Chapter 14 Magnolia

Maggie took a deep breath, "24th? It's a working day, I will record a program."
The Manager found her talkative and banged the water cup on the table, "Are you busier than me? This matter has already been settled. You go back first, and Assistant Abby will handle the handover with you."
In the workplace, twists and turns were inevitable.
The Williams family invested a million dollars in advertising, and the TV station treated her as a figure, withdrawing funds, and shouldered the losses of the TV station as an ordinary informal host.
Maggie walked out of the office and called Matt, but he hung up. She called again, but his phone was switched off.
He inherited his father's business and had the shrewdness to engage in calculations for profit and gain. Although he lacked the experience of the real business world and the ups and downs of the tide, he had gathered some small tricks through continuous exposure and learning.
Controlling Maggie came to him.
The dormitory was not far away, so Maggie asked the nanny to send over all the clothes, documents, and daily necessities left in the villa.
There weren't many things as she was good at managing her belongings. Brand-name clothes and precious jewelry were gifts from her ex-husband, and she kept them without actively seeking or purchasing them.
Married into a moderately wealthy family, she wasn't extravagant and just wanted to live a stable life.
Ellie said she was strong-willed, shrewd, and played risky moves, aiming to win a trace of pity and guilt in her husband's heart by not asking for any property during the divorce.
It was unfair. She did her best to protect this marriage, using strategy and tactic at her disposal. Yet, she never openly exposed her husband's secrets.
All that remained was to seek a final shred of dignity for their relationship.
As she waited in the dormitory, the Manager's assistant Abby called and gave her detailed instructions. This government official had high blood pressure, gout, and was allergic to seafood with shells, so he shouldn't consume excessive alcohol...
Maggie had a good memory, and before Abby could repeat it a second time, she had already memorized everything.
Abby also sent her a list of attendees for the cultural exchange event.
She emphasized the importance of paying attention to the officials from the city and the Municipal Radio and Television Bureau who would be present.
Maggie inexplicably thought of Harold. The list included political figures, business tycoons, as well as figures from the cultural and entertainment circles who only appeared on TV or in the news.
The only name missing was a city official with the surname Edwards.
Perhaps it was due to the different administrative fields or perhaps he had other work arrangements...
She deeply felt the burst of his aggressiveness, the heat of breaking free, like a stone falling into the sea of her heart, creating ripples.
But she also stopped at that point and didn't dare to have too many unrealistic thoughts.
"Maggie, open the door." A series of knocks, accompanied by a middle-aged woman's voice, resounded.
Maggie was surprised and reluctantly opened the dormitory door.
The woman standing at the door was not the villa's housekeeper, but Matt's mother, her former mother-in-law, Mrs. Williams.
"Madam, why are you here?" She went to take the suitcase Mrs. Williams had behind her.
"It's only been a few days since the divorce, and you've changed my addess so quick?" Mrs. Williams looked around and pushed open the bathroom door before taking another look around. "Can people live in this place? You're quite determined."
Maggie handed her a cup of warm water in a paper cup, feeling a bit embarrassed. "The dormitory conditions are like this."
Mrs. Williams, a middle-aged woman, wore trendy curly hair popular among wealthy ladies, piled up on her head. Her earrings, necklace, and bracelet were all matching jade, exuding an air of wealth and luxury.
She didn't take the paper cup. "Maggie, the car is parked downstairs. If you change your mind, you can take your things while they haven't been packed yet."
"I'm not leaving." She ran her nails against the side of the paper cup.
"Don't be stubborn. As a woman, I understand your situation. Matt is my son, and I know what's on his mind." Mrs. Williams took out a bank card from her bag and placed it in her hand. "You have decent looks and a job, but you family background is plain. After a divorce, it's unlikely you'll find such good conditions as the Williams family. Matt is willing to spend money and time on you, you should be content."
Maggie shook her head. "I don't want it."
The car downstairs honked twice, urging them. Mrs. Williams's expression changed. "Two million dollars, is it not enough?"
She was determined. "It's not about the money, Madam. Please tell Matt that it's impossible for us to be together anymore."
Mrs. Williams sneered. "I didn't expect you to still have that stubbornness in you." She glanced at her with a sinister look. "Is there another man?"
"No." Maggie felt a cold sweat running down her back.
Mrs. Williams's position in the Williams family was dominant, and even Matt was afraid of her. "As an elder, I have to remind you not to be too proud. If you enter into another marriage, you may not have the generosity of the Williams family."
She stood on her tiptoes and moved the suitcase aside. The car downstairs honked urgently twice again. Suppressing her anger, she slammed the door and left.
Maggie leaned against the wall, her palms sweaty, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Mrs. Williams had always loved and hated her son. She hated him for his abnormal sexual orientation, and after he had been with Maggie, she couldn't hold it in and would cause trouble when she went back.
She wouldn't be able to hide in the dormitory for long; Matt would come sooner or later. Maggie had been on edge these past few days and had already prepared to rent a place outside.
Her mother flew from the south to the north with her pension, mortgaging a small apartment of less than sixty square meters and marrying a local man with a limp.
Maggie still can't understand why, apart from holidays, they only transfer money to each other. She kept the divorce a secret and didn't inform him.
Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't initiate contact either. She held onto the pressure of Matt potentially exposing their relationship on television, and she didn't even consider the idea of going home for a transition.
On the day of the Cultural Night, the Manager deliberately went to a car dealership and had his Mercedes-Benz washed until it gleamed.
He parked it at the entrance of the television station. Maggie wore light makeup, which suited her better than heavy makeup.
With her extraordinary figure, heavy makeup looked tacky, but the light touch of blush on her cheeks was like a stroke of brilliance, bringing out a subtle allure.
The Manager was delighted and even opened the car door for her. "How did I not notice before? ABC is like a magnolia flower." Maggie had heard this line before.
The Manager said the exact same thing to ABC's leading actress, Tiffany, during the internal Christmas party.
Just as the Mercedes-Benz left the intersection, a Rolls-Royce appeared and followed closely behind, with a license plate that Maggie was all too familiar with. Matt knew how to pick his timing.
At that moment, the Manager leisurely sat in the car, listening to 90s old songs, tapping his fingers to the beat with his eyes closed, oblivious to Maggie frequently glancing out the back window. Her heart tightened, afraid that he might lose his mind and drag their conflicts to the attention of the station officials.