Chapter 51
Russel caught on that I hadn’t come clean with Neil yet, so he shot me a slightly annoyed look, much like a teacher would to a misbehaving student
I shrunk a little in my seat. I was just looking for someone to speak to, hoping to clear my mind a bit, I wasn’t really looking for any feedback from him.
“Eat up, help yourself!” The food arrived just then, and I quickly urged Russel to eat, while I focused on my meal.
Whenever Russel was with me, he seemed to lose his appetite. He would always leave after eating just a bit, leaving me alone with a table full of food. What a waste! After packing up the leftovers, I drove home and had Ada feed it to the chickens and ducks in the hen house.
I must admit, Ada was pretty good at raising them. The local chickens and ducks I brought back from Faith had grown quite plump under her care.
I recalled Russel’s words, saying that if I managed to live till forty, it would be a blessing from heaven. I remembered how I died in my past life and immediately told Ada, “Ada, prepare some chicken soup for tomorrow!”
“Of course, ma’am,” Ada nodded.
I noticed Ada was looking a bit off, like she had something on her mind. Did she find out about her daughter’s breakup? Or maybe it was about the recent chemical plant renovations?
I didn’t pry and went to take a bath and rest.
Before bed, I got in touch with Barbara Sands. From her, I learned that Norman Frost was indeed wavering. The generous offer from Whitmore Co. and the huge platform for career development was too hard to resist. If he could get in, his future would be limitless.
“Try to persuade him to quit, just like we discussed before,” I replied to Barbara while applying a face mask.
“Sure, Rena. But how would Whitmore Co. really send a job invitation to Norman? Did Neil pull some strings?” Barbara asked curiously.
“Yeah, he decided to play the good guy this time,” I replied nonchalantly.
Barbara was quite shocked. She knew how cold Neil used to be towards me. In the past, he would never help me out. Even a simple conversation was rare.
I guess now that I’m not as clingy in this life, he probably finds me more bearable?
In my past life, I was more of a nutcase.
After chatting for a while, we hung up as I needed to get some sleep for work tomorrow.
Luckily, being a secretary isn’t too demanding, and Neil doesn’t give me a hard time at work, which is quite nice. Seeing how he separates personal and work issues, I decided to do my best and be an excellent secretary.
During this time, I learned that Norman decided to quit and join Whitmore Co. He was assigned to the Project Department.
“Rena, Norman wants to take me out for dinner to celebrate his new job at Whitmore Co. and what should I do?” Barbara called me, sounding quite frustrated.
She despised Norman now. The deeper the love was, the deeper the hatred is.
If she saw him, she might lose control.
However, I encouraged Barbara to meet with Norman. I told her, “Go see him, and tell him you’re pregnant while you’re at it. His parents have been nagging about wanting a grandchild, right? They’d love to have a grandson or granddaughter. Once he hears the news, he’ll be over the moon.”
Norman will experience the joys of heaven before being plunged into the pains of hell.
I didn’t expect that this move would expose Barbara to the Frost family’s nasty behavior yet again.
Three days later, Barbara called me again. Her voice was filled with uncontrollable anger, and a hint of a s ob. She said, “Do you know what Norman’s parents said? They said now that since I’m pregnant, we’re absolutely one family forever. They said that no matter how my life turns out, I’m part of the Frost family. They even want my parents to prepare a house for the baby as a welcoming gift. That’s disgusting! I had no idea they were like this!”
I felt disgusted listening to it. They must think Barbara’s pregnancy means they don’t have to pretend anymore.
“Don’t get mad, let them dream on,” I comforted Barbara, “It’ll make their downfall even more painful.”
“I know, so I held it in. I even told his mother that my father has bought us a house and a car. After we get married, the house and car will be his too. After the baby is born, we’ll even buy a house for his mother and uncle so they can help take care of the baby.” Barbara told me.
I was thrilled to hear this. I praised her, “Well done!”
Despite being so angry, Barbara managed to keep her calm, and even gave the Frosts something to look forward to. What a woman!
We chatted a bit more before hanging up. We agreed to end this plan in two days.
To my surprise, before I could contact Norman, he reached out to me first. He thanked me for the recommendation, saying he wouldn’t have gotten into Whitmore Co. without me. Barbara hadn’t said it straightforward, but he knew.
He knew a lot about personal relationships, yet what a shame he wasn’t a good person.
I told him, “No need to be so formal. Whitmore Co. must have recognized your abilities to give you the job offer. As long as you work hard and don’t make any serious mistakes, you’ll definitely become a formal employee.”
But in my mind, I thought, his serious mistake is coming soon.
Norman said, “Alright, thanks for the encouragement. I’ll work hard. I’ll treat you to a dinner sometime!”
After hanging up, I saw Neil walk in. He looked at me, and I met his gaze without fear, “It’s lunch break now, not work time. I should be allowed to make a personal call, right?”
“Get the car running, we need to head over to Zion Chemical Plant,” Neil told me, blatantly ignoring me and grabbing a file off the table.
Zion Chemical Plant – he meant the factory near Bonnie’s place.
I was surprised. Was he planning on taking me there? What if Bonnie saw me? After all, I had no idea if she was staying in school.
Neil dared to bring me along because he was clueless that Bonnie already knew my true identity. Even if she saw me, he could always play it off as me being his secretary.
What a blockhead! I sighed and headed for the parking lot.
A few minutes later, Neil got in the car, taking the back seat. Nonchalantly, he told me, “Please drive.”
quickly stacted the engine, causing Neil to slightly lean forward. Through the rear view mirror, I noticed his face was a bit off. He looked at me, “Can you drive in a good
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11:33
“Irene Finch, I think you really need to get your neau checktu uur,
Chapter 51
manner?”
“Of course, Mr. Whitmore, I can drive well,’ I said, sitting upright. “Rest assured, I’ll get you to our destination safe and sound.”
“Irene Finch, I think you really need to get your head checked out,” Neil grumbled from the back seat, his face showing a hint of annoyance in the rearview mirror.
