Bitter 10

Chapter 10
Ever since I started working again, I felt my spirit returning a little. Most importantly, I finally had a salary. The finance team had miraculously given me a month’s base pay yesterday. 20,000 dollars was already a huge sum for me. I did not dwell on why I got a full month’s pay for just three days of work. Leonard would not care about such a small amount of money anyway. I immediately transferred ten thousand dollars to Emma. It had been a lot of work for her to bring healthy meals for two people every day. Although her salary was not low, having to take care of both her grandmother and me was really too much. Sadly, she did not accept the money. She even came to the hospital to scold me. “What am I? A beggar? You think just anyone can eat the food made by the great Ms. Carter? Don’t transfer me anything less than ten or 20 million.” I held my bowl while smiling at her. “Emma, I went back to work and got paid. He he.” “What are you grinning about? Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Hurry up and eat, you’re so annoying.” She grumpily put two pieces of oysters on my plate. She then turned away to wipe her tears in secret. I ate the oysters in big bites with tears welling up in my eyes. It was such a waste of oysters with how bad her cooking skills were. After eating our fill, we started chatting. When she found out I was taking on design work again, her eyes were full of worry. “Wouldn’t thinking or worrying too much worsen your condition? You should rest well. Leonard—” At the mention of Leonard, we both stopped talking. This man was a taboo in my life, yet he was unavoidable. I waved my hand dismissively. “Work and money make me happy. It’s better than lying in bed. “You know, this is the only talent of an underachiever like me. Maybe one day I’ll be gone, but the buildings I designed will still be standing.” “Hey, stop! What nonsense are you talking about?” Emma was upset. After I watched her getting agitated for a moment, she finally relaxed. “You need nutrition. You’ll have a better immune system when you’re fatter. “You should eat more oysters. I’ll bring you some every day from now on. Remember to buy some when you go back home too.” I nodded silently, but I was secretly calculating how much money that would be. Oysters were really expensive. For protein, eggs and milk were more cost-effective. Fortunately, I had a salary now, so food should not be a worry. Perhaps it was because my mood improved, but my recovery had been going well. Before being discharged, I had even successfully revised the design. Jean ran to the hospital excitedly. “Eva, you’re amazing. The revised proposal passed on the first try. You have no idea how much the design department had been dealing with them for months and kept getting rejected. “Now, everyone’s waiting for you to come back and lead us. You have to get better quickly.” She chattered about how everyone missed me, but I knew it might not be true. My presence in the design department was a disaster for everyone there. Leonard sometimes really could not separate personal and professional matters. He was always oppressing the design department because of me. Otherwise, I would not have left so decisively. I really did not want to drag everyone down because of me again. But now, things were different. I had to focus on staying alive first before considering other things. “It’s good that there’s no problem with Dawnstar Corporation. This is a big project.” I had already started calculating the final commission. It should be enough for half a year’s medication. The thought of that made my mood improve even more. I had an extra half year to live. “But they want to meet you immediately to have a discussion…” Upon seeing Jean’s troubled face, I finally understood why she rushed over right after work. I proposed the design, so I should indeed be the one talking to them. Others did not understand the project, which might make things worse. After calculating the time, I told her to arrange a meeting with them at the company in three days. Though three days would not make much difference for the project, it was crucial for me. I needed to be discharged and rest at home for a bit. Thinking about how I had not seen Buddy for a long time, I realized that I really missed him. The nurse showed me the examination report again before I slept that night. My recovery was indeed good. It seemed like I had really come back to life. However, Leonard’s call disturbed my sweet dream in the early hours of the morning. Even though the phone was set to vibrate, the sound was still frightening. I hurriedly left the ward and went to the corner of the corridor to answer the call. “Eva, why is the meeting with Dawnstar Corporation scheduled for three days later? Don’t you know how important this project is? “How hard is it for you to meet them immediately? What are you being so pretentious about? Do you think the company can’t function without you?” Upon hearing Leonard’s barrage of criticism, I could only laugh coldly inside. He knew this project was important. Yet, he would not even answer their calls? I put the phone on the windowsill and looked out at the night. It was indeed chilly around the hospital. Although there were lights turned on here and there, it felt desolate. He finally realized I had not said a word after a minute. “Eva, are you even listening?” “Are you still in Sheffold?” I asked without emotion. He paused. Then, I heard Lily’s cheerful voice. “Leo, look! I caught a little crab.” I lowered my eyes to look at the phone. So they were beachcombing at midnight. How romantic.