Chapter 122 The Company Needs You Now
"Yeah!"
Aurelia still remembered a time when he had exhausted her so much, and the next day, she couldn't even get out of bed. He was working late that night and had someone deliver the latest Hermes bag with a card that read, [Last night was amazing. This is for you.]
If it wasn't payment for sleeping with her, then what else could it be?
Normal couples wouldn't keep track of such things; intimacy should be mutual and not require compensation!
Nathaniel felt that she was difficult to communicate with at the moment, and it seemed his fault for sending her gifts.
He thought, 'What an ungrateful woman!'
"If you don't want it, just throw it away!"
Aurelia was shocked by his words. The bags in the bedroom closet alone had a value of hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention those in the storage room. He actually wanted her to throw them away.
Suddenly, a sense of resentment towards the wealthy arose in her. She had provided design drawings to Swan and only received hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Most of that money was invested in stocks, and her disposable income was limited. Aurelia had always believed she had no material desires except for jewelry; nothing else interested her.
Was it really that easy to throw away something worth hundreds of thousands of dollars so casually, as if discarding an old T-shirt? Could he at least show some respect for the less fortunate?
"Keep them. If you ever go bankrupt, you can sell them and live comfortably for the rest of your life," Aurelia said.
Nathaniel snorted, "You want me to go bankrupt?"
After a moment, he added, "If I ever go bankrupt, I'll start by selling your jewelry."
Aurelia was furious. His words were no joke; after all, he had actually sold them once before. She glared at him, wondering where she could store her treasures to keep this man from constantly thinking about them and possibly giving them away to clients one day.
The more she thought about it, the more insecure she felt.
"If you dare to sell them, I'll dare to buy them back."
He thought of the money she had squandered last time. At that time, Nathaniel had already arranged for the items to be bought back. However, her appearance had cost him a lot more, and she didn't seem to care at all.
"Your man's money is hard-earned; spend it wisely. At least spend it on things that matter."
Aurelia didn't understand what he meant by "things that matter." She rarely used his card, only a few times when she was angry. She took the black card from her bag and tossed it onto his lap.
"Keep this card. Household items are regularly purchased, and I don't need to buy anything."
Having hardly used his card, she still bore the reputation of being a spendthrift. She didn't want his black card. She was about to retrieve the trust fund her mother had set up for her, and the shares in the Thompson Group left by Penelope, which were due for dividends soon. She had spent a lot of money recently on stocks, and she had enough shares in hand; she didn't need to buy more.
Her wealth would soon be abundant. With her own money, she didn't need Nathaniel's.
Nathaniel looked at the card, his brow furrowed. For the first time, he felt that he wanted to be needed. This woman used to cling to him, relying on him for every little thing, even needing his help to open a bottle of mineral water. She practically wanted to follow him to work.
Now, she was so independent that she frightened Nathaniel. He felt that Aurelia was drifting further and further away from him, to the point where she might not need him anymore.
Nathaniel looked at the slender woman, who was as docile as a cat when she was obedient. But when she was stubborn, there was nothing he could do.
Zack was in the car; he wouldn't engage in such wife-appeasing acts in front of subordinates. If she didn't want it, then so be it.
Nathaniel put the card back into his wallet.
After personal matters, he brought up business matters.
"I can't approve your resignation for now. The company needs you at the moment."
Aurelia sneered, "The Heilbronn Group's design department has a variety of designers with different styles. They certainly don't need a mere design assistant like me!"
Nathaniel sensed her resentment in her words. "You have to start as an assistant when you join. It's a company policy, and just because you're my wife doesn't mean you can break the rules. If you're not satisfied with your position, I can promote you now."
Aurelia found it ironic. "You say I have to start as an assistant, then what about Chelsea?"
Back in the day, everyone in the industry knew that the Heilbronn Group design department had brought in a chief designer, which was Chelsea. When she started in the company, she was envied by everyone in the design circle. Why did the company policy not apply to Chelsea?
Losing patience, Nathaniel retorted, "Aurelia, you can't compare yourself to Chelsea. She had achieved a lot internationally before, and I brought her in as the chief designer without any special treatment. Although she's now embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, she is truly capable of holding that position."
Aurelia felt bitter. Why did he have to belittle her when he praised Chelsea?
He kept saying he didn't favor Chelsea, but in fact, he had done quite a lot for her. Chelsea had access to the CEO's private elevator, and she could use his parking space freely. When her plagiarism scandal first broke, he looked away, and it was only due to public pressure that the Heilbronn Group terminated her contract.
No boss could treat employees like that.
Whoever could have such a good boss was luckier than winning the lottery.
His kindness to Chelsea was like breathing air to him; he had become so accustomed to it that he didn't even notice it anymore.
What Aurelia feared the most was that Chelsea had become a part of his life, a habit he couldn't break. Although he promised that their marriage wouldn't involve Chelsea, he continued to care for the third party in their marriage, giving Chelsea hope and the confidence to keep challenging her.
Aurelia wondered if he would ever say something harsh to Chelsea in his lifetime.
After speaking, Nathaniel immediately called the HR manager, "Promote Aurelia to a Level 1 designer. Prepare the contract right away; we'll sign it when we get to the company."
After some discussion with HR, Nathaniel gave a few more instructions about the contract.
Ending the call, Aurelia said, "You didn't have to do that."
She had made up her mind not to stay at the Heilbronn Group.
This woman exasperated Nathaniel; she just wanted to escape from him now.
"Aurelia, you are the lead designer for the company's new season collection, a member of the design department, and Mrs. Heilbronn. It's only right that you don't resign immediately. At the very least, you should stay until the end of the company's presentation."
Aurelia fell silent. Her bottom line was that she would stay until the end of the presentation. She didn't want to be at the Heilbronn Group, nor did she want any more unclear connections with Nathaniel. Her emotions were still tangled like a ball of yarn in her mind, and she couldn't afford any unnecessary trouble.
At least she needed to calm herself down before deciding whether to stay or leave. She was waiting for Nathaniel's attitude towards Chelsea, but he seemed to have no intention of taking that step.
No matter how much trouble Chelsea caused, he still hadn't completely turned his back on her. Their childhood friendship seemed enough to last Chelsea a lifetime.
"I promise not to resign for now, and I ask you to promise to sign the resignation report after the presentation."
After speaking, the car fell into a dead silence once again.
The conversation on this journey was so tense, always leading to endless arguments.
Nathaniel felt tired. He had left unfinished work, speeding on the highway to pick her up overnight. Besides having a good night's sleep, he hadn't found a moment of peace.
And Nathaniel had returned with a wound.
This woman didn't care about him at all; she just wanted to argue with him.
"Suit yourself!"
He tossed those words at her. If she didn't want to go, then she didn't have to. The Heilbronn Group didn't rely on her alone, and it was more reassuring to keep her as a decoration at home rather than attracting some unscrupulous men.
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