Chapter 10
Dr. Dawson was busy mixing up some topical meds, while Cornelia was busy applying them to Marcus.
She was super focused and serious about it. Even though she had never been this close to a guy before, she didnât feel awkward since. he was her patient.
Marcusâs face turned slightly red, but luckily, his redness from the severe allergy made it hard for others to notice his uneasiness.
After being married for over a year, he had only seen his wife on the day they registered their marriage. He had never been in such close. proximity to a girl before, so he felt a bit awkward and unsure of what to do.
After applying the meds to his back, Cornelia started applying them to his chest. Her smooth forehead moved in front of his eyes, and. her faint scent filled his nostrilsâ¦
âI can do it myself,â he suddenly said in a deep voice, startling Cornelia.
Cornelia looked at him, puzzled. âPresident Hartley, did I hurt you by pressing too hard?â
Marcus kept a straight face. âAyden, take her home.â
Cornelia glanced out the window and saw that it was already getting light outside. She didnât want to bother anyone. âitâs okay, I can just grab a cab home.â
Marcus said, âSuit yourself.â
Cornelia,
Man, guys are so hard to understand.
After Cornelia left, Dr. Dawson couldnât help but blurt out, âMarc, Cornelia seems like a great girl.â
Marcus, âYou want her to be your daughterâinâlaw?â
Dr. Dawson, âIs that what I said?â
Marcus, âWhat did you mean then?â
Dr. Dawson went silent.
She didnât even know why she had said that..
Next few days, Cornelia suffered a lot in the company.
Cornelia reviewed her work from the past few days, and couldnât find anything she had done wrong. But President Hartley kept finding fault with her and suddenly became this scary devil boss.
Not only did Cornelia feel his dissatisfaction, but Ben also noticed it. At lunch with Cornelia, he couldnât help but ask, âWhat did you do to piss off President Hartley?â
Cornelia sighed, wanting to share her troubles with someone. âIf I knew what I did wrong, I could fix it, but I donât even know what I did. to upset him.â
Ben had been with Marcus for many years and had never seen him act like this. In the past, he would just fire employees who made mistakes, and he wouldnât hesitate to kick out any female employees who coveted the position of Mrs. Hartley.
The problem was that Comelia was doing an excellent job and didnât harbor any
ill intentions. It was Marcusâs attitude toward her that was baffling.
Ben thought for a moment and patted Corneliaâs shoulder sympathetically. âThink about it carefully, maybe you can figure out what made him unhappy.â
Cornelia, ââ¦â
She thought hard and realized that Marcusâs dissatisfaction with her began the day she helped him apply the meds.
Could it be that the news of her taking Marcus home had reached Mrs. Hartley, and she didnât want him to get too close to a young assistant like her, so he was giving her the cold shoulder?
Of all the guesses, Cornelia thought this one was the most likely.
With this idea in mind, Cornelia became more careful about her behavior and made sure never to have any contact with Marcus outside
of work.
In the afternoon, as usual, Cornelia placed a cup of coffee on Marcusâs desk. âPresident Hartley, this afternoonâ¦â
Marcus interrupted her abruptly. âLet someone else bring me coffee from now on.â
Cornelia confirmed her guess and dutifully informed him of the upcoming schedule. âPresident Hartley, you have a West Region investment meeting at 2:30. Tonight, youâre attending the Wilson familyâs anniversary banquet. Iâve prepared the gift list; please review
it
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Chapter 10
Without looking up, Marcus said, âPut it here.â
As Cornelia handed over the list, she said, âSince itâs an anniversary, itâs customary to bring a partner. Will you be attending with your wife, or should I arrange a female companion for you?â
As Cornelia was speaking, Marcus suddenly looked up at her, his gaze cold as ice. âGet out.â
Cornelia, ââ¦â
Little did she know that Marcusâs sudden anger was because she had mentioned his âcheatingâ wife again.
Cornelia left the presidentâs office, planning to go to the restroom to wash her face and calm down.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Eden in the restroom.
He was blocking the entrance, as if waiting for her on purpose. âWhatâs the matter? Your beauty trap didnât work on President Hartley?â
âEden, you never have anything nice to say,â Cornelia snapped back. She was afraid of Marcus, who paid her salary, but she would never allow others to bully her.
Eden chuckled, âYou have quite the skill of insulting people without using a single dirty word. Impressive. But Cornelia, we still have a long way to go in the future. Letâs wait and see who will win in the end.â
Siliang returned a radiant smile, âSure, letâs wait and see.â
The afternoon meeting went smoothly. Afterward, Marcus received a call from his lawyer. âPresident Hartley, the divorce agreement you requested is ready. Iâve sent it to your email. Please review it and let me know if there are any changes needed.â
Marcus said, âAlright.â
Marcusâs lawyer would never let him lose out. Not only would his wife leave with nothing, but she would also have to compensate him for the emotional distress she caused.
Honestly, Marcus didnât care about the money, but he still felt satisfied.
Anyone who betrayed him had to face the consequences.
After reviewing the agreement, Marcus called his lawyer back. âContact her tomorrow and have her initiate the divorce.â
He had promised his grandma that he would wait for his wife to initiate the divorce, but he never said he couldnât have his lawyer remind her to be proactive.
Feeling better, Marcus looked at Cornelia more kindly. âTonight, come with me to the Wilson familyâs golden anniversary banquet.â
Cornelia was thrilled. âPresident Hartley, are you not mad at me anymore?â
Marcus, âWas I ever mad at you?â
Cornelia, âNo?â
He had just given her the cold shoulder for a few days. In his mind, that probably didnât count as being mad.
The old man and old lady of the Wilson family donât dig throwing big feasts. There ainât many guests invited, but with their status and all, loads of people wanna crash the party, so thereâs still quite a crowd.
No matter how many people, Marcusâs arrival was still the center of attention.
Moreover, he rarely attended any social gatherings with a female companion, but today, he made a rare exception and brought a female companion along.
And so, Cornelia got noticed too.
Corneliaâs been to quite a few fancy events with Marcus, so she could kinda deal with all the gawking.
Marcus had to go meet the Wilson familyâs old couple, and Cornelia sneaked off to a quiet corner to munch on some snacks.
Leonardo, holding a drink, walked up to her and said, âMiss Cornelia, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?â
Cornelia smiled and said, âMr. Wilson, Iâm sorry, but Iâm not good at dancing.â
As an executive assistant, how could she not know how to dance? But this was just Corneliaâs way of turning Leonardo down, and they both knew it.
Leonardo pretended not to understand, âI can teach you, you know.â
Cornelia said, âLast time you asked me if I had a boyfriend, how about I give you an answer today?â
Leonardo asked, âYou want to use the excuse of having a boyfriend to reject me?â
Cornelia chuckled, âI donât have a boyfriend.â
Leonardo asked, âSo, can I ask you out?â
Chapter 10
Cornelia replied, âIâm married.â