Chapter 140: My Husband Knows Joe
Upon hearing this, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Jennifer's face as she said, "We don't celebrate our wedding anniversary."
Barbara caught Jennifer's embarrassment and immediately got excited. "No way. Who doesn't celebrate their wedding anniversary? Has your husband never given you anything?"
There was a faint hint of mockery in her tone.
She and Jennifer were friends from middle school and had a good relationship, but it was because she made Jennifer look better. On the surface, she got along well with Jennifer, but deep down, she was always a bit resentful. Jennifer used to be much more outstanding than her, so even if she felt uncomfortable with Jennifer, she didn't dare to show it. But now, she had married a good husband, opened a clinic, and could earn two to three million dollars a year.
In contrast, Jennifer had married an average man, which made Barbara feel superior.
Especially seeing Jennifer's embarrassed expression, she couldn't be more thrilled.
Jennifer mumbled a few words, not answering directly.
Barbara's eyes darted around, and she shifted the topic to James. "Jennifer, where does your husband work? He seems quite ambitious."
After she knew that Jennifer's marriage wasn't as good as hers, her demeanor changed, becoming more arrogant and condescending.
This attitude made Jennifer a bit uncomfortable.
Jennifer hesitated and said, "He plans to come and help me manage the clinic."
Barbara was a bit surprised and said, "Really? He gave up his career to help you run the clinic? Is your husband a doctor too?"
"He's not a doctor," Jennifer said, looking a bit unnatural.
"No way. If he's not a doctor, how can he help you manage the clinic?" Barbara asked.
Jennifer, being naturally reserved and not good at socializing, was momentarily stumped and didn't know how to respond.
She felt very disappointed. Given her middle school friendship with Barbara, she had thought this meeting would be a pleasant event. She didn't expect Barbara to become so materialistic, only caring about money now.
At this moment, Barbara's husband, Loren Schneider, spoke up. "Mr. Smith, where do you work?"
James was eating. He hadn't had breakfast and was hungry, so he was busy filling his stomach and not really paying attention to their conversation.
"I don't have a job," James answered casually.
"What?" Loren was stunned. He didn't immediately grasp James's meaning and asked again uncertainly, "Mr. Smith, do you run a company?"
"No." James shook his head.
Barbara and her husband exchanged glances, and both looked at Jennifer.
"Jennifer, did your husband quit his job, or has he never had one?" Barbara asked.
Jennifer glared at James fiercely.
'Couldn't you make yourself sound a bit more impressive?' she thought.
She wasn't good at lying and said, "James doesn't really like working."
After saying this, she felt embarrassed. Even though James had recently met many big shots, he still didn't have a job. So she had no choice but to speak out the truth.
Barbara, hearing this, felt even happier inside but still showed a surprised expression on the surface. "No way! Your husband looks quite ambitious. How could he not have a job?"
Loren added from the side, "Could it be that he can't find a job?"
Jennifer felt even more embarrassed and regretted coming to see Barbara. She had thought Barbara hadn't changed, but after all these years, Barbara had also become so materialistic.
But what made her even more annoyed was that James couldn't even tell a lie.
"Jennifer, did you fund the entire clinic yourself this time?" Barbara asked with a peculiar expression.
Jennifer gave a couple of dry laughs and didn't answer directly, but her reaction already told Barbara the answer—it was indeed her money.
Barbara was now certain that Jennifer had married poorly and that James was an incompetent man who was far inferior to her own husband. At this moment, Barbara felt she had finally won over Jennifer.
Throughout the meal, she flaunted her happy marriage, such as how well her husband treated her, how many luxury items he had bought her, and all the places they had traveled to.
Barbara also bragged about how amazing Loren was, saying he was a renowned doctor in the area and had received many thank-you letters for curing many people.
On the other hand, Jennifer mentioned the issue of suppliers for her clinic a few times, but Barbara ignored her, which made Jennifer unhappy. However, since she needed something from Barbara, she had to bear her taunt.
Finally, when the meal was over, Jennifer found an opportunity and said, "Barbara, you mentioned last time that you have a reliable supplier. Could you introduce me to them?"
Barbara showed a troubled expression and said, "Well, it's not that easy."
Jennifer's expression changed slightly. "Is there a problem?"
Barbara gave her husband a look, and he stepped in. "To be honest, the supplier has a principle of only working with clinics in this city, and since you're not in Pearl Peak City, it might be difficult to collaborate."
James immediately saw through their lie. It was obvious that Barbara and her husband didn't want to introduce the supplier to Jennifer and were just making excuses. With logistics being so convenient nowadays, who would refuse business? Besides, Pearl Peak City and Lindwood City were not far apart; they were just a little over a two-hour drive away.
Jennifer said, "That's not a problem. Just introduce me to the supplier, and I'll talk to them myself."
Barbara nodded perfunctorily. "Okay, I'll talk to them. Jennifer, we've been friends for many years, so I feel it's necessary to remind you. Running a clinic isn't just about being able to treat patients. There are many intricacies involved, like various permits, which require a lot of connections and money. Even if you manage to get everything, if you make a mistake with a patient, the clinic could be shut down immediately. So, you need to think it through."
Jennifer didn't catch Barbara's underlying meaning and felt a bit relieved, saying, "Don't worry. I've considered all of that. Permits aren't an issue; I've got them all. Now I just need a reliable supplier."
Barbara's husband laughed. "Dr. Johnson, don't be so confident. I've been through this, and running a clinic isn't easy. Many doctors who start their own clinics end up failing. Successful ones like mine are rare. Every year, the business bureau inspections are tough to pass without connections."
His words were full of arrogance.
Jennifer frowned. From the meal until now, Barbara's husband had been acting arrogantly, as if he was the best in the world, which was very off-putting.
She finally said, "You don't need to worry about that. My husband knows our city's mayor, Joe. As long as we operate legally, there won't be any problems!"
Hearing this, Barbara and her husband were stunned. 'Does James actually know the mayor of Lindwood City?' they thought.
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