Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 282

Christopher and Jason locked eyes, and Jason was the first to look away.

With a bitter smile, Jason said, "Christopher, if you'd just see Marlowe, I wouldn't have come to Melinda. She's in bad shape, barely eating, and her emotions are all over the place. If she doesn't get surgery soon, she might lose her leg."

Christopher remained unmoved, his voice cold. "Jason, you can't take responsibility for her life. If she doesn't care about her leg, then she'll have to deal with the consequences herself."

Jason opened his mouth as if to say something, but his eyes flicked to me, and he closed it again.

I immediately understood—he had something private about Marlowe that wasn't meant for my ears.

"It's almost time for work. I should head back to the office."

With that, I left straight away.

As I walked out, I faintly caught the words "Marlowe's secret."

So Marlowe had secrets, and maybe that was why Jason was so indulgent with her. But that had nothing to do with me.

I walked out of the café and had barely taken a few steps when I noticed a familiar license plate.

If I wasn't mistaken, it belonged to Faye.

My alarm bells went off immediately.

Ever since I'd seen some of Faye's tactics, I'd been trying to avoid her.

My first thought was, she couldn't be here for me, right?

After all, there had been several times when she just happened to be waiting for me by the roadside.

Just as I was about to find a place to hide, I saw the car door open, and a man got in.

If I wasn't mistaken, that man was Marlowe's boss, the owner of Echo Magazine. What were they up to?

Regardless, since I was here, I took out my phone and discreetly recorded a video of them meeting and chatting.

I didn't know what they were talking about, but I had a feeling it was related to Marlowe.

I had a bad feeling about this, but Marlowe was just a patient right now. Faye shouldn't be able to do much to her, right?

I decided to put it aside for now.

I hadn't been back at the office for long when Christopher returned as well.

Seeing him, I couldn't help but ask, "Did you settle things with Mr. Cook? And what about Ms. Grey..."

"She's none of my business. I'm not responsible for her," Christopher replied coolly, even sounding a bit impatient when he mentioned Marlowe.

I was now certain that Christopher didn't like Marlowe.

If he did, he wouldn't let her suffer.

After all, when one truly loved someone, they always felt a sense of care and guilt.

Not long after Jason left, I heard that Marlowe had been given anesthesia and had the surgery.

But even after the surgery, she didn't show any gratitude to Jason or the caregivers. Instead, she lashed out at them hysterically.

She blamed them for making decisions without her, and then she blamed Christopher for not visiting her. Of course, she also cursed me out.

She seemed to hate Christopher so much that she even threatened to cancel the contract with AutoForge Workshop.

She had signed the contract with AutoForge Workshop to get closer to Christopher, but since he was so indifferent, it wasn't surprising that she wanted to cancel it.

Fortunately, the caregiver overheard and told Quinlan.

Quinlan then informed me.

"Melinda, this is serious. Ms. Grey doesn't seem to be just venting. She really plans to terminate the contract. You need to think of something. Maybe get Mr. Collins to visit her in the hospital. Just a visit might solve everything."

Quinlan wasn't mocking Christopher; she was genuinely concerned for me and AutoForge Workshop. And, of course, for Hayes.

Hayes had finally found a suitable mentor and was making great progress. If something went wrong now, it would be a disaster.

Plus, she trusted me and Christopher more. If Marlowe ended up working with Vanguard Motors, Inc., Hayes might suffer from being overworked.

But she didn't have custody of Hayes, so there was nothing she could do.

Quinlan was also frustrated. "Marlowe is like a madwoman now, always on the verge of a breakdown. She even forced Hayes to stay in her room, and her outbursts almost triggered his condition again. Luckily, Jason noticed and had Blair take Hayes away in time. Otherwise, I can't imagine what might have happened."

I said, "She's sick too. She's sacrificed a lot. If it weren't for her, Hayes might still be in the orphanage, and things could be much worse."

Though Marlowe was difficult now, we couldn't deny the good she had done for Hayes.

Unfortunately, people often forgot their original intentions.

Quinlan sighed at my words. "True, she was good to Hayes. I just wish she could have stayed that way, without any conditions, not treating Hayes as an accessory."

But that seemed impossible now.

Quinlan said, "Let's take it one step at a time. I'll have Blair keep an eye on Ms. Grey. If she contacts Vanguard Motors, Inc., I'll let you know immediately."

"Thanks!" I appreciated Quinlan's help.

She had always been attentive to my matters, never expecting anything in return.

This was serious, so I decided to talk to Christopher about it.

Christopher frowned when he heard.

He couldn't compromise and visit Marlowe.

First, his pride wouldn't allow it.

Second, Marlowe was greedy, and who knew what more she might demand.

But this was a tricky situation.

Seeing Christopher like this, I couldn't help but blurt out, "If only Hayes could make his own decisions."

If he was able to express his wishes and act independently, everything would be easier.

Besides, it would be a shame to waste his talent.

"Wishful thinking," Christopher said, looking at me.

I nodded. "But no matter what, Mr. Collins, I believe in you."

"For how long?" Christopher raised an eyebrow, his gaze intense.

I looked away. "How long for what?"

"Trust. How long? A lifetime?" Christopher asked in a deep voice.

It felt like a promise for life.

I quickly pushed that bold thought out of my mind and replied with a nervous laugh, "A lifetime is too long to say."

Right now, I didn't believe in such promises.

But I heard Christopher say, "Then I hope for longer, much longer."

His words sounded so tender that my ears grew warm. I couldn't stay any longer, feeling something inside me was about to break free. I suppressed it and found an excuse to leave the office.

I didn't continue the conversation with Christopher.

These days, training with Christopher left me sore all over.

So as soon as work ended, I rushed home.

Christopher was very considerate. He must have noticed my soreness and prepared some pain relief ointment for me.

I applied it, enduring the pain.

If it weren't for Christopher's instructions and caring words, I would have thought he gave me the ointment to torture me.

Thankfully, after enduring the pain and applying the ointment, I felt refreshed the next morning.

I almost forgot about Faye and the Echo Magazine boss meeting.

But then Quinlan called, saying Marlowe was missing.