Chapter 6

Henry's face instantly went pale. He had no idea what he'd done to offend Curtis, and he was too terrified to move. However, Curtis simply strode away without sparing Marceline another glance. All the while, Henry remained rooted to the spot. Only after Curtis and his entourage left did he realize his back was drenched in sweat. Humiliated, he came up with an excuse and left in a rush without saying anything else to Shawn. It looked very much like he was fleeing the scene. Soon, the others quickly followed suit. Marceline opened the car door for Shawn. Once seated, he picked up the contract to have a look at it. "You did pretty well tonight. Honestly, I thought you'd blow up right then and there." He was, of course, talking about the incident with Henry. It was obvious to everyone that Henry wanted to sleep with her. If it were in the past, Marceline would've never tolerated it. But now, she had to endure it all for survival. After all, her degree wouldn't get her anywhere. "Mr. Vance, I really need the money right now." Shawn loosened his tie and leaned back. "So, what's really going on between you and Curtis?" Even a fool could tell Curtis treated her differently. "We're divorced," Marceline replied. "Damn, that's seriously shocking. Back when I'd nearly kissed you after having a few drinks, he broke three of my ribs and had me kicked out of Wolfe Group. "Do you have any idea how high up I had gotten in Wolfe Group? He had to face a ton of backlash for firing me." After all, Curtis had been clashing with his brother, Zachary Wolfe, back then. Marceline indifferently stepped on the gas. "Then he definitely didn't do it because of me." Shawn was no fool—he wouldn't have made it into Wolfe Group's upper ranks otherwise. As such, he knew better than to ignore the warning signs. Just one harsh lesson was enough to scare him straight. He wouldn't dare try making another move on Marceline. Curtis was like a mad dog. If Shawn got on his radar, he'd be lucky to escape with his life. Closing his eyes, Shawn told her his address. "Pick me up at 6:30 am every morning. All scheduling changes must go through me. "You handled things well tonight. You should've already been told during the interview that your position is basically about selling your looks. That's why no professional skills are required. Whether or not you get taken advantage of depends on your own ability." The way Marceline had handled Henry that night was smart. Sometimes, men only needed to hear a little flattery to believe they were hot stuff and knights in shining armor. That was why Henry had jumped at the chance to help her out when she seemed troubled by the contract. Forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of Shawn's house. As he grabbed the contract and got out, he said, "This car is one of my spares. If you're not using it to pick me up, feel free to drive it. Just remember to get reimbursed for gas." To be fair, Shawn had clear boundaries between business and personal matters—which was a good thing. After giving a nod and making sure Shawn had gone inside, Marceline drove off. That was when Delilah called. "Marcy, it's late. Why aren't you home yet?" Before Marceline could respond, she heard Jared say, "Why do you care? She's been kicked out of her home. I looked into it—Mr. Wolfe's already moved on. She's useless, really. After spending so many years with him, she couldn't even get a single property." Delilah's tone grew awkward. "Marcy, Jared just had a rough day at work. He's just in a bad mood, so don't take it to heart." After parking outside Delilah's apartment complex, Marceline knocked on the door. Delilah answered the door and looked worried when she saw how pale Marceline was. "Are you sick? You did get caught in the rain last night." "I'm here to pick up my things. I'm planning to rent a place," Marceline simply responded. "What for? Rent's expensive here, and you don't have much money right now." Since her company had paid her an advance of ten thousand that day, Marceline decided to stay in a hotel that night and start apartment-hunting the next day. Delilah wanted to keep dissuading her, but Jared slammed a door from inside and said, "Didn't I already tell you that Mom's going to be here soon? There are no extra rooms in the house." Delilah didn't hold much sway at her home to begin with. She merely awkwardly held Marceline's hand, not knowing what to say. But Marceline simply smiled and headed in to get her suitcase. She had only brought this one small suitcase with her the night before. Delilah walked her downstairs with heavy steps. "Marcy, is it really over between you and Curtis?" Marceline placed her suitcase in the trunk before nodding. "We've already said everything there is to say. By the way, didn't Jared say that you're going to go for a check-up in a couple of days? What are you getting checked for?" As Delilah put a hand on her stomach, a disheartened look appeared on her face. "We've been trying for two years, and still, it's been all for naught. I want to get checked to see if there's something wrong with my health." Delilah's mother-in-law placed great importance on having grandchildren. Now that Delilah was 29, she had reached the age where fertility became a significant concern. If she couldn't conceive soon, it might be too late in a few more years. "If only you and Curtis had a child, Marcy. Then things wouldn't have come to this." Marceline's face twitched a little. She and Curtis hadn't touched each other in years. How could there possibly be a child? He couldn't even stand touching her. "I'll be going now, Delilah. You should head back in." With that, Marceline got into the car. Through the rearview mirror, she could see Delilah still standing there. All of a sudden, she felt her heart ache. She thought back to when they'd fled their small town. She was only 11, while Delilah was 14. There was so much pressure living in the concrete jungle of Imperialis that it was suffocating. Years of struggling and hard work had done nothing but turn them into just two more souls fighting to survive among the masses. Ten minutes after Marceline drove off, her phone rang. It was Beatrice Reid—Curtis' grandmother. "Marcy, why aren't you home yet? It's late and I've already been waiting at your place for a while. Even Curtis is already back." Marceline's fingers trembled. Beatrice had always treated her kindly. She was the one who was the nicest to her in the Wolfe family. The Wolfe family had indeed accepted Marceline as a goddaughter just to silence gossip back then, but Beatrice had been the only person who hoped that Marceline would marry Curtis from the beginning. Beatrice hadn't been in good health. She had been on medication for years, and the doctors had warned her against emotional distress. Because of that, Marceline even took the time to learn massage techniques and visited Wolfe Manor to ease Beatrice's pain whenever she was free. Marceline felt a lump rise in her throat, and she was unable to speak. Beatrice clearly sensed something was off and glared at Curtis. He was sitting beside her flipping through contracts. "Did you argue with Marcy again? Can't you fix that damn temper of yours? You ungrateful brat… If those rumors about you and that Jenna woman are true, I'll break your legs…" As Beatrice got worked up, she started coughing. Curtis frowned. "Calm down, will you? There's nothing between me and Jenna."