Chapter 45 The Cruise Meeting
What caught Alexander's eye was an extremely complete design drawing, a hand-drawn design with many clear and detailed annotations around it.
This drawing was very similar to the draft paper Alexander had seen in Elizabeth's room a few days ago.
However, that draft paper was not as detailed as this one, and Elizabeth had made some modifications, making the design more reasonable.
"Who sent this drawing?" Alexander immediately asked his assistant.
The assistant informed, "It seems to be Miss Spencer, the assistant of Sawyer from the Wisdom Group."
"Take me to see her immediately!" Alexander said at once.
"Yes, Mr. Windsor." The assistant led Alexander out, saying as they walked, "Mr. Windsor, Miss Spencer is waiting at the front desk. You will see her soon."
"Okay," Alexander said briefly.
Elizabeth, who was waiting at the front desk, was startled when she suddenly heard Alexander's voice.
She thought, 'How could it be him?'
For some reason, she didn't want to see Alexander in such a setting. Elizabeth didn't want to have any more entanglements with Alexander outside of matters concerning Esme.
Alexander was someone she couldn't afford to provoke and offend.
Elizabeth turned and ran. Before Alexander came out, she had already hurried into the elevator and pressed the down button.
"Where is Miss Spencer? She was just here," the assistant remarked as he looked around but couldn't find Elizabeth.
Alexander, however, calmly walked to the blinds and looked down with a composed expression.
Before long, a lonely and thin figure appeared on the street.
That figure seemed lonely and unfamiliar, out of place within the entire city, as if she always lived in her own world.
Elizabeth got on a bus, and the bus drove away.
Alexander then closed the blinds and glanced at his subordinate, saying, "We'll use this drawing."
The assistant complied, "Yes, Mr. Windsor."
On the other end, Elizabeth returned to the office and reported to Sawyer. "I have handed the drawing to the other company, Mr. Rivera."
"Very good. You can go back to work. I'll apply for a bonus for you this month," Sawyer said in a very casual tone.
Elizabeth slightly lowered her head and remarked, "Thank you, Mr. Rivera."
"You may get out now," Sawyer said.
Elizabeth paused and said, "I want to leave work an hour early tomorrow, is that okay?"
"No problem!" Sawyer agreed very readily.
"Thank you. Mr. Rivera," Elizabeth said politely, then exited Sawyer's office.
Sawyer looked at Elizabeth's back with disdain and muttered, "So vulgar!"
In this office full of beautiful women, all dressed in exquisite fashion and changing outfits daily, Elizabeth was out of place.
She was so out of place that no one in the office saw her as a colleague. They only saw her as a gofer.
When Elizabeth was not around, the company people would gossip about her, "I really don't know why Mr. Rivera hired such a backward country woman. If we need a gofer, we might as well hire a cleaner."
Someone argued, "This backward woman is faster than a cleaner. She's young and easy to boss around. Have you ever seen her talk? She's always quietly buying us lunch, coffee, and snacks. Isn't that great?"
Somebody whined, "Great, but she's too pretty. Haven't you noticed? She's prettier than both you and me."
Another mocked, "Pretty is useless! Haven't you seen her wearing the same clothes for three days? I bet her outfit costs less than ten dollars!"
One warned, "Stop talking, she's coming."
The colleagues immediately fell silent.
Elizabeth heard them, but she didn't care.
As long as she had a job and could earn her keep, she didn't care about anything else.
She quietly packed her things, didn't greet any colleagues, and left work on time. Then Elizabeth went to Esme's hospital room to talk and chat with her as usual.
Seeing Esme getting thinner day by day, Elizabeth felt sad. Although everything else was just a set up, Elizabeth still considered Esme her only family in the world.
Watching Esme's life gradually fade away day by day, the bitterness in Elizabeth's heart was indescribable.
While chatting with Esme, Elizabeth suddenly started to cry.
"Silly child, why are you crying?" Esme chided gently.
"Mom." Elizabeth suddenly threw herself into Esme's arms. She pleaded, "Mom, can you not die? If you pass away, I will have no family left in this world."
Esme comforted, "Silly girl, you still have Alexander, and you will have children in the future. You will be very happy, understand? My silly girl."
Elizabeth lay in Esme's arms, nodding vigorously. She murmured, "Mom, I will bring you delicious food every day and put fresh flowers in your room."
There was one thing she didn't say.
She thought, 'When Esme passes on, I must buy the best flowers for her.That's why I must earn that ten thousand dollars.'
"Mom, after work tomorrow night, I have to work overtime for a couple of hours, so I won't be able to come by to see you. You must eat well, sleep well, and listen to me, okay?" Elizabeth coaxed Esme like a child.
Esme nodded obediently. She assured her, "You already spend a lot of time with me, no less than Alexander."
Elizabeth lowered her head and smiled shyly. She said, "Yes, but Alexander and I can't coordinate our time. He is the company's president and can find time during the day to see you, but I can only come before and after work. Mom, I hope you don't blame me too much for it."
"How could I blame you?" Esme said as she gently stroked Elizabeth's head.
"Mom, I'm leaving now," Elizabeth reluctantly said goodbye to Esme.
The next afternoon, Elizabeth left work an hour early. She needed to take the bus from the company entrance and transfer three times to reach the dock where Elodie said the river cruise ship was moored.
Two hours later, Elizabeth arrived twenty minutes earlier than the appointed time. This was her first time seeing such a luxurious cruise ship up close, with its dazzling lights, no less splendid than the bustling venues in the city.
In such an occasion, Elizabeth felt somewhat uncomfortable.
She felt inferior to others.
Taking out her phone, Elizabeth called Elodie and asked, "Miss Williams, I'm here. When will you arrive?"
On the other end, Elodie sneered, "You came early. Are you eager to earn that ten thousand dollars? Don't worry, I said ten thousand is the minimum. If you can make them happy tonight, you might even earn fifty thousand."
Elizabeth remained calm, and simply responded, "Thank you, Miss Williams. Where should I go in?"
"Wait for me. I'll be there soon," Elodie said and then hung up.
Ten minutes later, Elodie arrived, accompanied by two men.
Elizabeth saw Owen and was stunned.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
