Chapter 6
“What isn’t the right way!” Natalie felt that Martin wasn’t being fair.
“The sort you just pulled off. Straightforward and unsophisticated.” Martin found himself at a loss for words after witnessing Matalie’s actions
Choosing not to delve into explanations, Natalie simply played him a recording on Iver phone. Charlotte’s voice filled the air, all high and mighty. saying it was Martin who told Natalie to take care of the meals and even had the nerve to tell Natalie to stay out of her business.
As someone seasoned in finance, Natalie always kept her guard up, protecting herself from the sly games of her boss and colleagues, Recording every key conversation had become second nature to her–a career move that she never thought would come in so handy today.
With each word from the recording. Martin’s expression grew more troubled. After a thoughtful pause, his voice softened considerably, “Charlotte came highly recommended by Aunt Maria. I doubt Aunt Maria would take kindly to us dismissing her so quickly. If you’d prefer she didn’t work here, perhaps approach it gently.”
Natalie understood Martin’s predicament but still didn’t really trust Charlotte to look after Timothy. “Tm thinking of setting up surveillance cameras around the house, she proposed.
Martin realized Natalie’s concerns about Charlotte possibly mistreating Timothy. “You have the final say on matters concerning the house,” he assured her before driving her to work.
Though Martin’s office was close to Natalie’s, he chose to keep his identity hidden. Therefore, he stopped the car at a crossroads to let her out. Natalie, unbothered, exited the vehicle, only to be confronted by Hailey as soon as she stepped into her office.
“Guess what Samuel had an interview at Foronix Group yesterday. The HR manager was quite impressed. Landing a job there could really launch his career.” Hailey shared eagerly.
“Hailey, your business with Samuel is of no concern to me. You don’t have to tell me anything,” Natalie brushed her off, attempting to leave.
“Hey, don’t go. I’m not done talking yet. I heard you’re putting your house up for sale? You’re going to sell it to someone, so why not sell it to me and Samuel?”
“Can you pay in full upfront!” Natalie inquired
“Well, no, we can’t do it all at once. But we can pay in installments. If Samuel lands the job at Foronix Group, he’ll be making six figures, so it’s not like we’re going to bail on you,” Hailey said.
“I’m only interested in a one–time, complete payment. No installment plans, Natalie said, cutting off that possibility.
“Come on, why do you have to be like that? You and Samuel were an item once. Can’t we come to some kind of agreement?” Hailey tried to convince her.
“Even if I were desperate to sell, it wouldn’t be to you two, Natalie declared, leaving Hailey in her wake as she made her way into the office. Halley was left furning unable to secure the well–located, nicely renovated house at a bargain price.
Meanwhile, at a Foronix Group meeting, Martin could barely keep his eyes open.
This prompted curious glances from the senior executives as they speculated, “Mr. Scott looks like he hasn’t slept all night. What could he have done! Did he work overtime? But he didn’t leave too late last night. He couldn’t have gone to a bar either. That’s never been his hobby. Did he game all night? But he doesn’t play games at all,
In the end, they guessed it might have been due to a date, especially after spotting a long hair on Martin’s shoulder.
It seems like Mr. Scott has overindulged himself last night, they concluded internally. Then, after a brief session, they dispersed.
Back in his office, Martin discovered a report on Natalie on his desk.
Reading through it, he was visibly shaken to learn about her three–year relationship and cohabitation with Samuel.
“Why would she marry me if she had a boyfriend all along? They were even living together, Martin pondered, anger rising. His expression instantly turned ley.
Although they were only married in name, Martin could hardly believe Natalie was living with a man before marriage. Now he saw her as vain, pretentious and deceitful.
Remembering Natalie’s pleased reaction to their agreed–upon divorce in six months, Martin cynically thought, In half a year, she’s looking at a payout of 100 thousand dollars, not to mention the promissory note for another 100 thousand dollars. Is she planning to run off with her boyfriend after that! What a well–laid plan
He was clutching the report with intensity w
when Rowan Zepp, the HR manager, knocked and entered. Martin paused and looked up slowly. “What
2:19 PM.
Chapter 6
Rowan, taken aback by Martin’s stern look, stuttered, “Uh, M–Mr. Scott, we conducted interviews for the senior network engineer position yesterday, Mr. Davidson is out, and he’s left me in charge of the final decision. I’m… I’m not quite sure how to evaluate an engineer’s qualifications. Here are their resumes. Maybe you could take a look?”
With that, Rowan quickly placed the resumes on Martin’s desk and exited with haste.
Martin, slightly irritated, thought, “Must I handle even this trivial issue?”
He skimmed the top resume and noticed a familiar name–Samuel Lynch.
Reading through, he saw: [Samuel Lynch. Male. 24. Network engineering graduate. Former technical manager at Raysdan Network Communications Company:]
“Could this be Natalie’s boyfriend? His technical expertise seems mediocre, and his certifications aren’t anything to write home about, he thought to
himself.
Noticing the address matched Natalie’s, Martin thought. They were living together, indeed”
Relieved he hadn’t disclosed his true identity in their marital arrangement, Martin reflected on how Natalie, driven by vanity, might have reacted differently had she known.
After some thought, he instructed the HR department to offer Samuel a position with a salary of 20,000 dollars per month.
When Samuel got the good news, he couldn’t wait to tell Hailey. At lunchtime, Hailey was all about making sure everyone knew just how much Samuel was gonna make, speaking loud enough for the whole office to catch it. Meanwhile, for the rest of the day, Natalie was distracted and making slip–ups left and right, counting down the minutes until she could leave.
Then, she received a call from Henry, informing her that Nadine’s condition had worsened after hospitalization, Natalie rushed to the hospital right
after the call.
They told her Nadine was hanging by a thread, needing surgery ASAP. Only after Natalie managed to secure the surgery with a 100–thousand–dollar deposit did the hospital proceed with the arrangements.
With Henry focused on his upcoming graduation and thesis, Natalie insisted he return to university. She decided to stick with Nadine herself.
Late that night around 9:30, Natalie’s phone rang. It was Martin calling.
