Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 141

After leaving the meeting room, I couldn't wait to share today's events with Paula during a free moment.

Paula clapped her hands in delight after hearing my story. "Wow, Mr. Collins really is the dream guy from our school days. He's just perfect. Lawrence doesn't even come close. Lawrence is a jerk, and compared to Mr. Collins, it's like night and day."

Realizing she shouldn't have mentioned Lawrence, Paula quickly apologized, "Melinda, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

I wasn't bothered by Lawrence anymore, so I wasn't upset. "It's okay, I don't care about him at all now. Mentioning his name doesn't affect me. But you're right, Christopher is practically perfect."

Paula nodded. "Someone like him, whether as a boss or a boyfriend, is a blessing. You should cherish him. Remember when I faced harassment at work? Not only did I not get justice, but the other party even turned the tables and accused me. It was infuriating, and I still get angry thinking about it."

I knew about Paula's past ordeal, and it made me feel for her. Even though she had moved on, I still wanted to comfort her. "It's okay, you handled it in the end. You're a strong, independent woman. I admire you!"

Paula puffed up with pride at my compliment. "Of course, who do you think I am?"

"You're the best!" I played along.

Paula laughed and reminded me, "Just keep working hard and show those who look down on you what you're capable of. After all, you're Mr. Collins' only female assistant, and people might spread rumors. Although, being linked to Mr. Collins isn't the worst thing."

"No way, that would be unfair to Mr. Collins. I need to work even harder. Those people have nothing better to do, spreading such nonsense. I'm a divorced woman; how could I be a match for someone like Christopher? Don't they realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Mr. Collins is just too good to you!" Paula sighed.

I smiled. "That's because he respects my parents. It's the good fortune they left me!"

I checked the time and realized it was almost the end of the workday. Not wanting to spend too long on a personal call during work hours, I wrapped up the conversation with Paula and hung up.

I then handled some emails and other tasks.

The next couple of days were relatively quiet.

Alan, still unwilling to give up, came to the office a few more times, begging for a partnership. But Christopher turned him down each time, refusing to see him. 

Alan, being somewhat proud, eventually realized Christopher's stance and, with the merger talks approaching, stopped coming.

I didn't pay much attention to it after that. I was getting more comfortable in my role as an assistant, handling tasks more efficiently.

Occasionally, I accompanied Christopher to business dinners. But I never had to drink on his behalf; even if drinking was involved, Christopher handled it himself. He probably knew I couldn't hold my liquor and didn't want to risk any embarrassing incidents.

Today, after securing a new tech partnership, Christopher seemed a bit drunk. I had to carefully help him into the car.

Once inside, he closed his eyes to rest. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but halfway through the drive, I noticed him pressing a hand to his stomach. I knew he had a mild stomach condition.

"Mr. Collins, is your stomach bothering you?" I asked with concern.

Without opening his eyes, he softly replied, "Yeah."

Seeing his worsening complexion, I grew worried. I kept an eye out for a pharmacy and asked the driver to stop when I spotted one.

As I was about to get out, Christopher suddenly opened his eyes and placed a cool hand over mine on the door handle, his voice hoarse, "Where are you going?"

"Mr. Collins, it's still a long way home, and it's best not to delay if your stomach hurts. I want to get you some stomach medicine. It won't take long; the pharmacy is right there."

He listened to my explanation and didn't stop me.

Inside the pharmacy, I asked the clerk and headed straight for the stomach medicine shelf. The medicine I needed was on a high shelf, and I struggled to reach it.

Just then, a long arm reached over my head and grabbed the medicine, handing it to me. "Is this the one?"

I looked up to see Christopher's slightly reddened eyes, likely from the alcohol and the late hour. "Yes, Mr. Collins. Your stomach hurts; why did you get out of the car?"

He released the medicine and replied, "Tiana just called. Biscuit threw up, so I came to get some medicine."

"Biscuit is...?"

'When did Christopher's home get an additional person?' I wondered.

"My dog."

I almost choked on my own saliva. His dog was a Border Collie, not a Husky, and a smart one at that. How did it end up with such a cute name like Biscuit?

But it was Christopher's dog, so I kept my thoughts to myself. I couldn't help but wonder if the dog ever protested being called Biscuit all the time.

I said, "I have some basic pet medicine at home. Tell me Biscuit's symptoms, and I'll get the right medicine for him. It's late, and we might not find what we need here."

Seeing Christopher's intention to use human medicine for Biscuit, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the dog. Christopher was perfect in many ways, but his pet care skills were questionable.

"Okay," he agreed immediately, probably realizing the same issue.

I took the stomach medicine to the cashier. As I pulled out my phone to pay, Christopher's hand covered mine and my phone, stopping me. His fingers were cool, likely from his discomfort, but I felt a strange warmth and hesitated to pull my hand away.

Christopher didn't seem to notice the gesture. As he released my hand, he said, "I'll pay. No need to bother with company expenses."

I hadn't planned to expense it anyway.

"It's fine, I'll pay. No need to expense it," I insisted.

Christopher looked down at me. "Mixing personal and professional matters isn't good."

I bit back a retort, reminding myself he was unwell. Taking a deep breath, I said, "You've helped me so many times. Buying you some medicine is the least I can do. We're friends, and friends don't keep score."