<b>Chapter </b><b>43 </b>


    Andrea suddenly felt an urgent need to define her status. “Jeffrey,” she said.


    “Go ahead.” Jeffrey looked at her.


    “Once you divorce Reba, will you marry me?” Andrea blurted out, her heart pounding–not from nerves, but from a deep, restless anxiety, terrified of the answer she might receive.


    Jeffrey’s expression grew serious, clearly taken aback by her question.


    “I know it’s kind of out of the blue.” Andrea rushed to fill the silence before he could reply, not wanting things to get awkward. “I just want to be prepared. That’s all.”


    “I’ve told you the answer from the beginning,” Jeffrey said inly. “No matter what happens, the end result will stay the same.”


    Andrea forced a tight smile. “I guess that’s how it is.”


    Jeffrey gave a simple, “Mm.”


    “Then, would you ever marry someone else?” Andrea probed.


    Jeffrey’s eyes lingered on her. He understood exactly what was on her mind and why she asked, but that didn’t mean he was going to give her the answer she wanted.


    Andrea waited, but no answer came. Deep down, she knew he’d never marry her. “I just worry that if you marry someone else, she might not ept me,” she said, trying to save face. “That could get messy.”


    Jeffrey finally gave her an answer. “Mrs. Hanson could only ever be Reba.” Whether Reba wanted it or not, she was


    his wife, one and only.


    “That’s good to know,” Andrea replied, feeling a sharp pang inside, but she forced herself to act as if she didn’t care at all.


    “If you ever regret your choice, you can still decide differently,” Jeffrey said, sensing the shift in Andrea’s mood. But from


    the start, he was clear: he couldn’t give her what she wanted. “I respect your decision.”


    “No need,” Andrea shot back almost instantly. “I’m good with things just the way they are.”


    Jeffrey gently tucked her shawl around her shoulders. After a quiet moment, he offered a fewforting words before leaving, citing urgent business at the office/


    By the time Reba reached the hospital, it was nearly noon. She went straight to Amelia’s room, and then checked in


    with the doctor for a detailed update, still worried about Amelia’s condition.


    To Reba’s relief, everything was within normal limits.


    After lunch, Timothy stopped by Amelia’s ward and saw Reba still there. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Your mom’s condition is stable. She could wake up in two weeks, or at worst, two months. Focus on your own things. We’ll take care of this.


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    Thu, 18 <b>Sept </b>


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    “I’m not really busy right now,” Reba replied, wanting to stick around with her mom a bit longer. She thought to herself, If a miracle happens and she wakes up early, I want to be right here waiting for her!


    Timothy didn’t push her to leave but reassured her he’d handle everything, so she could focus on her own matters without worry.


    Reba nodded along.


    Before she knew it, Wednesday rolled around, and Reba headed over to Primey Technologies for her final interview, just as they’d arranged.


    Jeffrey had always kept his word. If he promised not to interfere with her final interview, he wouldn’t. But Reba still couldn’t shake the worry that he might secretly pull some strings.


    She followed the interviewer into the manager’s office. Elmer Taylor, a sharp, professional man in his thirties wearing a light–colored shirt, greeted her warmly, “Reba.”


    “Yes,” Reba replied.


    “The HR director already told me about your case. Everything looks good,” Elmer said, holding her resume, his tone direct. “But I’ve got one question, and I’m not sure if you’ll befortable with it.”


    Reba felt a wave of relief and responded politely, “Please, go ahead.”


    “They likely mentioned during the interviews that you’d join a major new project,” Elmer exined inly. “When you sign the contract, you’ll also sign a confidentiality agreement.”


    “I understand,” Reba replied, unfazed. Though she hadn’t had much work experience yet, she knew the basics about


    stuff like this.


    Elmer handed her the confidentiality agreement. “Take a look. If you agree,e in tomorrow for onboarding. If not, this is where we part ways.”


    Reba read it carefully. The contract barred quitting without a valid reason and imposed a 3–million–dor penalty for


    breach.


    Honestly, these kinds of uses popped up pretty often in certain jobs. Sometimes the penalty went up to 30 million, all just to keep people from making off with thepany’s big project secrets.


    “So, what do you think?” Elmer asked when he saw she was done reading.


    “Can I take some time to think it over?” Reba replied, her guard still up after everything Jeffrey had put her through.


    Even thoughn said thepany didn’t involve Jeffrey, she wanted to be doubly sure before agreeing to anything. “I’ll let you know by 8 PM tonight.”


    “Of course. This goes both ways,” Elmer said smoothly. “Just hit me up when you’ve made your decision.”


    Reba nodded and handed the confidentiality agreement back to him.


    15:35 Thu, 18 Sept


    30%2


    As soon as Reba stepped out of thepany, she calledn to meet up. With Jeffrey’s promise not to interfere, she felt confident to act freely. After all, she just wanted some basic information fromn, nothing shady or personal.


    They met up at a coffee shop, and Reba gaven the rundown,n’s expression changed a bit. “3 million penalty?”


    “Yeah.” Reba nodded.


    “That’s insanely high,”n frowned. Hispany had penalties, too, but that amount was usually reserved for top–level staff on confidential projects, not a new hire. It felt suspicious to him.


    “I think so. That’s why I came to you, just to make sure I’m not missing anything,” Reba exined honestly.


    “Hang on a second. Let me ask around and see if that’s really standard here,”n said as he pulled out his phone and started dialing.


    Reba nodded.


    Half an hourter,n got his answer. “He said for regr projects, penalties in confidentiality agreements were potentially up to three hundred thousand, and only apply if you actually leak something.”


    He added, “But for major projects, it’s as you said. They set high barriers to prevent quitting and leaks. Still, the boss always exins everything upfront.”


    Reba paused for a second, and then asked casually, “Who’d you reach out to about this?”


    Reba blinked in mild surprise. “Wait, and they just told you all that?” she couldn’t help but ask.


    “Well, turns out one of my buddies is on pretty good terms with their legal counsel,”n exined. “He was the one who got the info for me.”


    “As long as it’s <i>not </i>just me who has to sign that,” Reba said with a sigh of relief. The thought that she’d soon have a job gave her a fresh wave <i>of </i>motivation. “Thanks<i>! </i>Once I get my first paycheck, dinner’s on me.”


    Reba shook her head. She knewn was just looking out <i>for </i>her, but if Jeffrey really wanted to stir things up, it wouldn’t matter if she went ton’spany <i>or </i>even Stephen’s; he’d still find a way to get involved.


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    <b>10.J </b>