Chapter 10

But... if it’s just this once, for Mom’s surgery, then maybe it’s worth it. She had no other options left. That’s when Emilia suddenly thought of Dominic. He clearly had some interest in her, and well, they'd already crossed a line, so keeping him company again didn’t seem like such a big deal. Besides, he was loaded... She rushed to find his business card, only to remember she’d washed that jacket. The card was barely legible when she pulled it out of the pocket, but she still dialed the number. "Is this Mr. Hayes?" The next afternoon, Emilia got out of the car in front of Hayes Corporation. The building shot up into the sky like a modern-day pyramid, shining so bright it made her squint. She glanced up, smoothed down her tight skirt, and felt her cheeks flush a little pink. Inside, she headed straight to the front desk. "I have an appointment with Mr. Hayes," she said clearly. Soon, she was led all the way up to the top floor and left in the CEO’s office to wait—Dominic was still in a meeting. Emilia looked around at the insanely fancy office. The paintings on the walls had to be worth a fortune, and even the antiques on the shelves looked like they came straight out of the Renaissance period. It was basically a treasure trove in here. After what felt like forever, the door finally swung open. Dominic walked in, looking slightly tired. He was loosening his tie with those long fingers as he made his way to the desk. Emilia quickly stood up and took a deep breath to calm the nerves swirling in her chest. "Mr. Hayes." Dominic glanced at her while picking up a pen and signing some papers. "You’re here early." “...” Early? You’re the one who picked the time, weren’t you? Emilia stood there awkwardly as he finished signing the stack on his right, then leaned back in his chair and looked up at her, his dark eyes unreadable. "Come here." She stepped closer. He stared at her for a while before speaking, his voice faintly amused. "Didn’t you say you weren’t willing? What changed?" She clutched her bag a little tighter and forced a smile. "Well... people need money sometimes, right?"