Chapter 5
Lester hesitated and didn’t dare to answer Scarlet.
William and Scarlet were on bad terms, and people working under them had it the hardest. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her William’s whereabouts.
William wasn’t someone he could cross, but the lady of the Cooper family was also someone he couldn’t offend. The couple was in an argument now, but who knew when they would make up? When that happened, he would be the one to pay the price.
After much deliberation, he chose the safest answer possible. “Mr. Cooper has been busy with work these past few days.”
He sure was good at skirting the issue. Scarlet saw through Lester. “So… he’s been staying at the company?”
“Uh… N-No.” Lester nearly broke out in a cold sweat.
“I’ll stop putting you on the spot.” Scarlet lowered her head and continued sipping her soup. “You may go now.”
Lester didn’t waste a second and left.
…
Scarlet called William again around noon. Chris answered, as usual. “Mrs. Cooper, are you looking for Mr. Cooper?”
“Can you put William on the line?” she asked.
“Mr. Cooper is busy right now,” Chris responded politely. “I’m sure you know he just returned to the country. There are a lot of matters at Bova Capital that need his attention, so he’s been extremely busy lately. If it’s something urgent, I can pass the message for you.”
Divorce wasn’t a topic that could be passed along by an assistant.
Scarlet’s patience was wearing thin. “In that case, help me tell him if he keeps working himself to death like this, he’s going to drop dead one day.”
Chris was stumped.
“Before that happens, tell him to return my call,” she added.
Chris was at a loss for words.
After the call ended, he looked at the man behind the desk, who was signing his name at the bottom of a document. He wasn’t sure if he should repeat her words verbatim.
William had been busy the last few days. He was shifting Bova Capital’s focus back home. The headquarters relocated from Wellton Street to Lebavia. Completing paperwork and procedures alone took days.
After finishing a tall stack of documents, William capped his pen, leaned back in his chair, and took a sip of coffee before asking, “What did she say?”
Chris polished Scarlet’s message a little. “Mrs. Cooper told me to remind you to take care of your health and not overwork yourself.”
William cocked his brow before looking out the window. Bova Capital’s new office stood right next to Cooper Group headquarters. Rows of silver-gray skyscrapers stood side by side, forming a vast, modern central business district. Sunlight reflected sharply off the glass facades at noon.
William let out a low chuckle. He turned his chair 90 degrees to face the floor-to-ceiling window and took another slow sip of coffee. “That’s new. The sun must have risen from the west today.”
…
Scarlet had no idea whether Chris had actually passed her message along. Either way, nothing changed. William was still as good as dead to her. He didn’t return her calls, and he didn’t come home.
While he refused to show up, Justine called to push for progress. “How did your talk with William go?”
Scarlet still had patients scheduled for follow-up in the afternoon, and she didn’t even have time for lunch. So, she grabbed some bread to tide herself over. “He’s been busy lately. We haven’t discussed it yet.”
Scarlet could almost picture Justine’s brows knitting together. “Are you deliberately dragging this out, Scarlet?”
“I’m not,” Scarlet responded.
Justine snapped, “You’re only hurting each other by dragging this out. You’re hurting both William and us! Do you hate us that much?”
“I don’t.” Scarlet sounded drained.
“Have we ever mistreated you? You practically grew up in front of me. Don’t force me to become the villain in the end. You’re the one who will look bad when that happens!
“William has already suffered for three years because of you. Do you have any idea what it’s like for me, as his mother, to watch him stay in Amriva year after year and never return home because of you?” Justine questioned.
Scarlet had never known the reason William had suddenly decided to go to Amriva.
They claimed that he pursued Nicole Jameson and blamed Scarlet for failing to keep her husband’s heart.
They claimed he didn’t want to see her and blamed her for being unbearable. In any case, it was all her fault.
All of the resentment Justine had bottled up over the years spilled out at that moment. “If his grandmother hadn’t forced him to marry you, I would never have agreed to this marriage. William deserves a better wife!”
Scarlet felt as though her heart was being carved open over and over. She could no longer feel the pain, only a raw, bloody emptiness.
Clenching her fists, she said, “I haven’t married into your family out of my own will either. Don’t forget that you were the ones who needed something from me.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Justine’s tone softened when she spoke up again, though it was still condescending. “I know that you did help us back then, and you’ll be compensated accordingly. Once you and William divorce, this matter will be settled. You and our family will be quits.”
So much for being quits. After ending the call, Scarlet slumped back into her chair.
It was late fall. The leaves in the dawn redwood grove had almost all fallen, leaving only a few withered ones on the bare branches.
Just then, a new resident knocked on the door. “It’s almost 1:00 pm, Dr. Benson. Are you ready?”
Scarlet took a deep breath and straightened up. “Yes, I’m ready.”
…
Before getting off work, Scarlet received a call from Lucy. Lucy could tell something was off and kept pushing until Scarlet told her about the call at noon. Then, she almost exploded.
“That old witch actually said that? Quits, my ass! The Coopers owe you a hell of a lot, okay?
“What does William even have to complain about? If he’s that miserable, he shouldn’t have touched you in the first place!
“Damn it. Tell him to ask his dick if it feels miserable!”
Scarlet almost spat out her water. She hurriedly looked around. Fortunately, no one else was in the pantry.
She filled her up and walked back to her office. “Watch your language, Ms. Rosen. I’m in a hospital.”
“So what if you’re in a hospital? We’re all humans. It’s in our DNA!” Lucy wasn’t done just yet. “You didn’t even complain, yet he had the audacity to feel aggrieved?
“Didn’t he still do whatever the hell he wanted after you were married? He pursued Nicole until the whole world knew and turned you into a laughingstock!
“Even a housekeeper dared to walk all over you and humiliate you. You wasted three good years of your life on him, and what did you get? Everyone’s mockery and a relationship where you’re being treated like a fool!”
Because Lucy was her best friend, she knew exactly where it hurt. “You wouldn’t mind if I stopped talking to you for, say, 500 years, right?”
“No, don’t!” Realizing she’d gotten carried away, Lucy hastily backtracked. “I’m off work now. Hang on, I’ll pick you up and treat you to a feast!”
“Your feast usually comes in liquid form,” Scarlet quipped.
Lucy grinned. “You know me.”
Lucy couldn’t really hold her liquor, but she loved having a drink or two whenever she could. She always called it stress relief. Every time she said she was taking Scarlet to a feast, they ended up at a bar.
Scarlet had just gotten out of the hospital when the cab Lucy ordered pulled up to the curb. Lucy leaned out of the window and waved at her.
Scarlet hopped in and pulled out her hand sanitizer out of habit. Lucy immediately held out both grubby hands.
“The new bar that just opened is running a promo today. Couples get 50% off!”
The word “discount” was Lucy’s fatal weakness. A 50% discount was basically a knockout punch. Once she saw it, she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
“But we’re not a couple,” Scarlet said.
“You’re way too honest for your own good.” Lucy wrapped her arms around Scarlet. “No one will question it if we say we’re a couple. Everyone’s so open-minded these days. Worst case scenario, we kiss!”
Scarlet responded flatly, “I’ll pass.”
“Objection overruled. You’re married, but I’m a pure, innocent pringle. If anything, I’m the one getting the short end of the stick.”
It was much easier to get into the bar than Scarlet expected. Lucy, on the other hand, lacked a few screws. She wrapped her arm around Scarlet’s waist and lifted her chin at the bouncer. “Can’t you tell? I’m the top!”
Scarlet was at a loss for words.
Lucy wanted to cheer her up. So, she ordered a ton of food and even splurged on the expensive drinks she normally wouldn’t touch.
The bar was upscale, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the snacks were surprisingly good. The only downside was the crowd. The music was deafening, loud, and restless.
Lucy, who was chronically online, was always ahead of everyone when it came to gossip. “Did your husband really come back to fight over the inheritance?”
End of the Contract,Start of His Obsession
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