SWNOVELS Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Dr. Dawson was busy mixing up some topical meds, while Cornelia was busy applying them to Marcus.
She was super focused and serious about it. Even though she had never been this close to a guy before, she didn’t feel awkward since. he was her patient.
Marcus’s face turned slightly red, but luckily, his redness from the severe allergy made it hard for others to notice his uneasiness.
After being married for over a year, he had only seen his wife on the day they registered their marriage. He had never been in such close. proximity to a girl before, so he felt a bit awkward and unsure of what to do.
After applying the meds to his back, Cornelia started applying them to his chest. Her smooth forehead moved in front of his eyes, and. her faint scent filled his nostrils…
“I can do it myself,” he suddenly said in a deep voice, startling Cornelia.
Cornelia looked at him, puzzled. “President Hartley, did I hurt you by pressing too hard?”
Marcus kept a straight face. “Ayden, take her home.”
Cornelia glanced out the window and saw that it was already getting light outside. She didn’t want to bother anyone. “it’s okay, I can just grab a cab home.”
Marcus said, “Suit yourself.”
Cornelia,
Man, guys are so hard to understand.
After Cornelia left, Dr. Dawson couldn’t help but blurt out, “Marc, Cornelia seems like a great girl.”
Marcus, “You want her to be your daughter–in–law?”
Dr. Dawson, “Is that what I said?”
Marcus, “What did you mean then?”
Dr. Dawson went silent.
She didn’t even know why she had said that..
Next few days, Cornelia suffered a lot in the company.
Cornelia reviewed her work from the past few days, and couldn’t find anything she had done wrong. But President Hartley kept finding fault with her and suddenly became this scary devil boss.
Not only did Cornelia feel his dissatisfaction, but Ben also noticed it. At lunch with Cornelia, he couldn’t help but ask, “What did you do to piss off President Hartley?”
Cornelia sighed, wanting to share her troubles with someone. “If I knew what I did wrong, I could fix it, but I don’t even know what I did. to upset him.”
Ben had been with Marcus for many years and had never seen him act like this. In the past, he would just fire employees who made mistakes, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kick out any female employees who coveted the position of Mrs. Hartley.
The problem was that Comelia was doing an excellent job and didn’t harbor any
ill intentions. It was Marcus’s attitude toward her that was baffling.
Ben thought for a moment and patted Cornelia’s shoulder sympathetically. “Think about it carefully, maybe you can figure out what made him unhappy.”
Cornelia, “…”
She thought hard and realized that Marcus’s dissatisfaction with her began the day she helped him apply the meds.
Could it be that the news of her taking Marcus home had reached Mrs. Hartley, and she didn’t want him to get too close to a young assistant like her, so he was giving her the cold shoulder?
Of all the guesses, Cornelia thought this one was the most likely.
With this idea in mind, Cornelia became more careful about her behavior and made sure never to have any contact with Marcus outside
of work.
In the afternoon, as usual, Cornelia placed a cup of coffee on Marcus’s desk. “President Hartley, this afternoon…”
Marcus interrupted her abruptly. “Let someone else bring me coffee from now on.”
Cornelia confirmed her guess and dutifully informed him of the upcoming schedule. “President Hartley, you have a West Region investment meeting at 2:30. Tonight, you’re attending the Wilson family’s anniversary banquet. I’ve prepared the gift list; please review
it
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Chapter 10
Without looking up, Marcus said, “Put it here.”
As Cornelia handed over the list, she said, “Since it’s an anniversary, it’s customary to bring a partner. Will you be attending with your wife, or should I arrange a female companion for you?”
As Cornelia was speaking, Marcus suddenly looked up at her, his gaze cold as ice. “Get out.”
Cornelia, “…”
Little did she know that Marcus’s sudden anger was because she had mentioned his “cheating” wife again.
Cornelia left the president’s office, planning to go to the restroom to wash her face and calm down.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Eden in the restroom.
He was blocking the entrance, as if waiting for her on purpose. “What’s the matter? Your beauty trap didn’t work on President Hartley?”
“Eden, you never have anything nice to say,” Cornelia snapped back. She was afraid of Marcus, who paid her salary, but she would never allow others to bully her.
Eden chuckled, “You have quite the skill of insulting people without using a single dirty word. Impressive. But Cornelia, we still have a long way to go in the future. Let’s wait and see who will win in the end.”
Siliang returned a radiant smile, “Sure, let’s wait and see.”
The afternoon meeting went smoothly. Afterward, Marcus received a call from his lawyer. “President Hartley, the divorce agreement you requested is ready. I’ve sent it to your email. Please review it and let me know if there are any changes needed.”
Marcus said, “Alright.”
Marcus’s lawyer would never let him lose out. Not only would his wife leave with nothing, but she would also have to compensate him for the emotional distress she caused.
Honestly, Marcus didn’t care about the money, but he still felt satisfied.
Anyone who betrayed him had to face the consequences.
After reviewing the agreement, Marcus called his lawyer back. “Contact her tomorrow and have her initiate the divorce.”
He had promised his grandma that he would wait for his wife to initiate the divorce, but he never said he couldn’t have his lawyer remind her to be proactive.
Feeling better, Marcus looked at Cornelia more kindly. “Tonight, come with me to the Wilson family’s golden anniversary banquet.”
Cornelia was thrilled. “President Hartley, are you not mad at me anymore?”
Marcus, “Was I ever mad at you?”
Cornelia, “No?”
He had just given her the cold shoulder for a few days. In his mind, that probably didn’t count as being mad.
The old man and old lady of the Wilson family don’t dig throwing big feasts. There ain’t many guests invited, but with their status and all, loads of people wanna crash the party, so there’s still quite a crowd.
No matter how many people, Marcus’s arrival was still the center of attention.
Moreover, he rarely attended any social gatherings with a female companion, but today, he made a rare exception and brought a female companion along.
And so, Cornelia got noticed too.
Cornelia’s been to quite a few fancy events with Marcus, so she could kinda deal with all the gawking.
Marcus had to go meet the Wilson family’s old couple, and Cornelia sneaked off to a quiet corner to munch on some snacks.
Leonardo, holding a drink, walked up to her and said, “Miss Cornelia, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?”
Cornelia smiled and said, “Mr. Wilson, I’m sorry, but I’m not good at dancing.”
As an executive assistant, how could she not know how to dance? But this was just Cornelia’s way of turning Leonardo down, and they both knew it.
Leonardo pretended not to understand, “I can teach you, you know.”
Cornelia said, “Last time you asked me if I had a boyfriend, how about I give you an answer today?”
Leonardo asked, “You want to use the excuse of having a boyfriend to reject me?”
Cornelia chuckled, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Leonardo asked, “So, can I ask you out?”
Chapter 10
Cornelia replied, “I’m married.”