Sarah’s steps came to an involuntary halt.
After all these years together, Shane had only ever dried her hair twice. One of those times, she’d begged him for ages before he finally gave in–he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, and this sort of thing wasn’t
something he usually did for others.
“Sure! Sit down,” she heard him say.
“Thank you, Shane! You’re so sweet!”
Nora’s soft, syrupy voice drifted through the corridor, and Sarah’s lashes trembled ever so slightly.
Her already pale face lost the last trace of color.
She never imagined he’d agree so easily–without the slightest hesitation.
A bitter smile curled across her lips.
She didn’t go downstairs after all. Instead, she turned back to her room. But even from there, she could still faintly hear the blow dryer humming through the walls.
It was just a hallway and two doors away, but somehow, it echoed in her ears all the same.
Sarah didn’t remember when she fell asleep–only that when she woke the next morning, both Shane and Nora were already gone.
One day closer to her departure from Astrovia.
But the emptiness in her chest somehow felt a little lighter.
She washed up and rushed to the office.
Just as she sat down at her desk, she caught sight of Shane and Nora walking side by side into the meeting
room.
They arrived together. Went to meetings together.
Nora hadn’t just taken her position. She’d taken the seat beside Shane too.
Let it go.
She was getting married soon anyway.
“Hey, did you see? This morning, Ms. Nora and Mr. Shane came to work together!”
“No way, really?”
“Yeah! I saw it myself. Mr. Shane even brought her breakfast–so considerate. Something’s definitely going
on
“This new supervisor… could she really be Mr. Shane’s girlfriend? People have been saying he had someone, but no one’s ever seen her. Hiding her well, huh?”
Whispers rippled through the office.
3:50 PM
Chapter 9 Disobedient Again
D
+8 Pearls
Even though they tried to keep their voices down, Sarah still heard every word.
She stood and went to make coffee–she didn’t want to hear any more.
When she returned to her desk, the gossipers had all dispersed.
Sarah sat down and focused on her proposal draft.
One day at a time.
As long as she was still in this role, she’d do her job right.
By the afternoon, she’d finally finished the proposal and went straight to deliver it to Shane.
She knocked and opened the door to see Shane and Nora deep in discussion about that evening’s client meeting.
“Sarah, there’s a new client. Shane’s going to take me with him to meet them tonight–you don’t mind, right?” Nora’s voice was gentle, but Sarah caught the flash of challenge in her eyes.
Before Sarah could reply, Shane interjected, “Nora’s new, and still unfamiliar with our operations. It’s just a normal business meeting.”
Sarah answered crisply, “If it’s work, handle it however you need.”
Even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter anymore.
“I’ll head out first then. Shane, I’ll see you after work.”
“Alright.”
Nora left.
Shane approached immediately afterward. “Sarah, you’ve been incredibly thoughtful lately. So mature.”
“Was I not before?”
She placed the proposal on his desk and instinctively stepped back a little.
He noticed, of course–but didn’t seem bothered.
Leaning casually against the desk, his fox–like eyes sparkled with mischief. “Well, you never used to let me take female colleagues to client meetings.”
That’s because I used to care about you.
Now, she was trying to let go.
“I told you–I’ll be more mature from now on.”
With that, she turned and walked to the door.
Shane watched her leave, his eyes darkening slightly.
She really had changed lately.
He just couldn’t figure out how, or why.
3:50 PM
Chapter 9 Disobedient Again
Sarah got home around 8 p.m. after finishing work.
+8 Pearls
After a shower, she was ready to rest, but her stomach suddenly twisted violently in pain. It grew worse by the minute.
Thinking she’d eaten something bad, she rushed to the bathroom–but even afterward, her whole body trembled from the cramping.
She forced herself to get dressed and took a cab to the hospital.
Diagnosis: acute gastroenteritis.
“This is caused by drinking. You’ll need to avoid alcohol for a while, or it’ll worsen,” the doctor warned repeatedly.
Sarah nodded in a daze.
But as she left with the bill, she let out a breathless, bitter laugh.
Her mind replayed the nights she’d spent drinking with clients. Just to land that one account–the one that ended up going to Nora–she’d pushed herself beyond her limit.
And now?
No client, and her health was a wreck.
The irony almost made her laugh.
But worse–she was broke.
At the payment window, she realized her bank card only had a few dozen yuan left.
These past few years, Shane had covered most of her living expenses. As a result, she’d insisted on taking only a third of a normal secretary’s salary.
She liked budgeting! Some of her income went into long–term investments, and the rest was often spent on Shane.
Every month, she barely had anything left.
There were still two days until payday. She thought it would be enough.
She hadn’t counted on getting sick.
Desperate, she opened her contacts and called her brother Jack.
The phone rang and rang–no answer.
“Miss, are you paying or not? There’s a line,” the cashier called out.
“Go ahead and take the next person. I just need a second.”
Clutching her stomach with one hand, phone in the other, Sarah’s entire body trembled.
She stepped aside and stared at Shane’s contact info.
No choice now.
(
3:50 PM
Chapter 9 Disobedient Again
She pressed Call.
It rang for a long time before he finally picked up.
0
0
“Shane,” she said straight away, “I have gastroenteritis. I’m at the hospital now, but I-”
She didn’t even finish before Shane cut her off.
+8 Pearls
“Sarah, you’re acting out again. You know I’m out with a client tonight–why are you pulling this now?”
Her fingers clenched tightly around the phone.
Even her voice dropped. “I’m not acting out. I’m serious.”
“Sarah, if you wanted my attention, you could’ve picked a better time. I’ve got people waiting inside. Be good, alright?”
