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“Mr. Hanson probably won’t be waking up anytime soon,” Gregory said, his tone as calm as ever, but with a hint of concern. “Why don’t you head back to Soft Garden and get some rest? You can come by and check in whenever you want.”
‘Rebecca couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
‘Honestly, she had assumed they’d expect her to keep watch around here twenty–four seven.’”
“By the way, a few hospitals around here are inviting bids,” Gregory added, passing along the news. “You could consider applying.”
Rebecca looked up.
Gregory quickly explained, “Rest assured, because of your agreement with Mr. Hanson, I haven’t contacted anyone on their end. Whether you get the project all depends on your proposal and how well you negotiate.”
“Thanks,” Rebecca replied, her tone polite but distant.
Back when she was still in Honnala, Rebecca had heard there were projects in Jelasburg, but she’d never bothered getting a bid ready. Honestly, the work meant endless trips back and forth for meetings, and with Jelasburg being neither too big nor too small, there was always the risk of running into Jeffrey–which she really wanted to avoid.
But now that she was already here, ‘Guess there’s no harm in trying, Rebecca thought.
‘Might as well see how it goes,‘ she decided.
If she managed to snag a major project, she could just wrap up the two ongoing ones and be done; if it was something smaller, she’d just tack on another minor gig. No sweat.
“If you need any help, just let me know,” Gregory said. “Here in Jelasburg, Mr. Hanson still calls the shots.”
“No need,” Rebecca replied, turning him down.
This time, Rebecca was determined to win fair and square–she wanted Michael and the others to not be able to find any fault in her. If Jeffrey or Gregory jumped in, people would say she was leaning on family or outside help, and that would just open a whole can of worms for her.
“Gregory!” Stanley suddenly barked. “Call up all the bodyguards from every floor–right now!”
He was absolutely determined to teach that guy Mark Mason a lesson today.
“This guy is totally asking for it, Stanley thought.
‘He actually thinks that just because he’s with Rebecca, I wouldn’t dare do anything to him? Let’s see about that,‘ Stanley fumed.
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“Even if you called a hundred guys up here, you still couldn’t take me down,” Mark said with a laid–back, almost mocking calm. “You know the rule–take down the boss first. And right now, you’re standing awfully
close.”
Stanley gritted his teeth in frustration, his temper barely under control.
This guy’s really asking for it… Stanley muttered to himself.
“Rebecca and the others have come a long way–they could really use some rest,” Gregory chimed in, stepping between them to defuse the situation before things got ugly. “You’ve been up all night yourself, so how about we call it quits for now?”
Rebecca called out, “Mark.”
Mark came right over to Rebecca–he never hesitates when his paycheck’s on the line.
Stanley was still simmering with frustration, fixing Mark with a glare as he said, word for word, “Go rest up for now. In a couple of days, we’ll have ourselves a showdown.”
Mark turned to Rebecca, a casual smirk on his face. “Boss, if this ‘contest‘ ends up with someone in the hospital, am I on the hook for compensation?”
“Absolutely,” Rebecca answered. “And if he calls in the Garcia Group’s army of lawyers, you’ll basically have to sell everything you own. Not worth it, trust me.”
Mark couldn’t help but go dead silent, stunned into speechlessness.
Mark instantly changed his mind. “Okay, forget it. No fight.”
Stanley said, “You won’t have to pay. I promise.”
Mark replied, “Like I’d trust a capitalist. Not a word.”
Stanley blinked, confused: “??”
Just as Stanley was about to get into it with Mark again, Gregory smoothly intervened, found an excuse, and ushered him out of the hospital room.
Before long,
Rebecca and Mark were the only ones left in the room.
Mark hadn’t really met Jeffrey that many times, but he glanced at the man passed out on the bed and relayed what he’d just overheard Gregory and Stanley say outside. “Boss, those two just said that if Jeffrey ever finds out you’re only here because you learned about his past, he’s not gonna take it lightly. Things might get seriously ugly.”
“Yeah, I’m well aware,” Rebecca said, cool as ever.
“If you really want specifics, I can go shake it out of them for you,” Mark offered, sounding relaxed, though you could practically see he was ready to throw hands if necessary.
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“Don’t bother. It’s none of my business,” Rebecca replied, not even blinking; she already knew the score. “If there’s fallout, that’s on them, not me.”
Jeffrey hated being pitied or babied. He didn’t want anyone acting nice to him just because of his past, and if he ever found out Stanley had told her about it and that’s why she stuck around, he’d definitely give her the cold shoulder and shut her out.
But so what?
However he treated her, Rebecca honestly couldn’t care less.
Just as long as he didn’t start clinging or bossing her around and making all the decisions like he did before, she was fine with everything else.
She was only here because of those five good years they once had–and because he was Samuel’s father. Yes, she felt sorry for what he’d been through, but pity didn’t mean she owed him anything. As long as she didn’t fall for him again, whatever he felt just wouldn’t touch her–his emotions couldn’t reach her heart.
“Fair enough,” Mark shrugged, seeing she truly didn’t care, and left it at that.
That afternoon,
Rebecca had Mark bring her laptop over. She sat beside Jeffrey’s hospital bed, typing away on her bid proposal, every now and then glancing up at him, still deep in unconsciousness.
That evening,
Rebecca stayed at the hospital until after ten before heading back home to Soft Garden. As soon as she walked in, Victor and the rest of the staff looked really happy to see her.
“Ms. Jensen, you’re finally back!” Victor said, smiling from ear to ear.
“Want something to eat? The kitchen’s already got some late–night snacks ready for you,” one of the maids piped up.
Everyone chimed in, extra welcoming.
Rebecca greeted them one by one, had some late–night snacks, then went upstairs to rest. It had been two months since she’d last come back here, but the place was just as she remembered; nothing had moved.
After a quick shower, she lay down on the bed.
Being back in this room again, she felt a strange mix of emotions she couldn’t quite name.
Rebecca thought she’d be staring at the ceiling all night, but she ended up crashing fast–and even dreamed about Jeffrey.
In her dream, Jeffrey was getting the worst kind of treatment at home. His grandpa was all rules and zero warmth, his parents wouldn’t shut up with the comparisons and always demanded he be number one, and his older brother Stephen just sat back coldly, pulling every sneaky trick he could think of.
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He was down bad, but still tough as nails and refused to let it break him.
Ding dong! Her phone buzzed.
Her phone chimed with a new message.
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Rebecca jolted awake, the last scene from her dream still stuck in her mind–little Jeffrey, maybe five or six, staring at her with those lonely, wounded eyes, like he was silently begging for help.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the weird dream, and half–asleep, picked up her phone to check the message from Gregory: [Ms. Jensen, Mr. Hanson’s awake.]
Rebecca sat up in bed.
She threw off the blanket and swung her legs out.
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