Chapter 4

"Mrs. Wolfe, Mr. Wolfe really has no availability in the coming days. He just wrapped up a major acquisition, and the new company's finances are a mess." Marceline fell silent. She knew Curtis was busy. For the past three years, he had been so busy that he'd forgotten their anniversary, her birthday, and every single holiday. So, she had spent them all alone. "Alright. When he returns, could you give me a call to let me know?" "You don't have to be so polite with me, Mrs. Wolfe." With that, Marceline ended the call and simply stared blankly at the people coming and going outside the courthouse. Newlyweds beamed with joy, while divorced couples walked away like strangers, avoiding each other as if they found each other repulsive. Soon, Marceline pulled out her phone to browse nearby job listings. She had already prepared her résumé and figured she should find a job before doing anything else. She had majored in vocal music in college, but after what happened with Lyana, she became terrified of singing. And since she couldn't even sing a single note now, her degree became useless. While browsing through the listings, she found a mid-sized company hiring a personal assistant to a director. There were no professional requirements—just conditions for height, weight, and looks. Within three minutes of submitting her résumé, the company called and asked her to come in for an interview that afternoon. Having never worked before, Marceline didn't understand the subtleties of the job market and thought that it was a scam at first. However, once she sat down in front of the interviewer, the interviewer took one look at her and nodded. "When can you start?" Marceline was surprised. "You haven't asked about my qualifications." "You majored in music—what qualifications would you have? This role mainly involves accompanying the director to social events. "The pay is good. It's the kind of job you can only do while you're young, so you should consider it." "Alright." With that, Marceline was led to fill out some paperwork and meet the director. But when she met the director, she realized that it was someone she knew. Three years ago, shortly after marrying Curtis, she had met this person before. Back then, he was a senior executive at Wolfe Group. He didn't know Marceline at the time, and thinking she was just a waitress, had tried to kiss her. However, he was caught by Curtis, and later on, Marceline heard that he'd been fired after crossing the wrong people at the company. That man's name was Shawn Vance. At the moment, her résumé was being pulled up on his computer. "I thought I was seeing things. Aren't you Curtis' woman? I can't believe you're applying to this small company. What, did Curtis dump you?" Shawn's intense gaze stayed fixed on Marceline as he slowly shut his laptop. "They say your husband's hardly been home over the past three years. How could he bear to stay away though?" Marceline was undeniably beautiful. With how graceful and alluring she was, the more anyone looked at her, the harder it was to look away. Even just standing there in casual jeans and a white blouse, she looked effortlessly refined. "Mr. Vance," Marceline respectfully called out. If he had ulterior motives, she was not going to accept the job. Nonetheless, Shawn merely gave her a cold snort before eyeing her up and down. "The pay is 20 thousand a month. You'll be accompanying me to events and preparing documents for me. Can you drive?" "Yes, I can." "Great. Having the wife of Wolfe Group's CEO as my driver is quite an honor." "Curtis and I are divorced." Shawn narrowed his eyes and abruptly chuckled. "Oh, that makes sense. If that weren't the case, a stunning woman like you would never have been allowed to work. "You can start now. Come with me to a business dinner tonight. I'll pay you half your salary in advance. Sounds good?" Marceline had no idea how Shawn figured out she was strapped for cash, but he wasn't wrong. She lowered her head and uttered, "Alright." Soon, someone came to guide her through the onboarding process and assigned her a desk. Marceline could tell that she was coming down with a fever given how her body was growing hotter by the minute. Toward the end of the workday, Shawn summoned her to his office and tossed her the car keys. "You're my driver and assistant from now on. We leave now. I'll send you my upcoming schedule." "Yes, Mr. Vance." As she clutched the keys, Marceline found Shawn's car in the underground parking lot. After opening the door for him, she got behind the wheel. Shawn was on the phone, bragging, "Heh, you won't believe who I hired as my assistant. Remember Curtis Wolfe?" Curtis was a household name in Imperialis. Even before he was reunited with the Wolfe family, he was already a rising star. With his stunning looks and a self-made success story, he had been everywhere in the media. After he reconnected with his birth family, he became even more prominent. But in recent years, he had kept a low profile, focusing on his business and declining interviews. Gradually, he faded from the public eye, but within elite circles, there wasn't anyone who didn't know him. Even though Shawn was now operating in a second-rate business circle, he still had a few connections since he had previously held a high position at Wolfe Group. "That's right. His wife's my driver now. Hah! Remember how arrogant he used to be?" Marceline drove and soon stopped outside a well-known hotel. After parking the car, she opened the door for Shawn. True to his word, he had already deposited ten thousand into her account by then. His insulting remarks couldn't even faze her—not after what she'd endured while being around Curtis' social circle. She'd grown immune to such humiliation. Marceline dutifully fulfilled her role as an assistant as she reached out to press the elevator button. Little did she expect that she'd see Curtis and Ken inside. Ken's eyes briefly widened in surprise before he quickly glanced at Curtis. He didn't dare say a word. Marceline didn't greet them either. It was Shawn who spoke up. "Mr. Wolfe, what a coincidence." Curtis' presence was overwhelming. Even with only four people in the spacious elevator, it felt incredibly suffocating. Shawn stepped in with a grin. "Ms. Ballard, aren't you coming? Do I really need to invite my own assistant to come in?" Only then did Marceline enter and press the button for the fifth floor. That floor had private dining rooms for business meetings. Dining on the fifth floor was already pricey, but the seventh floor was even pricier and reserved for only the most exclusive guests. Curtis was headed for the seventh floor. Right as the elevator reached the fifth floor, Marceline was about to step out with Shawn when Curtis said, "Ken." Ken froze, waiting for instructions. But Curtis said nothing more. After pausing for a few seconds, Marceline walked out, and the elevator doors closed behind her. Feeling a crushing weight bearing down on him, Ken gulped. "I'll look into it right away." He needed to find out why Marceline was here and why she was with Shawn. Shawn had once tried to force a kiss on her. At the time, Curtis had been so furious that he hadn't hesitated to throw him out. When the elevator reached the seventh floor, Curtis stepped out and said, "Don't bother. Let her ruin herself if that's what she wants." After all, it wouldn't be the first time she'd jumped into bed with a man on a whim. Upon hearing that, Ken didn't dare say anything else and simply followed behind Curtis. … Shawn opened the door to a private room and greeted the guests. "Sorry for the delay, everyone. I ran into someone I knew in the elevator." The room was filled with small-time business partners he was hoping to work with. One of them joked, "Mr. Vance, your new assistant is gorgeous. It's a waste if she doesn't become a model." Shawn grinned smugly. "I'm not interested in some random model." The group of middle-aged men began making dirty jokes, their eyes roving over Marceline. However, Marceline kept her head down, as if blind to it all. Shawn lifted his chin. "Go pour Mr. Dorian a drink. He's been staring at you since you got here."