<b>Chapter </b><b>36 </b>
白菜肉<b>30</b><b>% </b>
“Our boss is out of town for the next couple of days and won’t be back until Wednesday afternoon,” the interviewer exined, noticing Reba’s hesitation. “If you’re free, we can schedule your final interview for Wednesday at 3 PM.”
“Sure, I’m avable,” Reba replied.
She thought, ‘Mom’s surgery is this afternoon. Even if something goes wrong, I should have time to deal with it by Tuesday. I still don’t know how much it will all cost, but I need to keep this job. Hope Jeffrey won’t mess this up.
After the interview, Reba went straight to the hospital. The surgery was still hours away, but her anxiety wouldn’t let <ol><li>go. </li></ol>
She arrived a little after eleven. Timothy greeted her with his usual calm, his tone unchanged. “You know about your mom’s surgery, right?”
“Yes,” Reba replied, sitting across from him. Despite her soft eyes, she couldn’t hide the anxiety weighing her down. “How confident are you?”
“About fifty percent,” Timothy answered honestly.
Reba’s heart tightened. For years, her mom had been in aa, unresponsive to words but with asional reflexes that showed she was still alive.
But if the surgery failed, her mom would end up on a venttor for the rest of her life. Reba couldn’t even bring herself
to think about it.
“We’ll do everything we can for your mother,” Timothy said gently, his voice warm. He had seen Reba’s devotion year after year. “Good people are always blessed by God.”
“If you need anything during the surgery, just use it. Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll pay it all backter,” Reba said, forcing a smile. Deep down, she knew the talk about “being blessed by God” was just meant tofort her.
Timothy opened his mouth to say something more, but in the end, he just said one word. “Alright.”
Before confirming the surgery with Reba, Timothy gave Jeffrey a full update.
After hearing the details, Jeffrey had 3 million wired directly into the hospital’s ount and told Timothy to do whatever it took for Reba’s mom, Amelia.
But the condition was that Reba must never find out. She needed to believe the money was alling from her own pocket.
Timothy never figured out what Jeffrey’s intentions were, but in his line of work, secret arrangements like this weren’t umon. A doctor’s first duty was to his patients.
He pushed his thoughts aside and said gently, “Go grab something to eat. The surgery starts at 2 PM.”
Reba nodded<i>, </i>but with the surgery so close, she couldn’t bring herself to eat. She went straight to her mom down in the chair by the bed, and began pouring her heart out to the woman who had been asleep for so <b>long</b>.
<b>n’s </b>room<b>, </b><b>sat </b>
15.33
<b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>18 </b><b>Sept </b>
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Timothy, who had followed her, stood outside and quietly watched through the window. He didn’t want to disturb her,fort her, or interrupt her. He just let her have this moment in peace.
Soon, it was time for surgery. Reba’s mom was wheeled into the operating room, and as the red light above the door turned on, Reba felt a knot of anxiety in her stomach.
“Worrying won’t help her,” a breezy female voice rang out. Andrea, looking like she was ready for a photoshoot rather than a hospital visit, strolled over from the corner. “If you’ve got time, go make some money for your mom’s medical bills.”
Reba didn’t even nce at Andrea. She couldn’t care less why she was there. Her mind was focused entirely on praying
for the surgery to be a sess.
“I heard from Jeffrey that your mom’s having surgery today,” Andrea said, sitting next <i>to </i>Reba.
Reba gave a quiet, wryugh to herself.
Course, Jeffrey tells her everything,‘ she thought.
“I’m here to check on your mom,” Andrea continued, her sarcasm fading as she became more serious. “But I also want to talk about a deal that could benefit both of us.”
“Guess you missed the ‘No Loud Talking‘ sign on the wall, huh?” Reba muttered, irritation practically radiating off her.
“Please, I’m not being loud. This is barely a whisper,” Andrea replied,pletely unbothered.
Reba just ignored her.
Andrea nced at Reba’s serious face, and for a moment, it felt like they were back to the first day they met.
Words slipped out before she could stop herself. “If none chance at being lifelong friends?”
“Not a chance,” Reba shot back bluntly.
of that had ever happened, do you think we would’ve had a
Honestly, Andrea had always been restless, never the type to settle down. Even without all the drama, they were never going to besting friends.
“Fine. Then let’s talk about Jeffrey,” Andrea said,pletely unfazed by Reba’s bluntness. “I bet you don’t want him sticking his nose in your business. You also don’t need his advice about your life, right?”
Reba nced at her, unsure where Andrea was going with this.
“Me, neither,” Andrea said, meeting Reba’s gaze directly. “On this, we both want the same thing.”
“What are you trying to say?” Reba asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.
“Let’s work together,” Andrea said inly. “I’ll give you all my savings. Once your mom’s condition is stable, you can take her and leave Jsburg. If you agree, I’ll take care of Jeffrey and make sure he leaves you alone.”
Reba’s brow furrowed slightly,
<b>15:33 </b>Thu, 18 Septe
Andrea’s expression was dead serious. “I promise he won’t cause any trouble for you or your friends.”
“I already gave you my answer to thatst time,” Reba said, her eyes still locked on the glowing light above the operating room door, showing no interest in Andrea’s offer.
“Last time, I used Jeffrey’s money to force you to leave. I know that was humiliating,” Andrea admitted, following Reba’s gaze. “But this time, I’m using my own savings to make a deal with you with sincerity.”
30%
Reba pressed her lips together. If she could, she would sever all ties with Jeffrey, but some things were out of her hands. “So you, the other woman, think it’s sincere when you pay me off to walk away from my husband?” she retorted.
“I know all about the trouble he’s caused youtely,” Andrea said, unfazed by Reba’s sarcasm. “As long as he’s still obsessed with you, he’ll keep interfering in your life. And me? I’ll never get all of his attention, no matter what I do.”
“I’ve got a question,” Reba said.
Feeling genuinely earnest, Andrea was more patient than usual. “Go ahead.”
“Why does he say you’re so important to him?” Reba pressed, unable to figure out the reason.
In the five years they’d been married, all sorts of women tried to catch Jeffrey’s eye. Some were stunning. Some were gentle, and some had strong personalities. There was pretty much every type one could imagine.
But none of them ever seemed to interest Jeffrey. He never stopped loving Reba, just like he had from the very beginning. She honestly thought she was the one and only until Andrea appeared.
<i>To </i>this day, Reba still couldn’t understand what made Andrea so special in Jeffrey’s eyes. Andrea wasn’t more beautiful than her, and there were plenty of women at the Hanson Group who were more capable.
As for ying the sweet and innocent <i>role</i>, plenty of women did far better than Andrea.
Andrea’s eyes flickered for a moment. “I don’t know.”
<i>“</i><i>You </i>don’t know, or you just don’t want me to know?” Reba pressed, her suspicion growing. “Or maybe there’s something about <i>you </i>that makes <i>you </i><i>so </i>important to him?”
Andrea didn’t answer<i>. </i>Back then, she might have panicked, worried Reba would go straight to Jeffrey and ask him directly.
But <i>now</i><i>, </i>she had figured out that Reba wasn’t the type to dig around, and even if she did, Jeffrey would never spill the truth. So, Andrea wasn’t too <i>concerned </i>anymore.
ever had anything to do with each other growing <i>up</i>, right?” Reba stared at “If I’m not mistaken, you and Jeffrey Andrea’s calm face, her tone blunt. “So how does that make you such a big deal to him?”
<b>10 </b>
<b>Chapter </b><b>37 </b>