked persistently,
[I’m afraid not. I received a new task recently, so I’m a bit busier. Maybe another time.] The last three words comforted Ethan, and he accepted them without thinking too much..
After chatting for a while longer, Margaret said she was busy, and the conversation between them ended. A person who she’d only met with thrice wasn’t enough to affect Margaret’s emotions. Her emotional distance was hidden in her politeness.
After working for a while, Margaret’s phone sounded again. Her phone had not been so busy for a long time. She glanced at the name on it and decided to mute it. Then, she locked her phone in the drawer.
If Gideon pulled another trick later, she’ll figure it out then. Now, all she wanted was to work quietly.
Yet, everything that happened in life was contrary to her expectations. The more Margaret wanted peace, the more people refused to give it
to her.
It was only an hour later that Raymond sent someone to call her over. Margaret found it a little strange since he’d never asked for her twice in one day.
Naturally, Margaret thought of Delilah. Did she go to him and complain? Although Margaret wasn’t afraid of such a lame trick, she still felt irritated that she had to face it.
No matter how unhappy she was, she still had to go and meet Raymond. After all, he was her boss. She thought, ‘After finishing this task, I must definitely get back to the battlefield. If I could die at any time, then I’d have no time to think of any other problems.‘
“Please come in,” Raymond’s voice came from the office. Hearing that, Margaret walked in.
When she was thinking about how to respond to the upcoming questions, she found Raymond smiling warmly as if she had done something groundbreaking instead. That meant that glory and a bonus would come at the same time. NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“Mr. Sanchez, what can I do for you?” she asked.
“Well, there is an urgent task for you to do. Put aside the tasks at hand first and work on them in a few days.” He smiled blindingly. Margaret curiously took her new task from him and was also very interested in knowing what it entailed that could make him smile like this.
After seeing the introduction on the paper, Margaret wanted to hit the wall and end herself. The news agency was going to do an exclusiye Interview for Gideon. What was more was that it was a 72–hour personal interview. As an interviewer, she’d need to spend 72 hours in the same space as Gideon.
Not to mention 72 hou
72 hours, even seven minutes with him would make Margaret feel like she w
Margaret feel like she was going crazy.
Gideon’s behavior and actions yesterday were too abnormal and made Margaret uneasy. She always felt that he was planning a big move to
subdue her.
Margaret silently put the task list back in front of Raymond. Before he could say anything, Margaret refused first and found a very appropriate excuse for herself, saying, “Mr. Sanchez, I’m not familiar with interviewing people, and I rarely did it before. I am afraid that I will mess up and affect the reputation of our news agency. There are many experienced reporters in the news agency. It’s better if they go instead.”
“What modest words! Margaret also appeared particularly sincere as if she was really reflecting on her ability, but she knew clearly the reason why she refused. She just wanted to stay away from Gideon; as far away from him as possible.
Fascinated by what was in front of her, Margaret didn’t even think about why Gideon, who had always been reluctant to interact with the media, suddenly gave an exclusive interview to their news agency.
“Maggie, you are too modest. In my opinion, you are the most suitable one for this task. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t interviewed people. much before. Go and ask your seniors to get some knowledge from their experience. Take this opportunity to expand your knowledge. You can kill two birds with one stone.” Raymond was not unhappy with Margaret’s refusal but persuaded her gently.
He couldn’t be in a bad mood when he thought about the sponsorship from Compton Group for the next three years.
“But…” Margaret wanted to refuse, but he didn’t give her a chance.
“Maggie, this task is very important. You have our news agency in your hands. You must take it seriously! I’m waiting for your good news.” After saying that, he even made a cheering gesture.
He was a man in his forties. Although he took decent care of himself, his gestures still made people feel uncomfortable.
“Mr. Sanchez, can you think about it again? Let’s talk it over a bit more. The issue I am working on is also quite demanding and needs my full focus and commitment.” Margaret tried her best to avoid this interview
“No.” Raymond shook his head firmly and threatened, “Maggie, your issue needs financial support.”
Margaret immediately understood what he meant. If she didn’t go to interview Gideon, she would have to pay for this issue from her own pocket. As a poor person, she stared at him in dissatisfaction for ten seconds and then picked up the task list respectfully.
“I will do my best to complete this interview task,” Margaret said smiling, which was the complete opposite of the way she resisted just now.
Margaret felt like she had sacrificed too much for her career, justice, and the destruction of the Lambert family.
‘Great, now I’ve no mood to work at all Just thinking of how I need to report to Compton Group at nine in the morning tomorrow, I feel like crying, she cursed internally.
When people reach a certain extent of despair, their potential would be realized. For example, Margaret now had to make all kinds of preparations before she went to meet Gideon. She would never let Gideon have the opportunity to tease her or do anything else.
Since it was a work interview, everything should be carried out in a professional way.
However, mental preparation was one thing. When she actually arrived at the doors of Compton Group, her legs trembled in fear.
It had been more than ten hours since she received the task. Margaret kept telling herself in her mind, ‘It’s okay. It’s just an interview” However, Gideon never called her again, which made her feel an ominous feeling like something bad was about to happen..
Standing at Compton Group’s entrance, Margaret recalled that five years ago, she stood there and made her last call to Gideon. Back then, she thought that if Gideon was happy at the thought of becoming a father and rushed out of the building, she could be with him regardless of
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anything that happened until Gideon yelled for her to stop.
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In the past, Margaret also wanted to walk in through this door proudly. Now she could, but her identity was not what she wanted it to be back
then.