Chapter 403 Good Character, Worth Befriending
Aurelia sighed, "Nothing much, just a bit anemic."
There was no need to go into too much detail. The doctor did prescribe her some medication to improve her health, so what she said wasn't exactly a lie. It was just small talk between former colleagues who weren't very close.
Amy didn't press further. The phone rang, and she picked it up, said a few words, and quickly hung up.
"I can't chat now, it's time for my son to change his bandages."
With that, Amy grabbed her things and left quickly.
Aurelia watched her back in a daze, finding it hard to connect the once glamorous jewelry designer with the current Amy.
Aurelia wandered around outside for a bit and returned to the hospital room, feeling bored. The key issue was that the hospital didn't have her drawing board, so she couldn't even draw to pass the time.
Aurora called to check in,"Anna, why are you taking a day off right after you just started?"
Aurelia felt quite guilty. She knew how much the young girls there were looking forward to her return.
"It's a long story. I'm at the hospital now, but I'll be at the office tomorrow and won't take any more days off."
Aurora got worried when she heard she was at the hospital, "Anna, are you feeling unwell? Why are you at the hospital?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about me. I'll be discharged tonight."
"I'll come see you after work."
Aurelia thought she was just saying it casually, but by evening, Aurora brought a whole group of people to the hospital, almost filling up her room.
Aurelia felt quite bad seeing the room filled with bouquets and nutritional supplements.
If she were really sick and hospitalized, it would be fine for these lovely colleagues to visit her. But the key was that she wasn't really sick. If it weren't for Joe stopping her, she would have checked out and gone back to work already.
Aurelia said, "You shouldn't have gone to the trouble. I'm really fine."
Everyone started comforting her, "Anna, you need to take care of yourself. Our company can't run without you."
"Exactly, Anna, we need to build our brand quickly. My brother is getting married next year and wants to buy the jewelry I designed. We have to make our brand famous."
Aurora squeezed through the crowd with a gossipy look on her face, "Anna, you weren't here today, but Mr. Sinclair came to the office looking for you."
Aurelia checked her phone and saw no missed calls from Caleb. "Did he say anything?"
"Mr. Sinclair saw you weren't here, said a few words, and left. He said he had something to discuss with you and would come back next time."
"Alright, I'll give him a call later."
After sending off the group of colleagues, Aurelia called Caleb. He must have been on his phone because he picked up in a second.
Caleb said, "You're well-informed. I was planning to visit you in a few days when I had time."
"My assistant said you came to the office this morning. Next time, let me know in advance so you don't make a wasted trip. What did you need to talk to me about?"
Getting to the point, Caleb cleared his throat, "There's a fashion show in Coral Bay this month. Several artists from my company will be attending. I was wondering if you needed help with promotion for your brand?"
Aurelia carefully considered Caleb's words. She knew that when artists attended public events, everything they wore had to be carefully chosen to avoid brand disputes.
Since Caleb mentioned it, it meant those artists didn't have jewelry endorsements. She knew celebrity endorsement fees were not cheap. Caleb's offer to "help with promotion" clearly meant he wasn't planning to charge her.
Aurelia didn't feel comfortable accepting such a big favor. She hated owing people. She also knew Caleb's feelings for her, which made it even harder to accept his help without giving something in return.
"Caleb, I'm very interested in the fashion show you mentioned, but how much do you usually charge for such promotions? I'll pay you the market rate."
Caleb hesitated on the other end of the line, "You're being too formal. We've been friends for so many years. This is just a small favor for me. Why would I charge you?"
"To be honest, our company has some new pieces, but they haven't hit the market yet. I want to build a high-end brand. Right now, I'm just starting to take on some advertising and will eventually need brand ambassadors. If we're going to work together, we might as well discuss it early."
Aurelia talked about Caleb's offer with a polite, businesslike tone.
Caleb said, "Alright, I'll be going to Imperick in the next couple of days. I'll come see you to discuss the collaboration when I get back."
"Okay, I'll have tea ready for you."
Just as she hung up, Joe walked in, looking travel-worn and in business attire, clearly coming straight from the office.
He asked, "How are you feeling? If everything's okay, I'll handle your discharge paperwork in a bit."
Joe glanced at Aurelia's phone screen, relieved to see the call wasn't from Nathaniel. "Caleb is a good guy, you should consider him."
Aurelia realized what Joe meant after a few seconds and felt awkward.
"Joe, I was talking to Caleb about business, not what you're thinking."
Joe sat down on the chair by the bed, "I know. Sinclair Media has been working with our company for years. I'm just saying he's a good person, responsible and upright. His family might not be as well-off as ours, but it's still a good match."
Aurelia looked troubled. She wanted to say, "Did you forget how you treated Caleb when he came to our house before? And that time you tried to get him drunk, practically telling him to stay away from me. Why the change in strategy now?"
But she only said, "Joe, it's not going to happen between us."
Joe scratched his eyebrow with his index finger.
"What kind of guy are you looking for? I'll keep an eye out for you. Grandma is also quite anxious to see you settle down."
He wasn't in a hurry for his sister to get married. If she wanted to stay single, he could support her for life. But thinking about Nathaniel, who kept bothering her, he wondered if her getting married and finding happiness would make him go away.
After all, he genuinely wanted to see his sister live a good life.
Aurelia felt it was a tricky situation. Besides her grandmother, now there was another person pushing her to get married. She was glad she had already had her babies, and twins at that.
Otherwise, would she soon be facing pressure to have children?
"Joe, there's no need. Let me get the company up and running first."
Joe said in a calm voice, "Alright, I support you. But if Nathaniel comes around again..."
His words were cut off by the ringing phone. Joe stood up to answer it, and Aurelia breathed a sigh of relief.
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