Chapter 4 He Will Wait and See

Damien stared at Clarissa. She probably had an ulterior motive on the night they slept together. Why else would she “accidentally” leave her phone in the room? Surprisingly, she rejected him without any hesitation. That impressed him. Of course, if she were to regret her action in the future, he would only look down on her further. The trick of playing hard to get was not new. Using that method on him would only bring humiliation to herself.

“Okay. You can leave.”

Damien ordered Clarissa to leave coldly.

After returning to her office, Clarissa realized that she was not angry. In fact, she just felt her heart sink.

Regardless, she had already rejected Damien’s request. So, she decided to stop thinking about it.

The most important thing right now was to remain in New East Corporation. After all, New East Corporation’s benefits were second to none in the whole of Genovia.

While Clarissa was battling her inner thoughts, she received a Whatsapp message from her brother, Luke Johnson.

[ Clarissa, the doctor wants you to go to the hospital at 4:00 p.m. today. ]

Clarissa was irritated.

[ I’m still working at 4:00 p.m. ]

[ Tell that to the doctor yourself. ]

Clarissa knew that talking to Luke was a waste of time. At the moment, it was three o’clock in the afternoon. If she wanted to arrive at the hospital on time, she would need to leave by three-thirty. She had to put in a leave request again.

Upon thinking that, Clarissa became nervous. Actually, she was an excellent person and had achieved top results in school. She even implemented a new bookkeeping technique and was praised by her superiors. However, she kept taking leaves. This would definitely impact her position in the company. Obviously, taking constant leaves was not a good impression.

Her worries were not for nothing. When she put in a leave request, the finance director, Howard Brooks, said, “Clarissa, your performance isn’t bad, but you keep taking leaves. How am I supposed to give you a good review? You want to stay in New East Corporation, right?”

Clarissa replied humbly, “Director, New East is a great company. Without a doubt, I want to stay here. Unfortunately, I really have some urgent matters. After handling them, I’ll come back and work extra hours.”

Howard reluctantly approved Clarissa’s leave request. Clarrisa left and took a public bus to Genovia’s Columbia Hospital.

Her mother had been lying in the hospital’s neurology department bed for years.

“Clarissa, your mom’s hospital bill is due. Did you bring the money today?”

Doctor Fisher was her mother’s appointed doctor. Hence, he was acquainted with Clarissa. He was aware that Luke only knew how to give out orders, but would not do anything himself. The eldest son of the Johnson family did not bother about his own mother’s hospital bills. All along, Clarissa was the one who worked hard to secure their finances.

“Oh, I didn’t. I’ll only be receiving my salary two days later.”

Clarissa was embarrassed and lowered her head.

“You must pay up as soon as possible. Otherwise, the hospital might be forced to take action.”

“I know, I know.”

Clarissa nodded and bowed.

After that, she went to visit her mother. The latter was on oxygen supply. Ever since she was admitted to the hospital, she never replied when Clarissa spoke to her.

Clarissa’s father was originally a project manager of a construction site. They used to be a harmonious family of four.

However, her father died because he accidentally fell from over twenty floors during a project six years ago. That incident caused a massive shock to her mother and she became absentminded. Subsequently, her mother got into a car accident. Her father’s death insurance and the compensation from the driver allowed her mother to stay in the hospital for over five years. Nonetheless, spending without having an income eventually depleted their money.

When all the money was almost gone, Clarissa started helping her school teachers to run errands and worked as a tutor to earn some income for her mother’s hospital bills.

Luke suggested cutting off their mother’s oxygen supply as that would save them a lot of trouble, but this only caused Clarissa to think that her brother was heartless. Even though their mother was unresponsive, she was still alive. Having her in this world was better than not.

Clarissa held her mother’s hand and said, “Mom, I’m preparing for an examination to be a certified public accountant. You have to bless me so that I’ll pass. If I do, my salary will increase by several folds. My annual income might also reach a million dollars. When that happens, paying your hospital bills won’t be a problem anymore.”

Clarissa smiled at her mother, but she did not respond.

For the past six years, Clarissa hoped that her mother would suddenly open her eyes and talk to her again. She missed the times when her mother would pat her head and call her “Clary”.

“I have to go back to work now. I’m not going to take the certified public accountant exam yet. Currently, the most important thing is to remain in New East Corporation.”

Clarissa encouraged herself.

Staying at New East Corporation would provide her with a sum of money every month. That way, she could at least pay off her rent and manage her mother’s hospital bills.

Nevertheless, remaining in New East Corporation would be difficult because she frequently took leaves.