Chapter 2

Jenson didn't look back. "I want that signed document on my desk by 9:00 am tomorrow."

At 9:00 am the next day, I placed the unsigned document in front of him.

He glanced at the empty line. "Not done throwing your tantrum?"

He tapped the signature line with a silver fountain pen.

That pen was a gift from him when I first joined the translation academy. After I resigned for his sake, the pen stayed in his study.

Now, Aleena's name was engraved on it.

I reached out and picked it up.

Seeing that, Jenson frowned. "Don't touch that. Aleena's used to using it."

"It's mine."

"It's just a pen."

Jenson pulled a black card from his drawer and pushed it toward me. "Last night's score doesn't count. Take this and buy yourself something nice."

I didn't take it. "Did you engrave her name on it because she's better suited for it, too?"

Aleena walked in holding a cup of coffee. She stopped by the door as she heard my question. "Eve, I'm so sorry. Jenson told me it was just company stock. I had no idea it meant something special to you."

She immediately pulled off the pen cap. "I'll give it back right now."

Jenson caught her hand. "You use it for all your meeting notes. Keep it."

He looked over at me. "Eve, you used to be less petty."

I slowly let go of the pen.

Seven years ago, he waited four hours for me in the rain outside the translation academy. When he handed me that fountain pen in the downpour, he told me I shone brighter than anyone else when standing on stage.

Later, he claimed it was unbecoming for a wife to constantly travel for work, so I gave up my career.

Now, he remembered which pen Aleena preferred but completely forgot why it belonged to me in the first place.

His assistant knocked and walked in, saying, "Mr. Clarke, the Dalmore delegation has arrived."

Jenson stood up and adjusted his cuffs. "Eve, come to the conference room. Aleena just took over and isn't fluent with interpretation yet. Cover for her."

I didn't move. "What am I attending as?"

"My wife."

"But at the anniversary gala, you said I wasn't involved in the project."

Jenson checked his watch, visibly impatient. "We're family. Why keep score over who did what?"

Once the meeting started, Aleena mistranslated three key numbers in a row.

The delegate's expression darkened, and he demanded directly in Dalmorian whether the person in charge was even qualified.

Aleena clutched the documents tightly and looked to me for help.

Jenson spoke up coldly. "Eve, translate."

"This is her project," I replied.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn."

"Last night, you said she was better suited for the role than I am."

Silence fell over the conference table.

Jenson lowered his voice. "Help her secure this contract, and your score goes back up to 98."

I looked at him for a moment before taking the document anyway.

It wasn't for the score. Over 30 colleagues had poured six months of hard work into that contract.

When the meeting ended, the delegate came over to shake my hand. "Ms. Hudson, we were under the impression you were leading this project."

Before I could answer, Jenson cut in. "She's only helping out temporarily."

Smiling, Aleena added, "Eve is a homemaker. She's been out of the field for a while, so she occasionally steps in to keep her skills sharp."

The Dalmore delegate looked surprised. "Ms. Hudson, with talent like yours, staying at home is a waste."

Jenson's face went cold. "She isn't suited for high-intensity work."

He took the contract out of my hands in front of everyone and handed it to Aleena. "Good job today."

That praise wasn't meant for me.

During lunch, Aleena raised her glass in celebration. "Eve, let me toast to you. I couldn't have landed this deal without you."

I placed my hand over my glass. "I'm not drinking."

Jenson looked over. "She's making an effort. Don't be ungrateful."

"I can't drink right now."

Aleena blinked. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

My fingers tightened into a ball.

Jenson chuckled softly. "She can barely manage her own emotions. She isn't ready to be a mother."

He pushed the wine glass back toward me. "Drink up, and we'll put yesterday behind us."

As I stared at the red wine swirling in the glass, a wave of nausea hit my stomach. "What if I actually am pregnant?"

"Then we evaluate first. If your physical health, emotional state, and genetic factors hit a 90, then we consider keeping it."

I stared at Jenson, suddenly feeling like the man in front of me was a complete stranger.

Aleena laughed softly to smooth things over. "Jenson just has high standards for the baby's sake. Eve, don't overthink it."

I picked up the glass.

Just as Jenson's brow relaxed, I poured the wine into a nearby ice bucket. "I'm not drinking this. And I'm not signing that authorization form either."

His face turned completely cold. "Eve Hudson, you're going to pay for this."

He had accounting freeze all the secondary cards under my name and confiscated my car keys.

When the lunch ended, it was raining outside. He held an umbrella over Aleena as he walked her to the car, leaving without a single word to me.

Standing on the steps, I dialed my former mentor, Lucy Murray. "Ms. Murray, is the reinstatement evaluation you mentioned last time still open?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"Eve, didn't you say your physical and mental state made you unfit for work and asked me never to contact you again?"

I froze. "I never said that."

Lucy quickly forwarded me an email.

It was sent from my email address, but right next to the signature at the bottom was Jenson's personal seal.