Chapter 105 Is He Deliberately Avoiding Her?
"Hey, why don't you head home? I'll ping you when he's done, and you can swing back," Alvin suggested, thinking she might be bored. "Or hit up the mall to kill some time."
Margaret wasn't having it. She shook her head to avoid any screw-ups.
So, from 9:30 in the morning, she sat there until 10:00 at night.
Everyone at Hughes Group had bounced, but Raymond was still holed up in the conference room.
She couldn't tell if he was genuinely swamped or just dodging her.
But whatever, she had all the time in the world and could wait it out.
Feeling a wave of nausea, she bolted to the restroom and dry-heaved like crazy.
Her face turned beet red, and she felt like her lungs were gonna pop out, but nothing came up.
Weird, why was she dry-heaving so much lately?
If she remembered right, this was the second time.
She hadn't eaten anything funky. Must be her condition getting worse, and her immune system tanking.
After splashing her face with cold water, she stared at her sickly reflection in the mirror, gave a bitter smile, and left the restroom.
Back in the office, she saw Raymond in a gray sweater and black dress pants. His glasses perched on his high nose bridge. He grabbed the black coat hanging on a chair and put it on, looking all serious.
Indeed, money changed people.
When Margaret first met him, he was rocking ragged, loose jeans. He wasn't just lacking style; even his posture was kinda slouched.
Back then, Raymond's eyes were full of anxiety, timidity, and insecurity.
Especially when she talked about her fancy cosmetics or clothes, he often didn't know what to say, feeling all awkward.
But now, standing there, there was no trace of the shy guy he used to be.
His vibe had become more noble, his features colder and more handsome, while she had lost her spoiled-girl attitude and become more cautious, walking on eggshells.
Their roles had completely flipped.
Thinking about this made Margaret feel heavy-hearted.
Raymond looked up and met her gaze.
His eyes, initially calm, turned sharp and piercing when he saw her.
If looks could kill, her heart would've been shredded to pieces.
Raymond looked away, quickened his pace, and brushed past her like she was the plague, something he had to cut off completely.
The black coat he wore was still the one she had bought him back then; he hadn't replaced it.
The hem of the coat brushed against her fingers, making them tremble in pain.
But she mustered the courage to grab his wrist and looked at his perfectly chiseled side profile. "If you want me gone, why keep the clothes I gave you? Why not toss them?"
Margaret really couldn't figure him out. He had forced her to divorce and vanished for a year.
Yet he kept all the clothes, shoes, and other stuff she had bought for him.
If it were the past, she would've thought it was because he was too broke to replace them.
But now, that excuse didn't fly.
So, what was the real reason behind Raymond's mixed signals?
Lost in thought, she saw him sneer mockingly. "Keeping them is just to remind myself to get revenge."
So, wearing the clothes she bought was to remind him to torment her and her family.
She mocked to herself inwardly, 'Margaret, you really overestimated yourself.'
Margaret was stunned for a moment, and he disdainfully shook her hand off.
Raymond said impatiently, "Stay away from me in the future. Stop showing up in front of me!"
If she stayed away, he might get so busy that he'd forget about revenge.
So if she were smart, she'd stay far away from him so he wouldn't remember this whole mess.
Just as Raymond was about to leave, she grabbed his wrist again, this time with both hands.
Margaret felt him stiffen up a bit, but she didn't have time to sweat the small stuff. "I'm here to make you keep your promise," she said.
"What promise?"
"Raymond, you wouldn't go back on your word, would you? Last night, you said if I knelt and begged, you'd consider my terms."
Raymond shot back, "I said I'd consider it, not that I'd agree. It's your own fault for kneeling. Who can you blame?"
"Raymond, you did it on purpose!"
"You've done dumb stuff before. Last time you slit your wrist. I told you to die, and you actually tried. I don't know who saved you, but if it were me, I wouldn't have. People like you who don't value life deserve to die!" Raymond sneered.
Margaret knew he was a jerk, but she didn't think he was this bad.
He could flip on a dime.
Margaret glared at him, shaking with anger. "You're playing me?"
"Yeah, I am. What are you gonna do about it? Margaret, you're not the high-and-mighty Miss Hughes anymore. Who gave you the nerve to yell at me? Your useless mom? Your bedridden, half-dead dad? Or your struggling Hughes family?" Raymond mocked.
Margaret's face turned red as she glared at him.
Raymond, that bastard, his words were brutal.
But she couldn't lose her cool. He was trying to provoke her.
If she pissed him off, she'd pay an even higher price to get his help.
She thought, 'Don't do anything stupid, Margaret.'
Margaret took ten seconds to swallow her anger and shamelessly smiled at him. "We can talk this out, right? I know my family's at fault. I know you want to torment me. If you help my family, you can torment me all you want. Isn't that a good deal? I'll be at your beck and call 24/7. If you want me to kneel, I won't dare to stand. I won't talk back. It's a great deal, and when the time's up, I'll disappear. You'll never see me again. Isn't that great?"
Margaret thought she had him.
But the light in his eyes shattered like a broken mirror, turning into ice.
Raymond asked, "So you still want a divorce? Planning to run to Daniel? He's already ditched you; does he know you're so devoted?"
Clearly, Raymond got it all wrong.
And she didn't want him to. She started to explain, "No, I—"
"Margaret, you're even more pathetic than I thought!"
Margaret was stunned. Was he talking about her? So, in Raymond's mind, she was this awful.
When she snapped out of it, the CEO's office was empty. Raymond was gone.
She couldn't let him leave!
The more he hated her, the more she had to stick to him. Maybe he'd get so annoyed he'd agree just to get rid of her.
She had already lost all her dignity; losing a bit more wouldn't matter.
Margaret jogged to catch up with Raymond.
Nancy's call came in, subtly reminding her it was time to prepare medical expenses for Marlon again.
The endless medical bills weighed on Margaret like a mountain, making her even more determined. She realized that before she died, she couldn't earn enough money through work to fill this financial hole.
Raymond was now her only and best option.
Afraid he'd slip away, she took the elevator as fast as she could, ran out of breath to the underground garage, which was empty and without Raymond.
No sign of that familiar car either.
She had lost track of him!
Margaret felt a bit frustrated, thinking she was too weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten away.
She hung her head and walked dejectedly toward the exit.
Casually lifting her eyes, she saw a black car parked in the farthest corner, with Raymond sitting in the driver's seat, seemingly fastening his seatbelt.
Margaret quickly ran over, opened the passenger door, got in, and locked the door.
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