SWNOVELS Chapter 6 Can I Borrow Her for a Few Days?
At 9 AM, Martha arrived at the Harrison Group.
When she entered the elevator, she saw a familiar figure.
"Good morning, Mr. Stone."
She nodded at the man, standing aside silently.
Eden Stone nodded at her politely. He was on a business trip overseas and had just returned to town earlier. Coincidentally, he met Martha on the way to the president's office. "You look unwell."
"I'm fine. Probably I didn't sleep well last night."
Martha forced a smile, feeling a sense of bitterness. Even an outsider cared about her more than Stefan did.
While her mind wandered, the elevator arrived on the 27th floor, where the president's office was.
"Please excuse me, Mr. Stone."
Martha left the elevator, heading for her seat.
Watching her walk away, Eden shook his head resignedly.
He could tell her situation was still the same as before he had gone abroad.
He felt sorry for her as she was indeed unlucky to marry Stefan.
...
The president's office.
Eden knocked on the door before entering the office.
"I'm back."
Upon hearing his cheerful voice, Stefan stopped reading his file and looked up. His eyes were dark with unfathomable emotions.
Eden sat on the sofa and tried to find some topics. "I met your wife in the elevator earlier. She looked unwell. Is she sick?"
His words made Stefan scowl at him sharply.
Eden ignored him and chuckled, "She's your wife. Why not be nice to her?"
Stefan only looked at him sternly, the air around him colder.
"Just cut to the chase."
Eden could tell Stefan was running out of patience, so he put away his playful smile and wore a solemn look.
"You sent me to search for the bone marrow in the overseas myeloid banks, but it was difficult to match the bone marrow you wanted."
Seeing Stefan's darkened face, Eden could tell this was very important to him.
"Who will have the bone marrow transplant? Usually, the success rate is higher between family members or relatives."
Hiding the emotions in his eyes, Stefan parted his lips and sent him away. "You can leave now."
Eden had been used to his moodiness. When he was about to leave, he was reminded of one thing and looked back at Stefan, saying half jokingly. "My assistant has been on vacation recently. If you don't need Ms. Doyle, may I borrow her for a few days?"
Stefan stared at his file without looking up. "Up to you."
"OK."
After gaining his permission, Eden left the president's office, heading for Martha's seat.
He knocked on her desk. Martha slowly raised her head.
"Ms. Doyle, I need your help in the following days."
Martha was surprised by the news.
Before she answered, Eden passed a file to her.
"Contact the spokeswoman and sign the endorsement contract with her in three days."
Martha returned to her senses and replied without hesitation, "OK, Mr. Stone."
Eden nodded at her and left.
Martha flipped open the file. Seeing the spokeswoman's profile, she was slightly shocked. Then she looked solemn.
Martha didn't expect the spokeswoman would be the model who had a grudge against her.
In the afternoon, Martha went to a film studio on Sanway Road, trying to sign the contract with the spokeswoman.
In the studio, the model was taking photos. Standing nearby, Martha watched her, her eyes full of complicated emotions.
The model was named Joann Lowe, the most famous woman frequently appearing in the entertainment news headlines nowadays. Martha used to see her often before.
Joann was Hollie's close friend. Martha guessed Joann would give her a hard time because of it.
Shortly after, Joann's agent showed Martha to the lounge.
Though Joann had finished the shooting, she didn't come to the lounge until half an hour later. Sitting on the sofa, she stared at Martha disdainfully and said in a mocking tone, "Sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I've been too busy recently. Martha, what can I do for you?"
This encounter with Joann brought many bad memories to Martha. She wasn't surprised about Joann's attitude.
With a professional smile, she replied calmly, "On behalf of the Harrison Group, I'm here to discuss the endorsement with you."
Joann snorted, looking at her in irony. She picked up the water prepared by her assistant, took a sip, and stared at Martha with a mocking smile.
"Martha, you always look down on me, don't you? Why do you want me to be the spokeswoman of your company?"
Martha slightly looked away and answered, not arrogantly nor humbly, "Let the bygones be bygones. You are the model my company prefers." Joann leaned backward.
"I'm too busy to be the spokeswoman for your company. Besides, I don't think you show any good faith, Martha."
"What do you want?"
Joann spread her hands. "You should know it. Don't ask me."
Before Martha replied, a staff member yelled to the room, "Joann, get ready for the next shooting."
Martha stood up. "OK. I won't hold you up too long." She nodded at her and walked out.
As soon as she vanished from the lounge, Joann immediately picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number.
Her mocking voice echoed through the lounge just as the call was answered.
"Hollie, Martha came to see me just now. She wanted me to be the Harrison Group's spokeswoman."
"Did you say yes?"
"How could I agree so easily?"
Joann picked up her water glass and fiddled with it.
"I still remember how she used to treat us."
"All right. You must give that bitch a hard time."
After leaving the film studio, Martha walked aimlessly down the street and exhaled.
She had predicted the contract wouldn't be signed quickly when she saw Joann.
However, the endorsement filming would be affected if Joann refused to sign the contract. Also, she couldn't explain her failure to Eden. While she was lost in thought, the vibration of her phone brought her back to the present.
It was a message from Rupert.
[Martha, you must have the checkup in the hospital on time. Remember to take medicine.]
Frustration flashed through Martha's eyes. She didn't think her cancer could be cured even if she went to the hospital every day. Besides, she didn't have the mood to take care of herself at this moment.
A car suddenly was pulled over to her.
The window of the driver's side was rolled down. A man's handsome side face was exposed, which looked familiar to Martha.
She recognized it was Rhys!
Martha was surprised. Why did he appear here?
"What a coincidence, Mrs. Harrison," he said.
Martha nodded at him in response. Then she wanted to play dumb and walk away.
The cooperation between them had been reached, so she was willing to have anything to do with Rhys.
But it was clear that he didn't want to let her go.
"We met again. It must be fate. Why not get in the car and talk?"
Rhys was there to pick up Joann, his current girlfriend, for a date. However, he saw a familiar figure on the street and drove up to look closer. It turned out to be Martha, as he expected. Martha ignored him, but Rhys didn't give up, driving to follow her.
"Are you pretending not to know me? Don't you know I can terminate the contract at any time?"
"You..."
Martha stopped in her tracks, glaring at him. She couldn't find a proper word to retort upon him for a moment.
Rhys could see the unconcealed embarrassment, anger, and helplessness on her face.
A relaxed and triumphant smile played on his lips. "Get in. Hurry."
Martha looked solemn. She tried hard to make him sign the contract, so she couldn't give him any chance to terminate it. Therefore, she could do nothing but sit in his car obediently. "Why are you here?" Rhys asked in a mellow, sexy voice, making Martha more alert.
"I come here for work."
Rhys curled his lips. Before he spoke again, his phone started ringing.
He answered it impatiently, but the voice from the other end of the line was fake sweet. "Mr. Williams, will you arrive at the studio soon? I'm waiting for you."
The space in the car was limited, so Martha overheard the voice.
It was Joann!
"I'm busy now," Rhys answered perfunctorily and ended the call.
Staring at him, Martha thought for a while and failed to refrain from asking, "Do you know Joann Lowe?" she asked.
Rhys darted at her, nodding.
Martha's eyes lit up. According to Joann's tone earlier, Martha could tell she was intimate with Rhys.
"I... I have an endorsement for her. Can you ask her to sign the agreement?"
'Sign an endorsement agreement?'
Rhys narrowed his gaze at her, looking at her up and down. She sounded as if they were close friends.
He lit a cigar and remarked in a deep voice, "I can speak a line to help you."
His words cheered up Martha.
However, he added, "I cannot always help you without any rewards. I've let go of you easily last time. This time... Well, Mrs. Harrison, you should give me some benefits, right?" He leaned forward to approach her as he spoke, planting an arm next to her cheek. His scent enveloped Martha instantly.